Marshall At Home

The originator of the Marshall Plan had always disliked having a fuss made over him.
When he became famous a military institute commissioned a sculptor to do a bust of him. When it was finished a replica was sent to the general.
When it arrived Mrs. Marshall was having guest who commented that the bust would please the general. Mrs Marshall said she knew what his response would be and just as she had predicted when the general walked into the room he took one look at the bust and said to his wife, ”Who brought that in?”

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One of his engaging traits was that his ability to leave the gathering when it was time to go. A courteous word to the hostess and he was gone.
Once posing for an official portrait the general sat through several sittings till the painter was satisfied. Finally the portrait was done and Marshall said his goodbye and started to leave. ”Don’t you want to see the portrait, general?” asked the painter.
“No thank you,” said the general and left.
(Sketches From Life by Dean Acheson.)
compiler:benny

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Our Home Away From Home

Death of stars gives rise to new stars in cosmos: those elements spewed out of a dying star are what make up calcium in our bones and iron in the blood. Can we think of life on earth without oxygen? Or for that matter carbon? These two also are by courtesy of a supernova.
Every element in our body has been a wanderer among clouds of interstellar gas, and having come together by some sort of an arrangement we should have a centre too. If we were at home in Cosmos why we need to have special suit and spacecraft in order to go to space? Should we not have been equally at home in Cosmos as well?
To all intents and purpose we consider the earth as our home and millennia of living here has shut out much of our cosmic ancestry; and in compensation we have acquired an ability to live on the earth. How it is that we forget our real home, it could be anywhere in Cosmos. We are made of a material form which has come together from anywhere in Space. Matter having mass and weight will have a centre of gravity. My point isn’t its exact location but to show we are centred about a point that is not necessarily the Earth.

Our home planet is an accident and our place here is an incident connected with so many other stellar events. We are borne out of star dust and we are in a manner of speaking star children.

If such is the case why fight tooth and nail for advantages in a temporal home? We ought to think objectively, like nomads of old who would, with the break of dawn break up the camp and march on. Our present life with our various commitments may make it a pipe dream but still can we not hold a detached view of life?
Let me quote:
‘Do not set your heart on what is not in your control. For example riches may come or lose value. You can’t do a thing about it. Then why lose sleep over it?
Your time is well within your reach. Suck life to the bone. Remember the now in the adage ‘Now is the day of salvation’ is already far gone as you read these.
benny

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