Night in the Old Home-Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

Night in the Old Home

When the wasting embers redden the chimney-breast,

And Life’s bare pathway looms like a desert track to

me,

And from hall and parlour the living have gone to

                their rest,

The perished people who housed them here come back

                to me.

They come and seat them around in their mouldy

                places,

Now and then bending towards me a glance of wist-

                fullness

A strange upbraiding smile upon all their faces,

And in the bearing of each a passive trustfulness.

“Do you uphold me, lingering and languishing here,

A pale late plant of your once strong stock?” I say to

                them;

“A thinker of crooked thoughts upon Life in the sere,

And on That which consigns men to night after show-

                ing the day to them?”

“—O let be the Wherefore! We fevered our years not

                thus:

Take of Life what it grants, without question!” they

                answer me seemingly.

“Enjoy, suffer wait: spread the table here freely like

                us,

And, satisfied, placid, unfretting, watch Time away

                beamingly!”

The Man He Killed-Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)---The Futility of War

“Had he and I but met

By some ole ancient inn,

We should have sat us down to wet

Right many a nipperkin!

“But ranged as infantry,

And staring face to face,

I shot at him as he at me,

And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because---

Because he was my foe,

Just so; my foe of course he was;

That’s clear enough, although

“He thought he’d ‘list perhaps,

Off-hand like---just as I---

Was out of work—had sold his traps—

No other reason why.

“Yes quaint and curious war is!

You shoot a fellow down

You’d treat, if met where any bar is,

Or help to half-a-crown.”

A Mothers Song-Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

A Mothers Song

Over fast-closed baby eyes

In the garden’s golden air

Blossom-white the butterflies

Hover, hurry, part and pair,

Sudden shinings, flown nowhere!

Blue, above, the unbounded skies!

Little one, O downy head,

O fingers clasping, shaped and small,

Laid in soft nest of your bed,

How the trees are Titan-tall

Over you that slumber, all

Ignorant of hope and dread!

O so small, and all around

Life so vast works wonders new.

Yet to you shall desire and do,

Find and fashion and hold true;

Deepens you hold no thought can sound:

You are sought by powers unknown;

On your trembling heart-strings play

Airs unheard, O little one! Whisperings of far away,

Music made of day and day—

Lands of promise, all your own!

Wide as heaven the secrecies

You enfold: ev’n now, ev’n here,

You presage infinities, While above in hope, in fear

My white wishes, far and near,

Hover like the butterflies.

For the Fallen- Remembering, Where it Came,From-Laurence Binyon (1869-1943

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

                England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

                Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal

                Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.

There is music in the midst of desolation

                And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

                Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

                They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:

            Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

            We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

                They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

                As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

                Moving in marches upon the starry plain,

As the stars are starry in the time of our darkness,

                To the end, to the end, they remain.

The Lion and the Cub-John Gay (1685-1732)

The Lion and the Cub

How fond are men of rule and place,

Who court it from the mean and base!

These cannot bear an equal nigh,

But from superior merit fly;

They love the cellar’s vulgar joke,

And lose their hours on ale and smoke;

There o’er some petty club preside,

So poor, so paltry is their pride!

Nay, ev’n with fools whole nights will sit,

In hopes to be supreme on wit.

If these can read, to these I write,

To set their worth in truest light.

A Lion-cub, of sordid mind,

Avoided all the lion kind;

Fond of applause, he sought the feasts

Of vulgar and ignoble beasts,

 With asses all his time he spent,

Their club’s perpetual president.

He caught their manners, looks and airs:

An ass in ev’ry thing, but ears!

If e’er his highness meant a joke,

They grinn’d applause before he spoke;

But at each word shat shouts of praise!

Good Gods! How natural he brays!

                Elate with flatt’ry and conceit

He seeks his royal sire’s retreat;

Forward, and fond to show his parts

His highness brays, the Lion starts.

                Puppy, that crust vociferation

Betrays thy life and conversation;

Coxcombs, an ever-noisy race,

Are trumpets of their own disgrace.

                Why so severe, the Cub replies?

Our senate always held me wise.

                How weak is pride, returns the Sire,

All fools are vain, when fools admire!

But know, what stupid asses prize,

Lions and noble beasts despise.

The Hare and Many Friends-John Gay (1685-1732)

You know my feet betray my flight;
To friendship every burden’s light.”
The Horse replied: “Poor honest Puss,
It grieves my heart to see thee thus;
Be comforted, relief is near;
For all your friends are in the rear.”
She next the stately Bull implored,
And thus replied the mighty Lord:
“Since every beast alive can tell
That I sincerely wish you well,
I may without offence pretend
To take the freedom of a friend.
Love calls me hence; a favourite cow
Expects me near yon barley-mow;
And when a lady’s in the case,
You know, all other things give place.
To leave you thus might seem unkind,
But see the Goat is just behind.”
The Goat remarked her pulse was high,
Her languid head, her heavy eye:
“My back,” says he, “may do you harm;
The sheep’s at hand, and wool is warm.”
The sheep was feeble, and complained
His sides a load of wool sustained;
Said he was slow, confessed his fears;
For hounds eat Sheep as well as Hares!
She now the trotting Calf addressed;
To save from death a friend distressed:
“Shall I,” says he, “of tender age,
In this important care engage?
Older and abler passed you by;
How strong are those! How weak am I!
Should I presume to bear you hence,
Those friends of mine may take offence.
Excuse me, then. You know my heart;
But dearest friends, alas must part;
How shall we all lament! Adieu,
For see the hounds are just in view.”
John Gay

THERE IS NO COPYRIGHT AND NO CONNECTION; THERE SHOULD BE NO LINK

But, did the disciples have a"Special" message? 

This man’s first name might be Alison, Austin, Bryant, Carol, Elizabeth, Emily, Jack, Jill, Jesus, Robert, William.

His last name might be, Burns, Carol, Campion, Christ, Dickinson, Gray, Greene, Gross, Keats, McGill, Service, Shakespeare, Wordsworth

He may be a celebrity—a great educator, poet, writer, wit (nit or otherwise). He may claim to be the son of God. He may even have collected, posted definitions, explanations, made notes on, framed watermarked, done most anything and he owns copyright on what HE may have done; but he cannot own copy rights to the songs, poems or quotations or verses of William Blake (1757-1827), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), Robert Browning (1806-1889), Robert Burns (1759 1796)Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), Emily Dickinson (1830-1886, Thomas Gray (1716- 1771), Robert Greene (1560-1592), John Keats (1795- 1821), Robert Service (1874 1958), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), William Wordsworth (1770-1850) OR THE LORD'S PRAYER (which is probably why there are two versions of it in the bible, depending of course, which version of the bible you happen to have). Such works are public domain, there are no copyrights; except as I have already attributed, none of the poems, songs, or quotations that I have posted on my blog should be linked to anyone of anything else.

True and Lasting, Love Defined

True Lasting Love and Understanding:

A closeness derived from learning to accept one-another as they were, and are; over a lifetime of shared experiences. Is this the definition of true love? Possibly, in part, but it does not cover all the aspects or types of love. It does not define many of the meanings intended or implied, when we use the word.

LOVE:

• We can LOVE, another animal.
• We can LOVE, the area in which we live.
• We can LOVE, our children.
• We can LOVE, equality.
• We can LOVE, extended family.
• We can LOVE, food or drink.
• We can LOVE, freedom.
• We can LOVE, our heritage.
• We can LOVE, an object (art, car, country, clothing, fabric, etch).
• We can LOVE, the people of our city or community.
• We can LOVE, our nationality
• We can LOVE, our intimate, physical mate.
• We can LOVE, physical activity.
• We can LOVE, sport.
• We can LOVE, that which we believe, or think, is good and right.
• We can LOVE, our work or way of life.
• There is Love of Life.
• There is maternal/paternal LOVE. 

• There is Love of power
• There is religious LOVE
• There is physical LOVE.
• There is LOVE for the sake of LOVE. 
• There is universal LOVE.

The only thing all the many forms of love have in common is that; while there may be various feelings involved, they are all something we--DO. Love, then, is not a feeling.

Is love then an instinct or need? Part of the answer to this question just may be found in the noted psychologist Abraham Mallow's hierarchy of needs.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top.The most fundamental and basic four layers of the pyramid contain what Maslow called "deficiency needs" or "d-needs": esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs. With the exception of the most fundamental (physiological) needs, if these "deficiency needs" are not met, the body gives no physical indication but the individual feels anxious and tense. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment. Metamotivated people are driven by B-needs (Being Needs), instead of deficiency needs (D-Needs).

 Physiological Needs: For the most part, psychological needs are obvious--they are the literal requirements for an organism's survival. If these requirements are not, the organism simply cannot continue to function. It dies. Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all organisms, including the human animal. Clothing and shelter provide necessary protection from the elements. The intensity of the human sexual instinct (physical love) is shaped more by sexual competition than maintaining a birth rate adequate to survival of the species and may quite possibly lead to humanity's demise. Safety Needs When the physical needs are relatively satisfied, the animal, organism, or individuals safety needs take precedence and dominate behaviour. In the absence of physical safety--due to terrorist attack, war, natural disaster, or in cases of family violence, childhood abuse etch--people may experience post traumatic stress. In the absence of economic safety.. due to economic crises and lack of work opportunities-these safety needs may manifest themselves in such things as a preference for job security, grievance procedures for protecting the individual from unilateral authority, savings accounts, insurance policies, disability accommodation and the like. Safety and Security needs include: Personal security, Financial security, Health and well being, Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts.

Is love, then, simply part of a biological need for survival? In several instances, it well may be: maternal love, in most animals, lasts for only a short period of time,we do not need to love one particular other animal or person; but, another animal or person is necessary for regeneration, and hunting and food gathering become much more efficient, if the tasks are shared. In other instances, this is just not the case; we do not need to love the area in which we live, we do not need to love our country, we do not need to love material things, we do not need to love equality, we do not need to love freedom, etch, etch.

Love and Belonging: After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of animal needs are social and involve feelings of belonging. The need is especially strong in childhood and adolescence and can override the need for safety as witnessed in children who cling to abusive parents which is sometimes called Stockholm syndrome. The absence of this aspect of Maslow's hierarchy- due to hospitalization, neglect, rejection shunning, ostracism, etch- can impact on an individuals ability to form and maintain significant relationships in general, such as, Friendship, Intimacy, Family. All animals need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, whether it comes from a large social group, such as clubs, gangs, office, professional organizations, religious group, sports affiliations, or small social connections (family members, intimate partners, mentors, confidants. They need to love and be loved (sexually and non-sexually by others. In the absence of these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. This need for belonging can often overcome the physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer pressure.

Esteem: All animals have a need to be respected and to have self- esteem and self respect. Surprisingly, these two traits are far more commonly found among the other animals than they are in the human animal. Many humans in fact, according to Maslow, never come close to reaching either. All animals have a need not only to be respected and held in esteem; but, to have self esteem  and self respect.  Esteem presents the normal desire of all animals to be accepted and valued by their peers and by others. All animals need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have activities that give a sense of contribution, to be valued, to be accepted. 

 Self-Esteem: The absolute, complete, acceptance of ones-self;  as they were, and are; without any NEED for change. According to Maslow, self-esteem is never a static thing; but you either have it or you do not. There is no such thing as low or high. Self esteem is, however, something you have to work on, constantly, in order to keep, once, and if ever, you have it. Lack of self esteem or an inferiority complex is a serious imbalance. People with no self-esteem grave the respect of others. They may seek control and power, fame and glory, which again depends on others. Note, however, that people lacking self-esteem will not be able to improve their view of themselves simply by receiving fame, respect, and glory externally, but must first accept themselves internally. Dependence on anyone or anything is not love. 

  Maslow was the first to note two versions of esteem--a lower and higher one. The lower one --derived from others--is the need for strength competence, confidence, freedom, independence, mastery,

  The second self-esteem ranks higher because it rests on inner acceptance-- competence won through experience, and self-knowledge. Deprivation of these needs always leads to an inferiority complex, weakness,helplessness and a NEED to change ones self-image. The need to change one's self or surroundings is not love

Obviously, we have a NEED to give and receive Love. But if love can overcome the other needs, then, it must be something more than just a need, method of survival, or instinct. Apparently, some animal species have a capacity for true lasting love, while others just do not-- and not all animals within a particular species seem to have this capacity.

Recent research  now shows that--

the average human "relationship" lasts less than 3 years,

Obviously, MAN is one of the animals least capable of:
 TRUE AND LASTING LOVE.

On the other hand, dogs, wolves, and geese, over and above most other animals seem to be capable of lasting love. Wolves and wild geese mate for life, and there have been reported cases of the survivor committing suicide, after their mate has been killed.

Then there is the story Greyfriars Bobby: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby

Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner, John Gray (Old Jock), until he died himself on 14 January 1872 A year later, Lady Burdett-Coutts had a statue and fountain erected at the southern end of the George IV Bridge to commemorate him.

Bobby belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a night watchman, and the two were inseparable for approximately two years. On 8 February 1858, Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Bobby, who survived Gray by fourteen years, is said to have spent the rest of his life sitting on his master's grave. Another account has it that he spent a great deal of time at Gray's grave, but that he left regularly for meals at a restaurant beside the graveyard, and may have spent colder winters in nearby houses.

In 1867, when it was argued that a dog without an owner should be destroyed, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir William Chambers—who was also a director of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—paid for a renewal of Bobby's license, making him the responsibility of the city council.

Bobby died in 1872 and could not be buried within the cemetery itself, since it was and remains consecrated ground. He was buried instead just inside the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from John Gray's grave.

The story of Bobby does not tell of a "NEED". In life, Bobby asked for nothing expected nothing, tried to change nothing, received nothing,  after his master's death(perhaps a little food and some shelter on an exceptionally cold winter's night) and had to work hard in order to express himself-but Bobby somehow managed define and demonstrate true, lasting, love, acceptance, gratitude, and understanding.

Perhaps, his is the best definition, of TRUE LOVE.

© Al (Alex, Alexander) D Girvan 2011

Bryant McGill and His Blatant Highly Illegal Plagiarism

First of all, to start out, let me state categorically that I have absolutely no personal vendetta against Bryant McGill. I do not know the man and he, his publications, and his websites, are far from being the only “Celebrity” or “Government Sponsored” archives, collections, or re-writings that are guilty of the ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES that I am about to point out; it is just that his name is becoming more and more linked to my postings and this blog. Of course, I am not a “celebrity” and mine are just little; non-commercial, insignificant, hobby blogs that do not really matter—except to me—and-- my few international readers. For those of you that may not already know:

“Bryant McGill is an internationally renowned author, essayist, speaker and activist in the fields of self-development, personal freedom and human rights. He is an iconic personality and cultural critic, whose writings have reached millions of people and appeared in thousands of works by other authors, educators and social leaders. His writings on values have been featured alongside Mohandas Gandhi, Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa at the prestigious Foundation for a Better Life, who has called McGill one of “the brightest minds in human history.” In an official Congressional commendation, the nation’s leaders applauded McGill’s, “highly commendable life’s work,” as an Ambassador of Goodwill. His writings have been published in over 70 books and translated into 15 languages by publishers such as Cornell University, UNESCO, Simon and Schuster, Random House, HarperCollins, Writer's Digest and Walt Disney Company. McGill is a sought after workshop leader, and a speaker who has delivered speeches with diverse groups, from the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and Chief of the LAPD, to the United Nations, with Dr. Gandhi, Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and the UN Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs.”

--The above information can be found on several websites: including but not limited to bryantmcgill.com/about/ and wikipedia.com

So, since I have nothing personally against Mr McGill, just what is the purpose of this posting? What are my complaints? Why do I object to my name being linked to his? What are the illegal activities to which I refer?

1.       Any material that was first published before Sept of 1923 is by US of A copyright law PUBLICDOMAIN.

2.       Any material,( by the same laws), of which the original author or creator has been dead for over fifty years; is PUBLIC DOMAIN and cannot be re-copyrighted unless there have been “real and significant artistic contribution”. While it cannot be denied that the translation of poetry into a different language, or languages, while still maintaining the essence or the original poem, requires considerable artistic talent; most of these works were fully translated before Mr. McGill was born and in any case, rights apply to the modified version only—not to the original—or the original copyright, which also cannot REALLY be sold or taken over by anyone else. No matter what, it is still the original copyright.

3.       You cannot copyright an idea. Short quotes generally represent ideas and for this reason are not subject to copyrights; and, while quotes about common wisdom, creation, existence, family, love, life etch are often attributed to some well-known celebrity there is absolutely no positive infallible way of knowing when they were first said; or by whom. We do know that there is nothing that can be said today; that has not been expressed; as an idea, or as an opinion, by someone, somewhere, very much previously.

4.      Any claim to copyrights of material which is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN; especially when that material was translated into the various languages, published, and copyrighted, long before you were born, amounts to blatant plagiarism and is therefore illegal.
      Mr McGill  can not just decide that he is going to take over copyright of MY, OR ANYONE ELSE'S ORIGINAL, AND COPYRIGHTED WORKS; as he is apparently trying to do with my posting entitled TRUE AND LASTING LOVE DEFINED.

5.      It does not take very thorough examination of the poems and quotations--most of what is  now claimed by, or commonly attributed to, Mr McGill-- to realize that, at the very least, it is exactly that—BLATANT,  UNMITIGATED, PLAGIARISM.