If I've learned anything at college, it's been to cherish my quiet time. I'm not really sure what goes on in the minds of the guys who live on my floor. I'm talking about the guys who literally just yell bloody murder in the middle of the night in the halls. Like, what? I don't get it. What am I missing? Is it some sort of ritual? Should I be concerned? Or, there will be thundering footsteps as people run across the halls. I'm pretty sure they carry bricks in their backpacks or something because I swear it sounds like a giant has entered the building. And worst, my roommate has an addiction to not using headphones despite my pleading. So I get to fall asleep to the peaceful lull of gunshots from his Xbox. So, yeah. Basically, I learned to cherish the silence.
And I know there are people just like me who cherish silence. For example, when movies began to shift from silent films to movies with sound there was a guy who continued to create silent films. I can respect that. And this guys is pretty well known. His name is Charlie Chaplin. Maybe you've heard of him.
But for his movie The Great Dictator, he broke his silence and gave an incredible speech. This was his first film with sound and he absolutely nailed it.
Quotes:
"We think too much and feel too little"
"In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: 'the Kingdom of God is within man' - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure."
To be honest, the entire speech could be quoted. It really is a powerful speech. I suggest watching it all if you've never seen it. I actually chose this because I caught a glimpse of it in one my classes this week. Plus, I always choose movies and TV shows, so I thought I'd change it up a bit.
When I hear that first quote there, it really hits me hard and forces me to reflect. I know that I embody that quote pretty well. I am always thinking and guiding all my decisions with absolute logic. I would scoff at the idea of letting emotions try to influence decisions. And I am still mostly like that. But I've also learned that thinking so much can restrict life's potential. Life is more than just academic pursuits and getting perfect grades. It took me until my junior and senior years of high school to realize that. So yeah, I had a lot of catching up to do.
Chaplin is specifically talking about humanity in general. He is saying that there has been a cultural shift recently. Essentially, we collectively have shifted our focus to academics and are sacrificing our empathy for each other.
I included the second quote because I really like the phrase "The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure." It calls out to the people. It calls to the regular citizens who think they don't have power. Because even if they don't have the power to make big changes, they have power over their own lives. And if overall, most humans can make themselves happy, hasn't humanity in essence been successful in its existence?
Literary Equivalent:
I don't exactly have a literary equivalent this week. In fact, if anything, it's a literary antonym. I used to live my life by Socrates's maxim "The unexamined life is not worth living." It was so ingrained in me that I even have a phone case with that quote. But I think that the Chaplin quote gives a nice opposite perspective.
My goal this week is to try and feel more and think less. I will always have the tendency to think more. That's never going to change and I have to actively try to do the opposite. But I'm gonna try to feel more and see if I notice anything different.
And I know there are people just like me who cherish silence. For example, when movies began to shift from silent films to movies with sound there was a guy who continued to create silent films. I can respect that. And this guys is pretty well known. His name is Charlie Chaplin. Maybe you've heard of him.
But for his movie The Great Dictator, he broke his silence and gave an incredible speech. This was his first film with sound and he absolutely nailed it.
Quotes:
"We think too much and feel too little"
"In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: 'the Kingdom of God is within man' - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure."
To be honest, the entire speech could be quoted. It really is a powerful speech. I suggest watching it all if you've never seen it. I actually chose this because I caught a glimpse of it in one my classes this week. Plus, I always choose movies and TV shows, so I thought I'd change it up a bit.
When I hear that first quote there, it really hits me hard and forces me to reflect. I know that I embody that quote pretty well. I am always thinking and guiding all my decisions with absolute logic. I would scoff at the idea of letting emotions try to influence decisions. And I am still mostly like that. But I've also learned that thinking so much can restrict life's potential. Life is more than just academic pursuits and getting perfect grades. It took me until my junior and senior years of high school to realize that. So yeah, I had a lot of catching up to do.
Chaplin is specifically talking about humanity in general. He is saying that there has been a cultural shift recently. Essentially, we collectively have shifted our focus to academics and are sacrificing our empathy for each other.
I included the second quote because I really like the phrase "The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure." It calls out to the people. It calls to the regular citizens who think they don't have power. Because even if they don't have the power to make big changes, they have power over their own lives. And if overall, most humans can make themselves happy, hasn't humanity in essence been successful in its existence?
Literary Equivalent:
I don't exactly have a literary equivalent this week. In fact, if anything, it's a literary antonym. I used to live my life by Socrates's maxim "The unexamined life is not worth living." It was so ingrained in me that I even have a phone case with that quote. But I think that the Chaplin quote gives a nice opposite perspective.
My goal this week is to try and feel more and think less. I will always have the tendency to think more. That's never going to change and I have to actively try to do the opposite. But I'm gonna try to feel more and see if I notice anything different.
Hi Matt! I LOVE the second quote where it says that "we have the power to create happiness". I am the opposite of you. I base a majority of my decisions on emotion, rather than logic. It is easier for me to follow my heart because the logic sometimes does not make sense to me. I've always been the person who was happy all the time. At least that is the facade I put out. Even in times of strife or struggle, I do the best I can to find some way to make myself happy. I know I have the power to create my own happiness, even if I don't have the power to create anything else. Great post!!!
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