[Note The sword in the stone represented in this banner is in the chapel next to the Gothic Abbey of Saint Galgano at Montesiepi. The Tuscan “Excalibur” is said to have been plunged into a rock in 1180 by Galgano Guidotti, a Medieval knight who renounced war and worldly goods to become a hermit.]
Dwelling on Wallace Stevens’ poem that begins, “After the final no, there comes a yes, and upon that yes the future of the world depends”, I find myself asking the question, “At this extraordinary time in my life, what is my final no?”
Tough question. I googled “the Power of No” to help illuminate my query and was overwhelmed by references to countless others who’ve already thought, written, and talked about this…, and I’m left wondering, “Why do I bother?”
Ecclesiastes suggests that “too much studying is a weariness of the flesh” and “there is no end to the writing of books”. I’ve gotten good at writing funny, smart essays that seem to make little difference other than adding to a Mount Everest of smart ideas already there. Maybe the Sufi’s have it right and we should just try to dance our way to heaven. Perhaps the final no is to stop thinking about this stuff?
My most recent attempt to engage with making a real difference in the world not for money had the guy not call back! Is this a sign? Here I am, sitting in the glorious New Mexico desert still trying to write the one sentence that will change the world in the direction of everyone having great food, wonderful sex, enough money, nurturing friendships, and peace with justice. This is either heartfelt effort on my part to do the right thing, or simply delusional.
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