Food
for Thought
Delivered by
Kevin Reynolds, July 3o, 2006
At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, New Bern, NC
Good morning,
The Bible for Christians, the Koran for Muslims,
Sutra and Abidharma for Buddhists, the Vedas for Hindus are all incredible
religious literature . These works have inspired untold millions. They
have also confused untold millions. When looking for guidance on how to
live ones life, these works can lead us in dramatically different
directions depending upon interpretation. The Bible and Koran particularly
have inspired many to kill many. I have read the Bible cover to cover and
have read portions of the others. They confuse my somewhat tiny mind. So I
have looked for guidance from some more simplistic works. I would like to
briefly mention a few and quote some passages. They all share one
important principle sometime missing in more famous works: they embody
life’s most important quality—COMMON SENSE!!
The first is what I guess is a poem. You probably
have heard of Desiderata. For years the author was called anonymous but
about 20 years ago it was attributed to Max Ehrmann. Written in the
1920’s Erhmann wrote it to and
I quote
"I
should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift --
a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods."
There are four other texts I would like to recommend
. These books are ones you can pick up and read at any page and you will
learn. They each are jam packed with common sense. If you just have a few
minutes to read- In which room
of the house should these books reside. Correct!! the bathroom!! Did you
know that Michelangelo conceived the design for the Sistine Chapel while
in the bathroom. Albert Einstein came up with the theory of relativity
while in the bathroom. Milton’s Paradise Lost originated in the
bathroom!!
Actually I made all that up but it could have
happened.
Note:
These are the books from which Kevin read:
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. Visit http://marilee.us/desiderata.html
to download a copy.
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
by Robert Fulghum. Published by Villard Books 1988
Life is Uncertain...Eat Desert First by Sol Gordon
& Harold Brecher. Published by Delacorte press 1990
The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book by H.
Jackson Brown. Published by Rutledge Hill Press 1997
Dave Barry Turns Fifty by Dave Barry. Published by
Crown Books 2004
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