Maddenation

Searching for Meaning

I am quoting Terrance Ward quoting the Persion Poet Rumi, who said more than 700 years ago:

Out beyond the idea of rightdoing and wrongdoing there is a field. I will meet you there.

Rumi has recently become the most popular poet in the United States. Terrence Ward, recently interviewed by Charlie Rose, has written Searching for Hassan, a book about An American Family’s Journey Home to Iran.

I find the quote from Rumi quite moving. I have some concern about whether or not I’ve gotten it right, given that I copied it down from a TV interview of someone remembering it off the top of his head. But it is after all a translation (by Coleman Barks ), and the person remembering is also an author. And anyway, what is important about it is the emotions and ideas it invokes in the listener.

Go ahead, say it out loud. Savor it. Accept it’s brief invitation to a small adventure.

Dad • Quotes • 03/26/05 • 1 comments

Comments

Dan • 04/08/05 • 9:09 PM:

That quote reminds me of one I heard in college,

Always there’s that space between what you feel and what you do, and in that gap all human sadness lies.

The quote is attributed to George Rodrigue, the painter of Blue Dog, but I can’t find where it’s from. I can’t really explain either of the quotes, but there’s something about them that makes you say, “yeah, man.”

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