Quotable Quotes

My relative use, though replete with rudimentary fluency, of "social media" which as it turns out was initiated by a desire to stay connected with some newly found members of my biological family/relatives (but that's a story for another time) has given rise to my pondering the high volume of quotes, prophecy and wisdom of sages,mystics,holy men & women,activists,writers, philosophers, saints, poets, (many in the proceeding list have long since vacated planet earth) & from more recent history and in many cases still living among us, are the quips,truths and experiences of celebrities from the sports and entertainment fields, as well as motivational speakers, marketing professionals,social scientists, pioneers in quantum physics etc. Primarily I have come to observe this exchange on Facebook (which as I said, I became involved with as a "late-bloomer" I couldn't for the life of me understand why I would want to use this platform when I could just email someone - of course I didn't see the need to relinquish my mobile "flip-phone" either, until the pre-pubescent sales rep informed me that replacement batteries were no longer available (or even produced except perhaps by some after - market source. Come to think of it I didn't want a cell phone at all, until - while working "on-call" people junior to me on the call list were getting more work because they had cell phones. So I begrudgingly bought my first cell phone, which was eventually replaced by a "smart phone" which presently given it is an early generation iPhone, is so far managing to outlive it's planned redundancy. As far as I'm concerned the only "smart" aspect of these devices is that by the time one has paid out their contract they have shelled out far more for "service" than the retail cost of the phone. Just another conduit of revenue - perhaps the knowing of which places me one baby step closer to enlightenment. Now before I go much further I have been known to post said quotes (and likely will continue). I often find inspiration - even the answer to a current quandary, still I find it intriguing this swapping of material. It's a bit like the old days trading bubble gum cards - I'll give you a couple of ancient prophecies and a scripture and three proverbs, for a verse of Rumi, some dharma, a quote from the Upanishads, and a YouTube clip of a sound bite from a Martin Luther King speech. Is it possible that those that exchange said quotes etc. believe that by extension they embody the wisdom held within? I know this to be a far cry from the truth in my case - but what do I know of the journey of others, maybe they have achieved mastery. Of course according to some schools of thought we all have access to this wisdom, that it is more a case of remembering than learning. Which leaves me to wonder of my chances when I consider every time I access the site to write to my blog I seem to have an issue with what the current password might be - maybe it's different "remembering" universal truths. It is with great curiosity that I wonder did the people we are quoting and trafficking through cyberspace quote their contemporaries or even their predecessors? This might have been problematic with respect to awareness of each other and what was being said. Of course this assumes that we are at the pinnacle of communication with all the afore mentioned gadgetry - I for one doubt that, given I have witnessed multiple people sitting around a table in a coffee shop each with a device of some sort of their own - which they are deeply engaged with - none of said people are conversing with each other? So maybe we in the twenty-first century are still stumbling and bumbling with the equivalent of soup cans and waxed string (compared to ancient civilizations) but even if some of these past masters,shamans,oracles and avatars could have communicated with each other from far reaches of the planet - would they? Did they? Without question rivalries exist between subsequent followers, but did these individuals require verification or validation from anything or anybody beyond their own "source?" If indeed they were so deeply centered and grounded in the pathway of their pursuit - how is it that they were so "self-assured" fewer examples of one quoting another in their dissertations seem to circulate - or perhaps my "research" is not extensive enough? Why then is it necessary for "us" to continue to draw on the lives and experiences of those long since departed. I'll grant you some is beautifully written and I mean no disrespect to the wisdom of the elders or lessons from history. But I can get quotes from the Dalai Lama,Rumi, Will Smith and George Carlin all on the same page! Now I'm not suggesting that Will's journey has not afforded him some wisdom and I spent hours as a teen listening to George Carlin albums and appreciate his unique perspective and must acknowledge his often brutal honesty. Still is our society so wired to entertainment that we look to it's celebrities to map our destiny? Conversely I'm not saying that one must be the Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa etc. to connect to Universal Intelligence, God, Creator (whatever) - I believe it does require one to be prepared to refine the art of listening (and not to "Entertainment Tonight" for Great Spirit's sake!) I am a writer - not by virtue of being known - achieving public acclaim (or notoriety - at least not yet) through my writing - rather I write because I have discovered for me it is something that completely absorbs me - I am engaged heart & soul. Having spent considerable years completely disconnected, disenfranchised and out of integrity I know the difference. Therefore I write - I blog, I comment, I post, I create (poetry and a book underway)Eventually I submit, I will clear "my vessel" to a large enough extent that I will indeed become an instrument (perhaps only for a short window of time) nonetheless at that moment, through me, will come something worthy of quoting - but in truth it is not about the scribe - it is about the message. Wisdom of the ages is relevant today - it is equally likely that the same universal source that spoke to (through) the masters of yesterday - is trying to speak right here, right now. Yes we quote some extraordinary individuals but if one took the time to listen there are pearls of wisdom flowing from sources that are often seen as ordinary or sadly in some cases, not worth listening to (thereby dismissing someone that might have offered something that would be life-changing). So why not unplug from the media - reconnect with each other, self, nature and then speak up, you might be surprised by someone replying "can I quote you on that?"