Catalyst Castle

It’s been a while since I wrote a Words to Live By article. This time I want to share a couple of quotes about that self defining, and often heart breaking, moment when you finally witness the ugliest side of yourself.

The tragedy of a man who has found himself out.

-Sir James Matthew Barrie

For some reason I can’t explain I know Saint Peter won’t call my name.

-Viva La Vida, Coldplay

I believe that most of us experience this sooner or later in life. Up to a certain point you live your life believing that you’re a certain kind of person. Your upbringing and your own moral fiber would never allow you to go past a certain point, or to do something that you know unquestionably is wrong. And then it happens. Circumstances conspire with your own flaws and weaknesses to lead you down a dark path. Just one step in the wrong direction becomes another, and before you know it you’re spiraling out of control, running headlong down a path you never thought you’d take. Then all of a sudden it hits you like a ton of bricks. You find yourself looking in the mirror and wondering who this person is that’s looking back.

This moment can be devastating, but it can also be empowering. No act is unforgivable if you truly regret it. Knowing the evils that you’re capable of puts you on alert to combat those tendencies. With a lot of work, and a lot of help, you can push back the shadows.

This regular column in my blog called "Words to Live By" is to share words of wisdom from various sources that have significant meaning to me. Sometimes it will be serious, and sometimes humorous. This time I wanted to share a few quotes I like from well-known novelists. These quotes are about growing up.

“To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence….When I was ten, I read fairytales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

-C.S Lewis

I liked this quote as soon as I read it. It summarizes so well what I’ve observed about adolescents who shun so-called “childish things” in order to appear more grown up. In the process they rob themselves of a lot of fun. I think that truly mature people should not be afraid to look a little silly now and then.

“I'm not young enough to know everything.”

“When you are older you will know that life is a long lesson in humility.”

“The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.”

-Sir James Matthew Barrie

The three quotes above by J. M. Barrie all reflect on a similar idea. When we are young we are full of self-confidence and great expectations. As we mature we are continually humbled and obtain a more realistic, less self-centered view of life. Personally, I’ve found that while this can be at first disappointing and frustrating, ultimately I am happier for having come to these realizations myself. Life makes a lot more sense when you abandon the childish notion that the universe should revolve around you.

Do you have any thoughts on the quotes above? Are there any quotes from famous people that you’ve enjoyed? Please share by commenting below!

I suppose I could have folded this article in with my review of Batman Begins, but the movie has so many good lines that I wanted to write a separate article.

"There are those without decency who must be fought without hesitation, without pity." "The training is nothing! Will is everything! The will to act."

-Ducard

These sentiments really strike a cord with me. They fit well with the honor codes of Chivalry and Bushido that I admire. Ducard is one of my favorite characters in Batman Begins and I like how his philosophy, tempered with the kindheartedness of Bruce's father, really have a profound impact on Bruce's character. You can very easily see Ducard and Batman becoming allies if their methods were just a little more compatible. While I won't endorse literally fighting evil, there are times when we must do the right thing without hesitation. That's why Phinehas (Numbers 25:7-11) is one of my biggest Biblical heroes.

Alfred: Why do we fall, Master Wayne? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.
Bruce: You still haven't given up on me, have you?
Alfred: Never.

This exchange says a lot about how we should view our own failings and those of others. Don't be discouraged, learn from your mistakes, and never give up on your friends.

"It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you."

-Rachel Dawes

I know, probably one of the cheesiest lines in the movie, but it still holds a grain of truth (or is that the truth about grains?). I also like how Batman later turns the line around on her. There are quite a few lines that get turned around in this movie, actually, including Thomas Wayne's last words being repeated later by Ducard. It's rather clever.

"Does it come in black?"

-Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne's response to test driving the Tumbler. It's never a mistake to ask this about anything you like. Clothes, cars, anything. It kind of reminds me of Roger Smith (from The Big O).


What about you? Are there any lines from Batman Begins, or other movies, that really strike a cord with you?

In this edition of Words to Live By, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite scriptures from the Bible dealing with responsibility. So many people in the world seem to shirk responsibilities. People don’t want to accept responsibilities, or they try to pass their responsibilities off on others. This can be seen in the general spirit of apathy present in the world today. Back in the day, long before my time, people in general wouldn’t be content to stand by and watch while other people suffered. Today, most people fail to act when they see others in need.

“Do not hold back good from those to whom it is owing, when it happens to be in the power of your hand to do [it].”

-Proverbs 3:27

The principle that I draw from this scripture is that we should not hesitate to act in someone’s behalf if it’s within our power to help. We shouldn’t be content to just take care of ourselves, but we should feel a sense of responsibility to all those around us.

“Therefore, if one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.”

-James 4:17

This scripture takes it a step further, saying that failing to do what is right, isn’t just failing to do what is right, but is actually doing something wrong. In other words, lack of positive action isn’t just a lack of action, but can in itself be negative action.

I think it’s very important for each of us to personally shoulder our own responsibilities and to look out for the welfare of others. That’s a principle that I really cherish, and one that has had a profound impact on my life and my outlook. It hasn’t always had the degree of influence on my life that I’d like it to have, but I continue trying to apply it every day.

What do you think about the scriptures mentioned above? Have they had any influence on how you view responsibilities? Are there any scriptures that have especially touched your life?

Here are a few more words of wisdom I wanted to share. This time they are taken from the Lord of the Rings novels by J. R. R. Tolkien.

"'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.
'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'"

-The Fellowship of the Ring

I really like this thought. No one, if given the choice, would choose to face the kinds of problems and challenges that we deal with on a daily basis. Oftentimes, we can do little to control the circumstances we live in or to prevent bad things from happening to us or around us. What we can control, however, is how we react to them. A man's (or woman's) character can often be judged by how they react to adversity.

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

-Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

The above is good council not to judge others to harshly. We cannot see every aspect of any situation, and many people get judged wrongly by short-sighted people. I wouldn't want to be guilty of committing such an injustice. Actually, that's something I have trouble with. Sometimes I can be quick to judge, or see things in stark black and white when I could be more understanding.

Please share your thoughts on the quotes above. Are their any book or movie lines that mean a lot to you?

I'm starting a new regular column in my blog called "Words to Live By". The purpose of this column is to share words of wisdom from various sources that have significant meaning to me. Sometimes it will be serious, and sometimes humorous. For this first edition of the column, I wanted to share some thoughts from my recent Bible reading.

"That YOU should put away the old personality which conforms to YOUR former course of conduct and which is being corrupted according to his deceptive desires; but that YOU should be made new in the force actuating YOUR mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty."

-Ephesians 4:22-24

Here the apostle Paul was talking about being made into a new person who would be pleasing to God. It's easy to get bogged down in negativity, thinking that you could never please God. This scripture makes me realize that we can change our personality to eliminate flaws and undesirable traits, even to the point of changing how we think. Furthermore, God is the one who creates our new personality. This tells me that He wants to help us make those changes. Also, God creates this new personality, tailor made for each one of us. Putting on the new personality does not mean that we lose our individuality, it just means that we become a better version of ourselves.

"So keep strict watch that how YOU walk is not as unwise but as wise [persons], buying out the opportune time for yourselves, because the days are wicked."

-Ephesians 5:15, 16

Yeah, this one's been on my mind quite a bit lately. Knowing that we are living in the last days of this system of things, it's important that we pay attention to how we use our time. I've been doing this through my weekly time logs. I strongly recommend to anyone that they try logging how they spend their time for a few weeks. It really makes you aware of your strengths and weaknesses in time management, and empowers you to make improvements.


What about you? Please share your thoughts on the quotes above, or share some of your own favorite words to live by.