“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”
Picture of the “Landmark for Peace” memorial. A side profile of Robert F. Kennedy reaches across the path to Martin Luther King Jr.
I wish I had more poetry and prose memorized. But I’ve always read a lot and I think this has saved me. Ideas from others. Alive, even when they’re dead. I love living ideas. There’s something safe and wise in digesting and ruminating on thoughts and words that someone else has found important enough to immortalize. And instead of stealing from individuality, it only strengthens and supports the uniqueness of a person as they apply those thoughts in their own original circumstances.
I didn’t know that much about Robert F. Kennedy, I still don’t. But, I was totally absorbed in learning about a single evening in 1968 when he gave a speech to thousands of people hours after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. It was a fascinating gripping view of grief, bravery, eloquence, passion, encouragement, and strength.