Boldness in daring means killing;
boldness in not daring means life.
These two may help and may harm.
Who knows the reason
for what heaven dislikes?
This is why even sages
find it hard for them.
The Way of heaven
win well without contest,
responds well without speech,
comes of itself uncalled,
relaxed yet very resourceful.
The net of heaven is vast;
the holes are large
but don’t let it slip.

– Thomas Cleary

 

Daring to act means death
daring not to act means life
of these two
one benefits
the other harms
what Heaven dislikes
who knows the reason
the Way of Heaven
is to win without a fight
to answer without a word
to come without a summons
and to plan without a thought
the Net of Heaven is all-embracing
its mesh is wide but nothing escapes

– Red Pine

 

Be brave in daring; kill or be killed;
Be brave in not daring; live and let live;
One of the two brings gain, one harm.
But which man knows what heaven condemns,
What precedents it’s guided by?

The way of heaven masters all:
It prevails though striving not,
It replies though speaking not,
Comes although uncalled,
And gives good counsel though affected not.
Heaven’s net, cast far and wide,
Seems slack yet nothing slips outside.

– Moss Roberts


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#229 : Mother Earth and myths of mining and agriculture Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 5/11/26: Tonight, I read passages on what the discoveries of agriculture and metallurgy meant for human beings, as reflected in the mythologies and rituals and stories that grew up around them. These passages are taken from sections 12 and 15 of Mircea Eliade’s History of Religious Ideas, Volume 1: From the Stone Age to the Eleusinian Mysteries.After Eliade’s rich catalogue of stories and beliefs that came out metallurgy, I read a few passages from the Hebrew Bible—Isaiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, Proverbs, and finally Job—where metallurgy is discussed literally and as metaphor. Here, metallurgy becomes a symbol of transformation imposed by God on backsliding humanity, as well as enduring symbol of wisdom and understanding.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. #229 : Mother Earth and myths of mining and agriculture
  2. #228 – What Ted Bundy did on July 14, 1974
  3. #227 – The Great Fire of London and the destruction of Jerusalem
  4. #226: The Vitality and terror of cities
  5. #225 – The invention of the wheel, and the power of storytelling
  6. #224: Let's talk about William Blake
  7. #223 – How to write two novels at the same time, with Charles Dickens
  8. #222: Seamus Heaney – 10 Essential Poems
  9. #221: Volcanoes, Plagues & the Childhood of a Kabbalist
  10. #220: The working poor and a so-so murder show

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