ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY HUMANIST SECULAR THINKER: ROBERT FULGHUM November 23, 2021 MAYBE - MAYBE NOT: Second thoughts from a secret life. by Robert Fulghum. Random House 1993 (249 pages) note = Numbers in parentheses refer to pages Quote = "The practical meaning of that passage of Scripture concerns vitality, which means 'Don't be dead' or 'Do not be a passive victim.' In other words, be active — be alive!" ... "There is this problem with evil — you really should deal with it. Carry that one step further — if you should, then you may. To interpret the word, 'timshel' to mean 'you may' is to use a word that implies the possibility of choice. This is not a matter of theological hairsplitting. I think a strong case can be made that human beings have at least acted as if 'you may' was the correct interpretation — acting as if our destiny is in our own hands!" (Paraphrased by webmaster from Excerpts) Quote = "Whatever we may think or believe, what we have done is our story. You do not need to be a theologian or belong to any particular religious group to enter this discussion, but you do come down somewhere on this issue of what is possible in your life by how you in fact go about your life. You live this truth, one way or another. In modern English, timshel means 'it may be' or, simply, 'maybe'." (Paraphrased by webmaster from Excerpts) Quote = "Maybe, there is our word! The wisest answer to ultimate questions. A word pointing at open doors and wide horizons. I do not believe that the meaning of life is a puzzle to be solved. Life is. I am. Anything might happen. And I believe I may invest my life with meaning. The uncertainty is a blessing in disguise. If I were absolutely certain about all things, I would spend my life in anxious misery, fearful of losing my way. But since everything and anything are always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease. I believe that human freedom may be stated in one term, which serves as a little brick propping open the door of existence: "maybe". (By the author, Robert Fulghum, in Excerpts at the end of this outline) BOOK OUTLINE note = Dozens of unnamed essays all in a row. Samples of advice about living your life well will be quoted here very soon since there was no outline published! AUTHOR NOTES, SUMMARY, AND BOOK DESCRIPTION AUTHOR NOTES = Robert Fulghum was born in Waco, Tex. in 1937. He attended the University of Colorado and obtained a degree in history and philosophy from Baylor University. He also spent some time at a Zen Buddhist monastery in Japan. SUMMARY = Bestselling author Robert Fulghum believes that "truth is stranger than fiction" and proves it in this new collection of wise and witty inspirational essays. "Whether read straight through or dipped into for a couple of minutes, beginning on almost any page, this engaging narrative offers a break from the daily grind." (Last quote from School Library Journal Review) BOOK DESCRIPTION = In his fourth book since his bestselling predecessors, including the book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Fulghum uses musings about ironing a shirt, conducting the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth and selling school chocolate to emphasize the give and take and the unpredictability of the well-lived life. What Fulghum says of Einstein could well apply to himself: "Ambiguity remains at the end of the equation of his best thinking." Several other successful books by Fulghum are:It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, Uh-Oh: Some Observations From Both Sides of the Refrigerator Door, From Beginning to End, True Love, What On Earth Have I Done?, and Third Wish. (Paraphrased by webmaster from Publisher's Weekly Review) EDITORIAL BOOK REVIEWS SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW = For Young Adult Collection: Fulghum shares some of his insights with readers. They include episodic, kaleidoscopic mental explorations of events observed or imagined. YAs (Young Adults) may be surprised at the commonalities between one adult male's perspectives and their own. Points to ponder abound. Whether read straight through or dipped into for a couple of minutes, beginning on almost any page, this engaging narrative offers a break from the daily grind. PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW = The author's missionary spirit glows even brighter in his fourth book than in its bestselling predecessors that include the book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. In this collection of "second thoughts from a secret life," he uses musings about ironing a shirt, conducting the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth and selling school chocolate to emphasize the give and take, the unpredictability of the well-lived life. What Fulghum says of Einstein could well apply to himself: "Ambiguity remains at the end of the equation of his best thinking." If a chapter on the consumption of urine by certain cultures is distasteful, Fulghum's ruminations nevertheless make zesty entertainment. His many fans will enjoy his latest contribution and accept his invitation to join him for singing and storytelling on the "22 Cities, 22 Causes, One Good Reason Tour" he will be making... to benefit Literacy Volunteers, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and other causes. BOOKLIST REVIEW = Mix Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., with Paul Harvey and you get Robert Fulghum: Vonnegut for his punchy, repetitive, ironic style and Harvey for his parables of ordinary life. Fulghum here meditates on ambivalence — on "maybe" — to express his belief that "everything and anything is always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease." Maybe comes in several varieties. Fulghum likes the French term la perruque, expressive of what you do secretly when ostensibly you are doing something else — such as writing a letter to your lover on company time or pretending to believe someone's story covering up horrid behavior. There is the minor maybe — revealing larger sensibilities — of dealing with a poinsettia after the holidays (Throw it out? It is still alive) and the major, even cosmic maybe of pi, which stretches out in infinite patternlessness. Fulghum muses further on a nervy cellist, Vedran Smailovic, who played his cello on a street in Sarajevo for 22 consecutive days, braving artillery fire. In time other musicians joined him. In time a musician in the U.S., Beliz Brother, organized 22 Seattle cellists to play in 22 locations for 22 days. Fulghum lifts this kind of story into the realm of rapture; he's a feel-good guy, but for the most part, he leaves out the treacle. With big printing and ambitious tour to follow... it will be sure to show up on best-seller lists — and then among banquet speakers. No maybe to it! – John Mort. EXCERPTS A rabbi and I once engaged in a friendly intellectual hockey match trying to choose a single word to summarize human wisdom. He submitted a Hebrew term — timshel. It is found in the oldest story in our common literature — in Genesis — the book of beginnings. After being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had two sons. The elder was called Cain. He was the first man born outside of paradise. In time Cain grew up and cultivated his land and brought the first fruits as an offering to God. The offering was rejected. Jehovah explained to Cain that he was tangled up with evil — it lurked around his door. "But," Jehovah said, "you may triumph over evil and have abundant life." That's a crucial sentence — the last thing Jehovah says to Cain. "You may triumph over evil and have abundant life." The critical word is the second one, the verb--may. Timshel in Hebrew. This term has vexed scholars and theologians for a long time. It sits in the middle of a passage considered one of the five most difficult in the Scriptures to translate and understand. In context it has varied meanings, especially in this interchange between Jehovah and Cain. Timshel has been interpreted to mean "you shall" — that's an order, a command. Timshel has been interpreted to mean "you will" — which implies predestination. Timshel has even been interpreted to mean "you cannot," which suggests hopeless dependence. All these interpretations define a relationship with God that leaves little freedom. My friend the rabbi feels that the practical meaning of that passage of Scripture concerns vitality — meaning "Don't be dead," or "Do not be a passive victim — be active — be alive." He reads it as good advice: There is this problem with evil — you really should deal with it. Carry that one step further — if you should, then you may. To interpret the word, "timshel" to mean "you may" is to use a word that implies the possibility of choice. This is not a matter of theological hairsplitting. I think a strong case can be made that human beings have at least acted as if "you may" was the correct interpretation — acting as if our destiny is in our own hands! Whatever we may think or believe, what we have done is our story. You do not need to be a theologian or belong to any particular religious group to enter this discussion, but you do come down somewhere on this issue of what is possible in your life by how you in fact go about your life. You live this truth, one way or another. In modern English, timshel means "it may be," or, simply, "maybe." Maybe, there is our word! The wisest answer to ultimate questions. A word pointing at open doors and wide horizons. I do not believe that the meaning of life is a puzzle to be solved. Life is. I am. Anything might happen. And I believe I may invest my life with meaning. The uncertainty is a blessing in disguise. If I were absolutely certain about all things, I would spend my life in anxious misery, fearful of losing my way. But since everything and anything are always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease. I believe that human freedom may be stated in one term, which serves as a little brick propping open the door of existence: "maybe". Suppose that everything going on in your head in 24 hours could be accurately recorded on videotape. Your night dreams and daytime fantasies, conversations with yourself and appeals to the gods, the music and memories that float about, and all the loony trivia that ricochets around in your mind. Suppose all this material could be played in a theater — with multiple screens and a multitrack sound system. A pretty sensational show, I'd guess. MTV, X-rated video, Science Fiction Theater, Harlequin Romances, CD-ROM, and the National Enquirer combined could not compete with what goes on behind the closed door of the secret side of our minds. The operative word here is "secret." Public lives are lived out on the job and in the marketplace, where certain rules, conventions, laws, and social customs keep most of us in line. Private lives are lived out in the presence of family, friends, and neighbors who must be considered and respected, even though the rules and proscriptions are looser than what's allowed in public. But in our secret lives, inside our own heads, almost anything goes. We alone are answerable for what we think and do when nobody else is around or involved. Categories of "fact" and "fiction" are irrelevant in here. Are dreams true? Is what you imagine accurate? Inside these tight boundaries of flesh and bone is a borderless jungle in which clearings exist. In these open spaces, there may be an amusement park, a zoo, a circus, a library, a museum, a theater, or a landscape stranger than Mars. We refer to ourselves in first person singular — "I" — but inside, it's more like first person plural. Most of the time, my inner life seems like a ventriloquist act. A ceaseless dialogue between Me and my dummy. Oddly enough, the dummy is smarter than I am. It seems as if my dummy and I have lots of company. There's quite a crowd in here with us. A child and its parents. A wise old person. A mechanic, demons, a fool, a scientist, comedian, musician, dancer, athlete, magician, professor; a Romeo, censor, police officer, fire fighter, and multitudes more. The population of a small town inhabits the landscape of these disunited states of myself. And the town meeting is always in session. I can fully relate to the occasional stories in the tabloids about multiple personalities. This is not news to me. In the best sense of the word, I run an asylum--a safe refuge--in my mind. And it's not a problem. As long as I keep the shades drawn and the doors closed, and don't let anybody loose, all is well. As long as I'm firmly in charge of my secret life, the world sees me as sane and functional. Am I? Sometimes I is hard to tell. Excerpted from the book, Maybe — Maybe Not, by Robert Fulghum. REMEMBER ALWAYS: You Are Your Adaptable Memory! Click or Tap Star to Return to Intro-Section 4 INTRODUCTION - SECTION 4 - DETAILS ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas©