of making a path

"Travelers, there is no path. Paths are made by walking."
- Antonio Machado

Antonio Machado was a Spanish poet born in 1875 and was part of the Spanish literary movement "Generation of '98" (1898 obviously, not 1998). His quote actually comes from one of his poems in his series Proverbios y Cantares:

"Wanderer, your footsteps are
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking."

(Translated text obtained from Wikipedia, and the original Proverbios in Spanish can be viewed here.)

The Generation of '98 movement was marked with frustration with Spanish politics and society. This was against the backdrop of the revolution against the Spanish monarchy in 1868 to 1873, followed by the short-lived First Spanish Republic, and the Restoration of a constitutional monarchy in 1874 (which the Generation opposed). They advocated a return to old Spanish ideals and the development of intellectual thought outside of politics.

People are often pushed to blaze new trails by a cause, a message that they wish to send to everyone else. Most of us living in the Internet-age, in a first-world country, we want to do that. Everyone wants to make something of themselves, wants to push the boundaries, etc. Because we are now in positions with means and opportunities available to us. Yet most of us are also afraid to stray beyond our comfort zone - because after all, most of us were born in comfort. I think the biggest challenge for our generation is learning to take a risk and stray from the paths already marked out for us.

of the mud and the heavens

"All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

- Oscar Wilde

This is one of my favourite quotes and Wilde has to be featured, sooner or later. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, to a family of intellectuals; he himself moved on to be an outstanding student at Oxford. After university, Wilde moved to London where he met Constance Lloyd, whom he married, and a number of young men, whom he had affairs with. One of them proved fatal as it prompted Wilde to sue his lover's father for libel (for calling him a 'posing somdomite'), which backlashed tragically and ended with Wilde being convicted of gross indecency, imprisoned and bankrupt.

...But who remembers him for that? Wilde impresses me because he was a truly modern man of his times, and through his works and words I think he showed a remarkable insight into human nature. For example The Picture of Dorian Gray, which tells the story of the degradation of a young man who - basically - falls in love with a portrait of himself, is a haunting account of how vanity can consume us all. Maybe Wilde himself was a victim of his own vanity, but I think that only makes him human and one of us. But if that's the case, he was definitely looking at the stars.

*Addendum: Oscar Wilde doesn't stop inspiring. Designer Yuichi Kuroda designs a collection inspired by 'The Portrait of Dorian Gray' for LAD Musician 2011 Spring/Summer. Here is a little preview:

of great and small

"The chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness."

-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a Scottish writer born in 1859. He was trained as a physician but turned to writing when his practice did not prove to be successful. Although Sir Arthur (or do I call him Sir Doyle?) is most well-known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, arguably the best detective of all time albeit in fiction, he did also write a number of other works such as historical novels, science fiction, plays and non-fiction. In fact it was because he wanted more attention on his other works that he famously 'killed off' Holmes at Reichenbach Falls (although Holmes was resurrected shortly after an uproar from the fans, no worries).

I came across this quote by Sir Doyle during a period when I was absolutely mad about Holmes (I still am a huge fan, although the obsession level has thankfully dropped a little). It is interesting I guess, because Holmes himself shows little to no sign of humility. But for the rest of us mortal beings with ordinary powers of perception, perhaps we can do with a little less flair and a little more modesty, and perceive ourselves as the small particles that we are in this great wide universe.