To thine own self be true

Who alluded to it first in literature?

Aldous Huxley in Point Counter Point (1928) with a focus on the 3rd movement in the climax.
Before T.S, Eliot’s Four Quartets (1st one published in 1936).

(The author has long pursued and desired reflection, meditation, awareness, and self-actualization)

Awareness has often been viewed as a higher good in all religions and I certainly believe in the centrality of awareness in the life of individuals. One cannot realize desirable potentialities, develop creativity, help others to achieve their desirable potentialities, or become intelligent and wise without awareness. 

of rude comedians like Don Rickles and later tv shows like The Simpsons and South Park. Thereafter, emerged a colder, nastier lack of common courtesy and an omnipresent age of insults. People these days, especially political leaders like Trump, Kenney, Greene, Boebert, Danielle Smith, redneck groups, and convoy truckers think nothing of making mean-spirited politically incorrect remarks and doing cruel public things to others.

All that sets up ignorant bullies like Trump, Greene and Smith to gather followers of the lowest common denominator, ultimately facilitating dangerous insurrections, Hitler-like dictatorships and autocracies to defraud decent, civilized folks of their democracies and hard-earned legitimate rights. Thereby trampling on the real freedoms of our societies as opposed to illegitimately acting on the dumbass ‘freedoms’ they imagine, fantasize and merely foist on everyone else.

There are far too many people who don’t think rationally these days; who are cruel and violent toward others. These are people who have lost their way big-time and don’t appreciate the benefits of mutual civility, respect, civilized institutions, and peaceful countries.

In the West, we should all learn to relax more, to check our egos and agendas, to use common sense and reason, to be more kind and civil toward others, and to appreciate all the good things we enjoy daily and automatically take for granted in our lives and democracies.

Quit grousing and complaining that nothing will satisfy you.
Quit expecting free billions to be automatically given out every which way.
This is supposed to be about the spirit and healing, not about merely hitting up decent, kind, generous, compassionate, soulful leaders for buckaroos.

“fretful porpentine”. (Hamlet, Act 1, scene 5, line 20)

It was believed in his time that porcupines in bad moods ‘threw’ their quills.

–George Eliot

Simply one of the great movie comedies of all time. ‘Twas funny back then and still is thanks to an Academy-Award-winning Best Actor performance by Richard Dreyfuss at, arguably, the peak of his fame. He plays Elliot Garfield, an up and coming stage actor, who sublets a New York apartment on his way to playing an off-off-Broadway Richard III as an overdone ‘queen’ who wanted to be king. Those latter scenes directed by an eccentric, droll Paul Benedict (of Sesame Street numbers man fame) are well-worth the price of admission alone.

Playing opposite the down-to-earth, passionate Elliot is a more earnest, vulnerable Paula played realistically by Marsha Mason, actress-wife of Neil Simon–he who wrote the entertaining, successful script.

An unexpected delight who should have won for Best Supporting Actress is Quinn Cummings as a believable, savvy 7-8 year-old who is more wary and skeptical than her own mother who’s been burned by two men before Elliott shows up to share their apartment.

The New York sets add a nice believability to the locale and atmosphere of the time and place of these working class people trying to survive and stay afloat, physically and emotionally.

The battle of the sexes scenes are realistic and the root of Paula’s problems and distrust are honestly explored. Elliott is the quirky character at the center of this all, ultimately winning the hearts of both mother and daughter.

Dreyfuss is at his manic best and very funny as a New Age man who is a far better actor than his botched Richard III indicates. Elliot is also a good guy and a better person than any assertive edges of his personality might first indicate. And he becomes a truly pathetic, sympathetic person in his crestfallen stage in the climactic middle, rounding out his character.

Although Dreyfuss is, overwhelmingly, the star in this one, Mason and Cummings more than hold their own in this one and make The Goodbye Girl a truly successful comedy-drama in its depiction of both sexes. This movie is highly recommended for long-time Dreyfuss fans and women viewers who have been disappointed in their choices of unromantic, thoughtless, insensitive male companions in real-life.

won the big Evian tournament, her second major, which moves her further into the ranks of top golfers. At 24, there are more big wins to come. Kudos and congrats!

(Joni in peak form, 1998, 4 years after she appeared here at the Edmonton Folk Festival))

Performing at 78 for the first time since the early 2000s at Newport’s folk festival. This, also, being her first full set since her tragic, sudden brain aneurysm in 2015.

An amazing revival in reasonable voice. She sang “Big Yellow Taxi”, “Both Sides Now”, threw in an instrumental version of “Just Like This Train” and closed with “The Circe Game”. She also sang oldies like “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”, “Summertime”, and “Love Potion Number 9”.

Never say Never. The possibilities remain innumerable.