Man Must Be Disappointed – updated 2018

One of the most important things we can do for our kids is to expose them to the larger world. Whether that is as simple as going to a museum, watching a show on TV about an unfamiliar topic or as complex as a vacation abroad, letting your children see a world beyond their own daily life is essential to helping them make sense of their place in the world.  

The goal isn’t to have them be disappointed with their daily life and the ‘lesser’ things that inhabit it.  The goal is to understand how those lesser things connect to the larger world.  Maybe they will understand how the TV show they watch actually has it’s roots in Shakespeare.  Maybe they will realize the graphic design and photography they love in the windows at the mall had it’s roots in the museums of Europe or the pyramids in Mexico’s Yucatan, who knows.

The point is that no one’s world, no one’s things are truly ‘lesser’ if they know how to connect them to the large forces of culture, art, science and history.

Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman

“Man must be disappointed with the lesser things in life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1803-1873, English author.  He wrote the famous line ‘It was a dark and stormy night’.  San Jose State University (one of my Alma Maters) has an annual writing contest to find the worst original opening sentence for a novel. The contest is named after Bulwer-Lytton.

The True Spirit of Conversation

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This is very, VERY true! Do you want to be heard, your opinions and ideas and feelings listened to? Then be patient and listen to others. Find your way through their thoughts and yours will come out as well. If they don’t let you come out, maybe it’s time to find some new conversationalist friends.

“The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation, not overturning it.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton