That which endures......

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by scheherazade, May 24, 2011.

  1. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    That which endures......

    ......has been of special significance to our species since we first devised the means to communicate.

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    From one generation to the next, we have sought to preserve and convey a record of the journey. Primitive cave drawings until the present age of digital information, we have left our trace, all the while continuing our quest in several directions simultaneously, for the answer to our origins, our purpose, if there be one, and ever seeking a path to immortality.

    My purpose in posting this thread is to explore the many paths which have endured, and to invite other posters to share their most enduring experiences, memories and thoughts.

    As a species, we are possessed of a most enduring curiosity, and I am intrigued to see what twists and turns this thread, placed intentionally in the category of 'Free thoughts' may take.

    Having assumed the forum name of Scheherazade, you can expect that my thread will be one of short stories, to which I hope others will contribute, and the tie which binds is the common theme of 'endurance', from the individual and the collective perspectives.

    Masi Cho
     
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  3. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    We tell our stories in many forms, among them prose, poetry and song, so to start, here is one of the most enduring poems about the Yukon, the place where I reside, penned by Robert Service, and made here into a music video by Les McLaughlin and Tracey Brown.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbPTHA1ggMA&feature=related

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    The summit of the Chilkoot Pass, 1898

    The Spell of the Yukon

    I wanted the gold, and I sought it;
    I scabbled and mucked like a slave.
    Was it famine or scurvy - I fought it;
    I hurled my youth into a grave.
    I wanted the gold, and I got it -
    Came ourt with a fortune last fall, -
    Yet somehow life's not what I thought it,
    And somehow the gold isn't all.

    No! There's the land. (Have you seen it?)
    It's the cussedest land that I know,
    From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it
    To the deep, deathlike valleys below.
    Some say God was tired when He made it;
    Some say it's a fine land to shun;
    Maybe; but there's some as would trade it
    For no land on earth - and I'm one.

    You come to get rich (damned good reason);
    You feel like an exile at first;
    You hate it like hell for a season,
    And then you are worse than the worst.
    It grips you like some kinds of sinning;
    It twists you from foe to a friend;
    It seems it's been since the begining;
    It seems it will be to the end.

    I've stood in some mighty-mouthed hollow
    That's plumb-full of hush to the brim;
    I've watched the big, husky sun wallow
    In crimson and gold, and grow dim,
    Till the moon set the pearly peeks gleaming,
    And the stars tumbled out, neck and crop;
    And I've thought that I surely was dreaming,
    With the peace o' the world piled on top.

    The summer - no sweeter was ever;
    The sunshiny woods all athrill;
    The grayling aleap in the river,
    The bighorn asleep on the hill.
    The strong life that never knows harness;
    The wilds where the caribou call;
    The freshness, the freedom, the farness -
    O God! how I'm stuck on it all.

    The winter! the brightness that blinds you,
    the white land locked tight as a drum,
    The cold fear that follows and finds you,
    The silence that bludgeons you dumb.
    The snows that are older than history,
    The woods where the weird shadows slant;
    The stillness, the moonlight, the mystery,
    I've bade'em good-by - but I can't.

    There's a land where the mountains are nameless,
    And the rivers all run God knows where;
    There are lives that are erring and aimless;
    And deaths that just hang by a hair;
    There are hardships that nobody reckons;
    There are valleys unpeopled and still;
    There's a land - oh, it beckons and beckons,
    And I want to go back - and I will.

    They're making my money diminish;
    I'm sick of the taste of champgne.
    Thank God! when I'm skinned to a finish
    I'll pike to the Yukon again.
    I'll fight - and you bet it's no sham-fight;
    It's hell! - but I've been there before;
    And it's better than this by a damsite -
    So me for the Yukon once more.

    There's gold, and it's haunting and haunting;
    It's luring me on as of old;
    Yet it isn't the gold that I'm wanting
    So much as just finding the gold.
    It's the great, broad land 'way up yonder.
    It's the forests where silance has lease;
    It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
    It's the stillness that fills me with peace.
    R. Service
     
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  5. jmpet Valued Senior Member

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    Better than playing elaborate games with us for your enjoyment, how about making a point?

    Cave Man Art- depicted the cave man's daily life. It was not meant to be read 40,000 years later- it is in charcoal and meant to teach the next generation of the wild beasts.

    Your turn-
     
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  7. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Thank you for your reply, jmpet, and perhaps you missed in my opening post that I have started this thread as a place to examine that which endures in our understanding of the world, history, cosmos, etc.

    I observe that most of the threads at this forum have a short life, possibly a reflection of the pace of the modern world. For myself, I am a simple creature that sees some value in continuity, and so I have posted a 'home base' with a small purpose, which I will pursue regularly and which I have titled with in mind the ability for all manner of topics to flow through.

    What do you think will be the most enduring development from your life to date? Societal, technological, personal.....whatever......

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  8. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    When you first named the phrase “That which endures” I assumed that you were talking about “that which remains after death”. From my understanding, everything else seems illusory but ok, I think I understand your point.
    All expressions of creativity from men and nature will endure in the collective consciousness; and it will continue to grow given the gifts left by the ancestors of each generation.
    The hindrances of this evolution of the collective consciousness are the people who refuse to unleash their creativity in the world, and instead become destructive. There is no other way; we need to choose between the two.

    Creativity can have many forms, and it depends on the individual: poetry, music, painting, writing, loving, dancing, giving, etc. are all contributions to the growth of the consciousness of humanity.
     
  9. Varda The Bug Lady Valued Senior Member

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    I wonder why they made the heads so small.
     
  10. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Ah, yes, Wisdom Seeker, you have grasped the concept that I am wishing to explore. I like the way you have phrased the sentence above, which I have high-lighted in blue.

    Both the constructive and the destructive influences of our past have endured, and in some way, we must reconcile the two, either by choice or through assimilation, as even nature expresses a dark as well as a light side, metaphorically and literally.

     
  11. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    3,798
    Yes.....not proportionate to the 'horse' we know today, yet I wonder if the species of that era was, perhaps, considerably different in some aspects of scale? The ability of the artist to convey proportion must also be considered as I know that many of us could not do justice in attempting a sketch, and also there is the thought that perhaps the scale is 'artistic license'.

    Thank you for your astute observation.

    On another note, the remains of an ancient horse were found while excavating for gold near Dawson City by an acquaintance of mine.

    http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/yukon-museum-exhibits-remains-of-extinct-horse-54281122.html

     
  12. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    3,798
    There are many teaching tales which have endured and been passed down in oral tradition. The following is one.......

    An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life...

    He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

    One wolf is evil -- he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

    The other is good---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

    This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

    They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

    The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed".

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    There are many who question just how much power of choice we may actually have in life.

    In knowing our inner self, and choosing the attitude which we bring to any situation, it is as the tale states....choose which wolf you will feed, for that is the one which shall win.
     
  13. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    I have no words to describe the beauty and accuracy of this tale. Hats off.

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  14. Me-Ki-Gal Banned Banned

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    In reality as we know it ! You need both hands of God . The right and the left . The attributes really were not meant to have a line in the sand drawn threw them . It is more like a time to kill and a time to save . It is part of what keeps a person from being a victim. To know who your superior is more important . Like who is my superior ? Lots of them . The ones that know what to do that you are dependent on . That is all dependent on the situation . You never know who might have the best plan until the situation comes up . They usually step up in survival mods . Make them selves known .

    Anyway your a peach . We are almost related. I was born at Air strip mile 26 or Ladd Air-force Base just out side of Fairbanks . Me family called Me Klondike Mike because of it.
     
  15. SciWriter Valued Senior Member

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    Hey, Klondike Mike, you have some of the best stuff in your posts.

    My Great Grandfather or so went to the Alaska Gold Rush, but it didn't trickle down.
     
  16. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    3,798
    I agree that we NEED the evil wolf under control, but not slain, for there are some challenges in this life that may not be met with good intentions alone. I've made the trip to Fairbanks and from, three times in total, by dogsled, lol....

    There is a book by the title of Klondike Mike, but I'm thinking you are too young to be the main character? Perhaps you can ask for a percentage for the use of your name?

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    http://www.amazon.com/Klondike-Mike-Alaskan-Merrill-Denison/dp/1417993650#reader_1417993650
     
  17. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    3,798
    Too cute!! Quarter Horse foals, I'm guessing and just beginning to shed their baby coats by the darker hair showing around muzzles and eyes.

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    That reminds me of the rather enduring protocol related to hats.....

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  18. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Hello SciWriter. Here in the Yukon we have a publication titled 'The Colorful Five Percent' and I agree that Me-Ki-Gal and undoubtedly yourself would qualify as contenders....

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    http://www.yukoninfo.com/books/historical/colourful5percent1.htm
     
  19. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    This article sent to me by a friend.....

    The enduring compassion that humans have for animals and the amazing interactions between species is ever a thing to ponder and marvel at.

     
  20. Wisdom_Seeker Speaker of my truth Valued Senior Member

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    We can learn a lot from some beautiful animals, like the incredible story of Kamunyak (The Blessed One), the Lioness from Kenya.

    Video Documentary.

    BBC News story.

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  21. scheherazade Northern Horse Whisperer Valued Senior Member

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    Thank you for that post, Wisdom Seeker,

    A beautiful story......with a tragic ending......:bawl: that will leave enduring memories for all who witnessed this unusual bonding between predator and prey, until nature prevailed through intervention.
     
  22. chimpkin C'mon, get happy! Registered Senior Member

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    Too right. The protector and the monster are the same one wearing different masks, the difference is that the protector is harnessed to love.

    The monster is in service to something dark and twisted inside a person.
     
  23. gmilam Valued Senior Member

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    Fascinating... I am unsure of the moral, if there is one. But fascinating.
     

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