Winning Words 4/5/10
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” (Thoreau) What do you “see” when you look at Thoreau? Environmentalist? Tax resister? Naturalist? Poet? Transcendentalist? Philosopher? There is more to each person than appears at first glance. We are all a conglomeration of ideas. To me, that means I should not be so quick to judge people by what I see. ;-) Jack

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Isn't Thoreau that guy that built and lived in that little house out by the pond? Guy who chose to live simply in a little house. Only a person who is an environmentalist, tax resister, naturalist, poet, transcendentalist, philosopher could make that lifestyle glamorous and appealing. The rest of us people in our little hovels maybe just look poor and deprived, think Thoreau taught by example that you can live poor with good reasons behind your decisions, except maybe for the tax resisting part which I believe considerable of our taxes does provide a safety net for poor people who are just oppressed in our society. Thanks for offering these WW for our reflection today. FROM JACK: I guess that there are a few of us who appreciate the services that our tax dollars provide. In Thoreau's time, there may have been reasons for him to act as he did. But now is now.

FROM JO IN MICHIGAN: Your words resonate...it is so incredible how people only see things from their own perspective - young, old, and inbetween. It is a rare quality (and sometimes a curse) to possess that ability to see things from different perspectives and relate equally to them. I am discovering more and more that that ability is compromised if the other party cannot meet you halfway...Life is interesting... FROM JACK: We cannot possibly put ourselves in another's place, but at least we can try

FROM BP IN FLORIDA: " History has proven that when God gives us the capacity to dream He also give us the ability to achieve that dream" unknown author . Do you have the courage to pursue YOUR dream? Thought you might like this one. FROM JACK: Thoreau is a good example of this.

FROM HAWKEYE GS: Bobby Darin came up with "You see what you hear".

FROM MOLINER CF: Be Thoreau in your assessment before you judge.