Reach for the Stars...

And the world will be better for this

that one man, scorned and covered with scars,
still strove with his last ounce of courage
to reach the unreachable stars.
~ Dale Wasserman, Man of La Mancha

How high do you want to go? How much difference do you want to make? Go big. That is the only way to find out how far you can reach.

In today's cynical and suspicious world, you may appear a fool in the eyes of many. People will tell you that to believe you can make a mark that lasts, can make a difference is a wild goose chase, a waste of time, a lost cause.

You will be swimming upstream, but do not give up. Quit swimming and the current will carry you backwards. Are you tired? Hold on to something firm, catch your breath, then continue. There are rewards for those who make such an effort... Keep on keepin' on. Even if you don't reach the stars, over the course of a lifetime you will accomplish more than you ever thought possible. 

Tilting at Windmills: Reflections on Don Quixote de la Mancha

THROWBACK THURSDAY

"We can easily forgive a child when he is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato

What I initially find intriguing here is that Plato's observation was written 2500 years ago and is still relevant today.

This month I have been reading Cervantes' Don Quixote and continue to be astonished at the wit and wisdom captured in this 16th century classic story, considered by many to be the first novel. As one reads the book it is about so much more than the strange tales of a knight errant who tilts at windmills. Like classic stories of all time, it conveys classic truths about all facets of life. It is remarkably entertaining and even hilarious at times. Yet because it is a "classic" most modern people imagine it to be dull and a waste of time to read.

I do not know if public education is to blame for this attitude toward classic literature, or whether modern culture is at fault with its emphasis on things fast paced and modern. I only know that there is a fantastic array of great literature at our fingertips offering diversions both stimulating and insightful. Most surprising is how relevant these great books are.

In reading Cervantes one quickly notices that his own knowledge of the classics is vast, citing passages from Homer and the histories of ancient Greeks. The guy spins it all out in a tapestry of images that make you think and at times make you laugh out loud.

The story is primarily about Don Quixote, a gentleman of La Mancha in central Spain who has imbibed too many tales about the great deeds of knights and chivalry. But it is far more than this. Was he a madman? A modern existential hero? Or did he have a vision that the rest of his peers have lost? He certainly had a very different, even strange, way of interpreting the world and his experiences in it.

In more than one section of the book his friends and family try to get him to see himself as he is: off his rocker. But the storytelling reveals that their own motives are less than pure. Who is it who needs to be unmasked?

Has Don Quixote created this role as heroic knight in order to avoid facing up to the emptiness of his own situation? Has he created this fictional self because he can't face his real self?

In truth, we all have things about ourselves which are difficult to face. It is to our great merit when in humility we can face up to our limitations and weaknesses. Self understanding is the first step toward self improvement. Much like renovating an apartment, the task of personal growth is managed one room at a time. It's an important project, and one that requires commitment because it takes a lifetime.


Tribute to Don Quixote

“I have read this book both in English and Spanish, and I can honestly say that it loses very little of its power, wit or message in translation. For all those who have considered reading this book, here are a few good reasons: this book is a very nuanced look at escapism and identity, a wonderful parody of knight stories, along with being a rousing (and very funny) adventure centering around the titular hero, a man who reads one too many books about knighthood and chivalry and decides to become a knight-errant himself. After recruiting a sidekick and choosing a lady to woo per narrative convention, he sets out to conquer the forces of evil, which include, among other things, giant windmills and rogue "knights". Cervantes' insight and ability to parody were both ahead of his time, and in a time where escapism and voyeurism are well and thriving, it is not difficult to imagine someone watching too many TV shows and believing they're a wild west outlaw or what-have-you. A very fascinating experience, and it works well in any language. Highly recommended.”
--Adam Dukovich, Amazon.com visitor & reviewer

Having just finished Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote, I felt a need to send a message into cyberspace noting that this book, which many if not most literary historians call “the first novel”, lives up to its billing as one of the most significant works of Western literature.

Many of the great writers of the Western literary tradition pay tribute to the influence of Cervantes including Sir Walter Scott, Dickens, Flaubert, Melville, Dostoyevsky, Faulkner, Joyce and Borges.

I myself have been strongly influenced by the musical Man of La Mancha which I experienced when I was in college. To this day, a portion of my own life mission takes its inspiration from this first exposure to Don Quixote: To do what no one else can do; to be what no one else can be. To fulfill my purpose in being. To reach an unreachable star.

* * * *

The two short posts above were written in 2007. Here are a three Miguel de Cervantes quotes from the book itself to carry you through.

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“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

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“Until death it is all life”

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“He who reads much and walks much, goes far and knows much."

May your weekend be one of adventures!

Of Knights White and Dark

Up front, the reason I am writing about knights today is that I did this picture of me as The Dark Knight. Laugh, please, because it's intended to be comic. (You may click to enlarge.)

As for chivalry and knights-errant, I have always enjoyed the whole idea of knighthood. As a kid one of my favorite coloring books was Crusader Rabbit. As a college student I was taken up with Don Quixote by way of the musical Man of La Mancha. During my tenure at AMSOIL, where I am employed in advertising and PR, I have seen my role as something of a white knight, doing battle against the forces of darkness.

An aside: There are many cynics who believe that the foundation of advertising, and inherent in the job, is a need to lie. Like lawyers, admen are tarred as dishonest hucksters. What I have always believed is that if you have to lie to sell a product, then you should not be in that situation. Or at least, you should strive to exit that position as quickly as feasible.

For those unaware, AMSOIL makes synthetic motor oils and performance products. Their claim to fame is being the first synthetic motor oil to satisfy American Petroleum Institute service requirements. In addition to being the first synthetic oil for cars, they were also first to recommend a 25,000 mile one year drain interval. The company has done that since its inception 35 years ago.

Imagine how many fewer oil cans and bottles would be in our landfills if for the past 35 years everyone changed their oil but once a year. The oil industry, on the other hand, likes having people change their oil frequently. For more than a decade major oil companies have gone out of their way to fight extended drain intervals. For years we've all heard that you're supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles. Is that really because frequent oil changes are in the best interest of the consumer? I have in my file a 2001 quote from the president of Jiffy Lube International saying that if they could get people to change 100 miles sooner, Pennzoil would make 20 million more dollars. In addition, "If we could move our customers to make one more oil change per year, it's worth $294 million for the oil change alone and $441 million in revenue, when you include ancillary products and services." (Lubricant's World, Sept. 2001, p. 30)

So it is that the little company I work for is jousting with behemoths for whom bottom line profits are the primary driver, not truth or what is in the best interest of the consumer, or the earth for that matter.

The irony is, however, that even though I feel like a white knight, and our company has true environmentally beneficial solutions, if you get into a throng of really Green folks, I am a leper because I'm part of an oil company. "Oil companies are bad, green is good."

Add to that the popularity of seeing business people in a somewhat negative light, and the corporate guy that I am can also be perceived as "bad" in many sectors simply by virtue of my wearing a suit to the office every day. Hmmm.

Well, this might be where the Dark Knight comes in. His motivations are good, but in the end we see he is just a human trying to do the best he can. He's playing a role that in some way fits who he is. And like the comic book hero and Cervantes' Quixote I, too, am just trying to do the best I can within the context of our postmodern environs. If occasionally the giants I'm fighting are windmills.... well, so be it.

Here are a couple of links to articles I've published related to the environment and ethics.