Monday, March 1, 2010

No Dream's Lost

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau

5 comments:

  1. Surprising.

    Really a very surprising, realistic trust into realism.

    One has to assemble various parts floating in one's memory... trustfully aware that they represent perceptions of reality. Especially who has a good memory shall be trustful and confident.

    And then one takes the thing and puts it on its feet.

    Thank you for this lesson, I owe you a favour!

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  2. “Your work need not be lost”

    What work, why should it be lost? The building of castles in the air is a wonderful human activity, one of our greatest pleasures on earth. No production costs, no waste of time, nothing but enjoyment and music in the air – if it is a real castle in the air and not like a communist five-year-plan. Real castles in the air don´t need foundations. They look better without. They disappear from time to time to give space for another one.

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  3. @cs

    "Real castles in the air don´t need foundations"


    Grandissimo. You are a great example of the little kingship Saint Exupery had in mind. But HDT and MK are only incouraging Joseph whom his brothers want to throw into a well and then sell to strangers on travel going far away

    @MK

    Dear Michael Kunze, the only favour I can do for you, is to recommend you to read Alessandro Manzoni's "The Betrothed". I don't know the english editions, but Kroeber's translation- "Die Brautleute" - is outstanding, really wonderful.

    I even prefer to read this book in german (as I prefer to read Nietzsche in italian).

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  4. @Joseph

    I understand HDT´s encouragement of sceptic artists and other do-gooders. But what´s about Joseph? As far as I understand Thomas Mann, Joseph never was in need of encouragement to build foundations. It was always somebody else (or God himself) who took the initiative. It began with the strangers who handed the ladder…….

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  5. @cs

    Maybe because Thomas was a Ruben himself! Poor Ruben, he didn't have an easy position. The book of Genesis is worth reading and rereading. And Erri De Luca's essays on the bible sometimes are not bad. For example his essay on Ruben and on Jacob are great.

    I don't know Tom's book on Joseph. I know only the story in Genesis (which was my favourite one of all the wonderful stories our religion teacher told us when I was a child) and I know the wonderful movy of Spielberg's Dreamworks Animation "King of dreams".

    The original Joseph went even to prison (and this must be a horrible experience; when it is not Festungshaft), but he lived in a time when great dreamers got great respect and even the help of god.

    Today great dreamers might need your help, my help and MK's and HDT's incouragement.

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