|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2 |
Distilled Spirits
When Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, physicist Piet Hein published an innocent-seeming poem:
Losing one glove is certainly painful, but nothing compared to the pain of losing one, throwing away the other, and finding the first one again.
The German censors let it go, not understanding its meaning -- that while enduring occupation was bad, ceasing to resist would be worse. "It said that what happens to you from outside is less important than how you take it," he explained later. "The Danes knew what I meant."
In later years Hein cultivated a talent for such tiny aphoristic poems, which he called "grooks":
Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by hitting back.
There is one art, no more, no less: to do all things with art- lessness.
The road to wisdom? -- Well, it's plain and simple to express: Err and err and err again but less and less and less.
Put up in a place where it's easy to see the cryptic admonishment T.T.T. When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb, it's well to remember that Things Take Time.
In all he wrote more 7,000 grooks, which have become a part of Scandinavian culture. "I cannot really say where my activity as a scientist ends and where my activity as a man of letters begins," he said. "Whether I am writing a poem or solving some technical problem, I think the same."
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724
old hand
|
old hand
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 724 |
Really, really, really wonderful and much needed post Luke. Thank you for sharing.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
veteran
|
veteran
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554 |
Put up in a place where it's easy to see the cryptic admonishment T.T.T. When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb, it's well to remember that Things Take Time. __________________________________
Put up in a place You donna wanna be The dynamite explosive T.N.T. And if you feel explosive As you climb, Be sure to remember that Time Negates Time.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2 |
Really, really, really wonderful and much needed post Luke. Thank you for sharing. Just ran across it and was intrigued myself, thought others might appreciate it. You're welcome.
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2 |
Put up in a place You donna wanna be The dynamite explosive T.N.T. And if you feel explosive As you climb, Be sure to remember that Time Negates Time.
Very nice addition.
Last edited by LukeJavan8; 01/06/13 05:18 PM.
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2 |
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916 Likes: 2 |
Thanks, but they're not from my head. Found them and just thought I'd share.
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I know, I was just playing with Cool Hand Luke.
:¬ )
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,328
Members9,182
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
738
guests, and
0
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|