Quote Me, Quote You

- Abraham Maslow

Another dangerous quote. If a man can be the next Hitler, the next Jack the Ripper, or the greatest hired assassin ever... must he be?

No doubt, Maslow was talking about being the best we could be by living to our true potential. But I believe it would be better if we align ourselves with "good" people. It might take a bit of soul searching to find our purpose in life, and once we find it, the next step is to look for someone who can help us develop that purpose.

And hopefully, that "someone" does not belong to the dark side.

How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?  

- François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Not quite accurate in my case, because I forget everything!

But I can relate with the multiple retelling part. It's quite embarrassing, especially when the person I'm talking to lets me finish the entire story - complete with all the gestures and sound effects - before informing me of my forgetfulness. It's like he's trying to catch any inconsistencies in my story.

Not big deal though, as I enjoy telling my animated stories over and over again. Have I ever told you about the time when...

The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. 

- Wilhelm Stekel, physician and psychologist (1868-1940)

If somebody dies for a cause, I wouldn't call him immature, but I wouldn't call him practical either. A living human can certainly do more noble deeds than a dead one. 

Sure, a hero who nobly sacrifices his life in battle "could" spark a revolution, but what if he loses the bet? He'll just be another tick mark in the statistician's book. There won't be a second chance.

One does not need to die to make a difference. Consider a regular guy who contributes seemingly trivial efforts to a goal. He has every opportunity to improve as long as he is alive and kicking.

So if any of you is thinking that it's cool to do a suicide mission, I hope you'd reconsider.