I recently found a few quotes that I’d like to share with you. The first is by Jim Carrey: “Behind every great man is a woman, rolling her eyes.” Usually, of course, that woman is the man’s wife.
And why is she rolling her eyes? I don’t know, but I believe she does in fact think he’s great. After all, she married him. No, I think that even great people have habits and foibles that can be quirky and irksome and hard to live with. It turns out those closest to us, whether male or female, may know our greatness – but they also know all the other stuff about us, the stuff we don’t want anybody to know. And by the way, there’s a reason nobody wants to define “woman”. (Please let me know if you come up with a definition that doesn’t get you in trouble.)
The second quote is by the great Lily Tomlin: “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” I don’t think this is true of everyone, but I do think it’s true of many of us who were lucky enough to have someone in our lives who encouraged us to excel. The problem is that when we were young, we didn’t know enough about ourselves and the world to have a clue how to become “somebody”. If only life threw us hardballs down the middle of the plate… but nooooo, life has a way of not only throwing curves and sliders and knuckleballs. It also throws rotten tomatoes, pineapples, mud, and all the other twists and turns that are part of every life. Oh well… The last quotes are by one of my heroes, Mr. Thomas Sowell. If you’re not familiar with him, please do yourself a favor and look him up – on the Internet or in your local library. Here’s a few of his nuggets: 1.“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your ignorance.” I have to agree, Mr. Sowell.
I’m still often struck by how much the horizon of my ignorance continues to speed ahead of my ability to grasp it with every year I age.
2. “Racism is not dead, but it is on life support – kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as ‘racists.” Mr. Sowell, I grew up amid the ugly racism in Texas in the 1950’s. My father, and his father before him, were bigots until the day they died. I’ve seen systemic racism, blatant racism in towns with segregated rest rooms and drinking fountains. Our country, and the vast majority of its citizens, has come a long way toward overcoming our capacity to hate based on skin color since those days. I’m white, and you’re black Mr. Sowell, and I love the impact you’ve had on our great country. In fact, I’ve seen and heard your heart, and I love you.
3. “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”
Amen, and amen.
Paul Trapp grew up in Houston, spent over four decades in New England where he and Elaine raised their three children, and retired to Colorado Springs in 2018. Paul spent most of his career working in corporate America as an IT training manager for several companies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He is also a singer/songwriter and has put a number of his songs on his website, www.ptrapp.com, where you can also find his memoir, “Life Changing Decisions”.