Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, June 28, 2012 - from lovely Santa Fe NM!

You want people to like the songs.

You want people to like everything you do.

If you didn't, you wouldn't be human.

And, you'd like to walk along the street and hear some kid

whistling a tune that you wrote.

This is one of the most gratifying sensations in the world.

Richard Rodgers, master songwriter;

he was born on this date, 1902, in Manhattan

Bless Richard Rogers. I’m certainly not the only one who loves many of the songs he’s written! I think he was a great gift to American life. Enough said.

But. My interest (except when I get carried away and pissed off at politics) in these Reflections is to think about the Inner Life … a term I prefer to “spiritual life” … since I don’t think dualistically about Life … Life is Life, and it’s a unity, a Oneness; we wouldn’t be who we Are without all our constituent parts. I shamelessly use people as a gateway to reflecting on these things.

So: Richard Rogers’s words:

One:  It is not a helpful thing, in terms of maturing as a person, to want people to like everything you do. It’s unrealistic. It’s misguided. It’s vain. It lacks humility … i.e., a grounding in reality. It’s putting yourself in a very constricting box. It definitely will  stunt your growth.

Two:  “To be human” will admit of a little wanting that people will like you. But that’s it.

Three:  To be appreciated is a normal human desire. It does gratify. But … it is critically important to know deep within what “tune” it is that we want to be acknowledged for. There is a lovely song that says, “But the only witness of your words and your deeds / Will be the love you leave behind when you’re gone”.  I agree.

So:  let’s carry on!

Brian+