Re: [Paddlewise] pfds...whoa, will this stir the waters

Absolutely beautiful, Courtney.  Thank you.  The sentiment is very
appealing, and reminds me somewhat of the ongoing debate about the concept
of "wilderness", and whether the entire concept, which presumes
"non-wilderness", is harming our planet.  (Check out the magazine Orion. . .
fascinating stuff.)

And since we are in the business of passing along favorite quotes today,
I'll give you one of mine -- albeit not quite on topic (whatever that is at
this point).  The quote is from Sterling Hayden -- yes, the actor -- who was
also (I should say first and foremost) a renowned schooner captain:

"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm
foundation of financial unrest.  Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine
traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea --
'cruising,' it is called.  Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers
of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in.  If you are contemplating a
voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes
change.  Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
"Little has been said or written about the ways a man blasts himself free.
Why?  I don't know, unless the answer lies in our diseased values.  A man
seldom hesitates to describe his work; he gladly divulges the privacies of
his alleged sexual conquests.  But ask him how much he has in the bank and
he recoils into shock and stubborn silence.
"'I've always wanted to sail the South Seas, but I can't afford it.'  What
these mean can't afford is *not* to go.  They are enmeshed in the cancerous
discipline of 'security.'  And in the worship of security we fling our lives
beneath the wheels of routine  -- and before we know it, our lives are
gone."

It goes on.  And every time I quote it for someone I can't decide where to
stop.  The quote is from Hayden's book "Wanderer."  For many years, the book
was out of print, but it has now been re-released.  (I was actually kind of
disappointed when it was re-released, as I collect older editions.)  Hayden
was a very interesting man.  Hollywood didn't deserve him.

Mark



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