Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Better Than Our Word

The Three Conspirators Swear an Oath
on the Ruthli Meadow
, 1779
Henry Fuseli (aka Johann Heinrich Füssli) 1741 - 1825

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"Let us once lose our oaths to find ourselves
Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths"


from Love's Labour's Lost
by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

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Couriers
“They were offered the choice between becoming kings or the couriers of kings. The way children would, they all wanted to be couriers. Therefore there are only couriers who hurry about the world, shouting to each other - since there are no kings - messages that have become meaningless. They would like to put an end to this miserable life of theirs but they dare not because of their oaths of service.”
from On Parables
by Franz Kafka (1883-1924)

We've heard it all our lives: you must be as good as your word. Perhaps the real challenge is to be better than our word. To read more about oaths of service and keeping your word and changing your mind ~ apparently easier done than said ~ see my current post:

~ "I Changed My Mind" ~

@ The Fortnightly Kitti Carriker:
A Fortnightly [every 14th & 28th] Literary Blog of
Connection & Coincidence; Custom & Ceremony


More Kafka on Previous Blog Posts:
Little Door
Take Up Your Cross
Sancho Panza
Celtic Blessing
Imperial Messenger
Suffering
Go Over

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