G. Steve Journal

A Hunger In Himself

Today's NY TIMES book review about the accomplished biographer Robert Caro quotes Philip Larkin to describes Caro's fierce tenacity to discover the full measure of each of his subjects:

Larkin observed that “someone will forever be surprising / A hunger in himself to be more serious.”

No doubt that sentiment is true for many artists who are compelled to pursue their craft even though they may not be able to describe why, exactly, they are so driven.

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Homecoming

A decade ago radio host Krista Tippett spoke with the late John O'Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher, about beauty:

Beauty isn’t all about just nice loveliness... Beauty is about more rounded, substantial becoming.

I think beauty, in that sense, is about an emerging fullness, a greater sense of grace and elegance, a deeper sense of depth, and also a kind of homecoming for the enriched memory of your unfolding life.

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