“The
sin of inadvertence, not being alert, not quite awake, is the sin of missing the
moment of life—live with unremitting alertness.” - Joseph Campbell
A memory from around twenty five years ago returns today. My son
and his friend were sitting on the couch reading a book. They
were four or five years old, so the book must have not been too
complex, but they came across the word, "club." "What's a
club," one asked. "It's something you hit baby harp seals over
the head with," the other responded. They sat for a few
moments, each digesting that that definition did not quite fit the
context of the story. They finally concluded a club was also
a place to swim.
I think of that now, of what we teach our children, and ourselves, of
what we hear, and take in. How precious is every thought,
statement, touch. Let us live, as Joseph Campbells says, "with
unremitting alertness."