As of late, I don't think I've felt as close to anyone as I have to dead (but linguistically immortal) authors. Christopher Hitchens, Bertrand Russell, Frederick Douglass...All have provided moments of insight and inspiration that allow me to imagine the person that I want to be, and to ever work toward becoming. When reading their works, I'm often swept by a warm and timeless feeling that I am not just understood by them, but I am them. Never have I entertained the idea of reincarnation more, and simultaneously be ashamed for making such a comparison in the first place. Nevertheless, despite my own embarrassment in failing to emulate their characters, I still aim to learn from the lessons they have taught.
Christopher Hitchens
I first came across the fast-talking genius of Hitch through YouTube videos in which he ruthlessly cut down opponents in debates. His disgust of the disingenuous led to my own annoyance of the sort and his piercing logic seems only available to me after I, myself, have shamefully rejected it. The speed of his witty retorts seemed superhuman, like a verbal gunman waiting for you in the street at high noon. I fell in love with his impatience with willful ignorance and was duly depressed when I discovered that he had died from cancer only a year before I knew who he was. Since then, I have purchased a good portion of his books, one of which I always carry with me: Letters to a Young Contrarian. In this book, he dares to do what many would never think of, such as comparing the concept of Heaven to a celestial North Korea, and calling out the moral failures of moral heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. and Vaclav Havel while finding comfort in such failures as it displays just how human they really are! He ends with a piece of advice that I hope to never forget.
Frederick Douglass
In second grade, when I was living in Maryland, I remember going on a class field trip to his house. All I can remember is how old the stove looked as the giant, black metal monstrosity stood out from the rest of the house. Since then, I had not even thought of its owner until recently purchasing Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Though I am glad that I waited so long to read any of his works because they are both sophisticated and emotionally gripping. How does one become so patient and understanding after a quarter century of being told, and shown, that he is nothing? Could I have stood up to Covey the slave-breaker? Could I withstand the sight of my comrade's head being splattered into the river in which he stands? Would I retain thoughts of freedom after being dragged behind a horse for 15 miles? I don't think I could have seen and experienced all that he had and still come away untarnished by racism, to still only want equality! Such courage against racism bolsters my own courage against the racism of today's world. Even if I have nothing, I have dignity and pride. His desire to learn nearly brought me to tears as my own wanting to learn fuels every part of my life. I don't think I shall ever forget his reflection on his master Thomas Auld and his mistress:
Bertrand Russell
I don't quite remember the train of knowledge that led to my reading of Bertrand Russell, but of all the quotes I strive to remember he has, without a doubt, the most impactful. His progressive attitudes and humanitarian achievements are impossible standards to live by, but most honorable to attempt. Russell's intolerance of superstition still provides me with a good laugh about 100 years later, showing that sarcasm is eternal and unmatched in the realm of argumentation.
The shoulders of these giants have lifted me to a height of which I could not survive a fall. I can never go back to that prior state of ignorance and I hope to say the same of myself when I look back at this moment at some future time. My goal is to continue to grow and, when my own growth meets an obstacle, to use the growth of others to push me past it. Who inspires you?
Christopher Hitchens
I first came across the fast-talking genius of Hitch through YouTube videos in which he ruthlessly cut down opponents in debates. His disgust of the disingenuous led to my own annoyance of the sort and his piercing logic seems only available to me after I, myself, have shamefully rejected it. The speed of his witty retorts seemed superhuman, like a verbal gunman waiting for you in the street at high noon. I fell in love with his impatience with willful ignorance and was duly depressed when I discovered that he had died from cancer only a year before I knew who he was. Since then, I have purchased a good portion of his books, one of which I always carry with me: Letters to a Young Contrarian. In this book, he dares to do what many would never think of, such as comparing the concept of Heaven to a celestial North Korea, and calling out the moral failures of moral heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. and Vaclav Havel while finding comfort in such failures as it displays just how human they really are! He ends with a piece of advice that I hope to never forget.
Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the "transcendent" and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don't be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they are mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you.
Frederick Douglass
In second grade, when I was living in Maryland, I remember going on a class field trip to his house. All I can remember is how old the stove looked as the giant, black metal monstrosity stood out from the rest of the house. Since then, I had not even thought of its owner until recently purchasing Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Though I am glad that I waited so long to read any of his works because they are both sophisticated and emotionally gripping. How does one become so patient and understanding after a quarter century of being told, and shown, that he is nothing? Could I have stood up to Covey the slave-breaker? Could I withstand the sight of my comrade's head being splattered into the river in which he stands? Would I retain thoughts of freedom after being dragged behind a horse for 15 miles? I don't think I could have seen and experienced all that he had and still come away untarnished by racism, to still only want equality! Such courage against racism bolsters my own courage against the racism of today's world. Even if I have nothing, I have dignity and pride. His desire to learn nearly brought me to tears as my own wanting to learn fuels every part of my life. I don't think I shall ever forget his reflection on his master Thomas Auld and his mistress:
...he said, "If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world...
All of this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.
Bertrand Russell
I don't quite remember the train of knowledge that led to my reading of Bertrand Russell, but of all the quotes I strive to remember he has, without a doubt, the most impactful. His progressive attitudes and humanitarian achievements are impossible standards to live by, but most honorable to attempt. Russell's intolerance of superstition still provides me with a good laugh about 100 years later, showing that sarcasm is eternal and unmatched in the realm of argumentation.
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens, but always pity brought me back to earth.
The shoulders of these giants have lifted me to a height of which I could not survive a fall. I can never go back to that prior state of ignorance and I hope to say the same of myself when I look back at this moment at some future time. My goal is to continue to grow and, when my own growth meets an obstacle, to use the growth of others to push me past it. Who inspires you?
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