If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches. Rainer Maria Rilke
If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living. - Seneca
If I am through learning, I am through. - John Wooden
Good Morning Digital Neighbors! The poverty of my life, of my thoughts, of my experience is caused by that sap looking back at me in the mirror this morning. Until I accept the truth of that, unless I am an actual slave imprisoned by someone, I doubt I will ever escape the poverty of thought and feeling that is mine. Nature, music, poetry and the other arts can awaken the poet lurking in our hidden self. He or she does not need to write cringe worthy poetry or songs we would rather not hear (think of the guitar scene from Animal House - posted below). Appreciate beauty, let that awakening heal so much of the ugliness of life and what you believe is the poverty of your life. The awakening is not to make us naïve and ...
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
