Yesterday’s post was about euphemisms for dying. It reminded me of
Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert, which he wrote while he was dying of cancer. The part I liked best was,
I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.
—Roger Ebert
Amen to that.
February 28, 2018
I liked Roger Ebert. actually I liked them both.
but I always felt he gave his critiques actual ‘thought’
not just to be witty or critical. but with honesty and with real feeling.
and that he said this when dying is a lovely legacy to his approach to life.
I never heard any of his critiques, but I did enjoy his memoir. And I agree with you, I prefer honesty, real thought and feeling to attempts to be witty or feeding one’s ego by tearing others down.
over the last few days with the computer playing up – and then realising that it’s not all bad – I THINK that comes from my general attitude to life – which is slow down and smell the roses…or be happy where I’m at “now” 🙂
just like a few weeks ago when the week, I wanted for my retreat wasn’t available and i had to go the week before. Suddenly the food supplies were at the very creative level and I had to top-up a few things…I realised it didn’t matter on the food levels.
which leads me back to the personal misaligned planets this week – and as rummuser is apt to say “this too will pass” (that is a different sort of word: pass) – the landline took a short blip, but seems to have recovered – the computer still has some woes but I found a replacement “word processing download” – seems to be going okay even when it only was working on 2 different documents this morning – and then attached one to an email just fine 🙂
Life is relatively good IMHO
I’m glad things are going well on the whole. Instead of “this too shall pass” I prefer “what’s the opportunity here?” Since you’re a creative type that seems to be your attitude too. 🙂
I had never heard of or read anything by Roger Ebert before this post. I however agree with his observation in toto.
I had vaguely heard of him before I read his memoir.