Man, if he compare himself with all that he can see, is at the zenith of power; but if he compare himself with all that he can conceive, he is at the nadir of weakness.

–Charles Caleb Colton, Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan, 1823

I came across aphorism above from Chares Caleb Colton and it got me thinking. Not that it is pertinent to my thoughts here, but Colton (17801832) was one of those interesting British eccentrics of the 19th century. He was a cleric, a writer, an art gallerist, a high-stakes gambler, and a wine collector.

His words at the top made me think about how we perceive our own strengths and weaknesses. How much power do we really have? Is our strength as mighty as we sometimes perceive it, especially when we often only see as far as the wall of the bubble in which we exist?

Probably not.

If we extend our realm beyond our bubble of familiarity, we often discover our true significance. Or should I say, insignificance.

I guess it’s just another way of putting the big fish in a little pond versus a small fish in a big pond thing. Except I believe we need to have the experience of both. We need to feel strong and powerful in some way just to know that we are necessary. But at the same time, we need to recognize our limitations and smallness in the greater scheme of things.

It’s that balancing of these two worlds, our little and Big Ponds, that we really need. We need to feel big and small at once. Proud and humble in equal amounts.

Whoa, Nellie! Have to pull on the reins and bring this old horse to a stop. I started this without any real thought as to where it was going and now I am afraid my original riff is at peril of running wild.

I want to get off right here before I get too far from where I’d hoped I’d end up which was in pointing out that our power and weakness is at the mercy of the amount of Love we produce, give, and receive in our worlds, be they little or big ponds. Love is the zenith of all power.

I guess I should have just written that.

Oh, well. That’s what you get when you read someone else’s journals– ramblings, half-baked thoughts and half-witticisms.

Let’s end today with a favorite song, Love Reign O’er Me, from Quadrophenia from The Who. I thought I had played this video here before but I guess I was mistaken. It is a rendition from tenor Alfie Boe with Royal Philharmonica Orchestra and the London Oriana Choir. Pretty powerful stuff. Zenith-level.