There is an old poor man,. . . . Oppress'd with two weak evils, age and hunger.

My mother once told me I was like water. Water can carve its way even through stone. And when trapped, water makes a new path.

Pools of sorrow. Waves of joy.

Recipe for a long life: Only smoke while awake. Only run when being chased.

While complying can be an effective strategy for physical survival, it's a lousy one for personal fulfillment. Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you through the day, but only the latter will get you through the night.

As young people we want something to slow us down and keep us trapped in one place long enough to look below the surface of the world. That disaster is a car crash or a war. To make us sit still. It can be getting cancer or getting pregnant. The important part is how it seems to catch us by surprise. That disaster stops us from living the life we'd planned as children - a life of constant dashing around.