Good warriors do not arm,
good fighters don’t get mad,
good winners don’t contend,
good employers serve their workers.
This is called the virtue
of noncontention;
this is called mating with
the supremely natural and pristine.

– Thomas Cleary

 

In ancient times
the perfect officer wasn’t armed
the perfect warrior wasn’t angry
the perfect victor wasn’t hostile
the perfect commander acted humble
this is the virtue of nonaggression
this is using the strength of others
this is uniting with Heaven
which was the ancient end

– Red Pine

 

Warriors who excel do not parade;
Commanders who excel do not anger;
Victors who excel don’t lightly engage;
Skilled managers of men are humble:
This defines the power of no-conflict,
The way to manage men’s strength,
The union with heaven, the acme of old.

– Moss Roberts


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#230 – The mythology of the bear, and Byron gets apocalyptic Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 5/18/26: Tonight I read about the bear in folklore and mythology from two books everybody should have on their shelves: the Taschen Book of Symbols and the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols. Browsing through either puts you in contact with our best stories and, with the Taschen book, some of our best artwork.Next, I read Lord Byron’s (1788-1824) apocalyptic poem Darkness from 1816. You can read more about the volcanic eruption that inspired poem, and produced the “year without summer,” here.Finally, I read a few passages on revelation and the religious experience from the rabbi, theologian and civil rights activist Abraham Joshua Heshel’s (1907-1962) God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #230 – The mythology of the bear, and Byron gets apocalyptic
  2. #229 : Mother Earth and myths of mining and agriculture
  3. #228 – What Ted Bundy did on July 14, 1974
  4. #227 – The Great Fire of London and the destruction of Jerusalem
  5. #226: The Vitality and terror of cities
  6. #225 – The invention of the wheel, and the power of storytelling
  7. #224: Let's talk about William Blake
  8. #223 – How to write two novels at the same time, with Charles Dickens
  9. #222: Seamus Heaney – 10 Essential Poems
  10. #221: Volcanoes, Plagues & the Childhood of a Kabbalist

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