The Meaning of Death

"Man...expresses himself primarily by his action...But this action lacks unity, that is, meaning, until it has been completed...
In a word, so long as he has a future, that is, an unknown quantity, man is unexpressed.

It is therefore absolutely necessary to die, because, so long as we live, we have no meaning...Death effects an instantaneous montage of our lives; that is, it chooses the truly meaningful moments (which are no longer modifiable by other possibly contrary or incoherent moments) and puts them in a sequence, transforming an infinite, unstable and uncertain - and therefore linguistically not describable - present into a clear, stable, certain, and therefore easily describable past.... It is only thanks to death that our life serves us to express ourselves.

Editing therefore performs on the material of the film...the operations that death performs on life."

- Pier Paolo Pasolini, film director

The Selfish Creator

"Since creativity does demand time and energy,
and since Muses are jealous mistresses
whose speech cannot be timetabled,
devotees must put their work before all else,
including social obligations,
personal relationships and the needs of others.
Insufficient selfisheness has compromised more than one talent."

- Jock Abra (Professor of Psychology)

Advice from a Failure

I discovered this inspirational passage while browsing through the December 2006 archives in Sat Purkh's blog. It's so beautiful to contemplate, and so I hope the owner will not mind me reproducing it here.


Advice from a Failure

You do not need to be loved—not at the cost of yourself.
The single relationship that is truly central in a life is a relationship with your self. It is rewarding to find someone you like, but essential to like yourself.
It is quickening to recognize that someone is a good and decent human being, but it is indispensable to view your own self that way.
It is a delight to discover people who are worthy of respect, admiration and love, but it is vital to believe yourself deserving of respect, admiration and love, for you cannot live in someone else.
Of all the people that you will ever know in a lifetime, you are the only one that you will never lose or leave.
To the question of your life, you’re the answer, and to the problems of your life, you’re the solution. –Jo Coudert