A Soulful Journey

Christopher Morley writes of a man relaxed in a barber’s chair, his face lathered, enjoying the attentions.  Suddenly, a boy comes to the door of the barber shop shouting, “Mr. Schultz!  Mr. Schultz! Your house is on fire!” The customer jumps up from the chair, tears the apron off and runs down the street, lathered face and all.  He goes a full block before he stops and says, “What am the deuce am I doing?  My name isn’t Schultz!” Morley says it reminds him of how often he’s spent time and energy running to someone else’s fires.

The Call of the Wild author, Jack London, voiced his yearning for authentic life over mere living with words that clearly distinguished these two choices: "I would rather be ashes than dust.  I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot.  In would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in a magnificent glow than a sleepy and permanent planet.  A proper function of a [person] is to live, not to exist.  I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them; I shall use my time." Take charge of you.