Clippings

The Healing Art

A doctor, Rafael Campo, and three of his students discuss the importance of poetry to their work. I'm taken by the doctor's words

"To me the patient's voice, the stories they have to tell are absolutely central to the work of healing. ... The poetry of the encounter helps me to think even more effectively and more thoughtfully really about that. I feel like listening to that story and really attuning my ear to the patients voice helps me listen to their heart more clearly ."

and I love that one of the students emphasize that the started to express her thoughts by hand after losing a patient. I respond to the expression and the depth of feeling here, but I think I've found only concern, not feeling, in my own care. How could I deepen the relationships I already have, I wonder?


Literature

Explore cites Italo Calvino and suggests some comparisons.

“The idea of putting literature in second place, after politics, is an enormous mistake, because politics almost never achieves its ideals. Literature, on the other hand, in its own field can achieve something and in the very long run can also have some practical effect. By now I have come to believe that important things are achieved only through very slow processes.”

—  A Paris Review conversation with Italo Calvino. Pair with Calvino’s heartening new year’s resolution, his wisdom on writing, and his thoughts on America.

I like Ezra Pound's perspective, too. This is from ABC of Reading.

If a nation’s literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.

Your legislators can’t legislate for the public good, your commander can’t command, your populace (if you be a democratic country) can’t instruct it’s ‘representatives’ save by language.

The day that Einstein predicted, has seemingly arrived

Forwarding some email I received from a friend long ago

Having some coffee ...

Dinner in a restaurant...

Appreciating Art in a museum ...

Nice conversation in the coffee shop ...

A pleasant day at the beach ...

Cheering the team at the stadium ...

Dating your girl ...

Sightseeing ...

Albert Einstein:


"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of IDIOTS."