Another Quote of the Day...
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-- James A. Baldwin
Gremlins et al
posted by glad at 3:24 PM
Thursday, April 14, 2005
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1 Comments:
Thanks for sharing a quote, Gladys. When I read it, I recognized its creator, James Baldwin. I knew he was a black writer and heard about some of his books. I imagine he was talking about courage when he wrote it. I tried to think about a time when I had such courage. At least for the moment, I couldn’t think of the most courageous thing I’ve ever done. In retrospect, most of the changes in my life seem to happen so naturally, including finishing college and even “coming out.” But even so, I can relate to Baldwin’s quote in moments that seem so simple in life – like being honest with a co-worker or friend. Do you remember a courageous moment in your life?
For anyone interested, I did a little research. James Baldwin was born in Harlem in 1924 and grew up in poverty. As a child, he cast about for a way to escape his circumstances. "I knew I was black, of course, but I also knew I was smart. I didn't know how I would use my mind, or even if I could, but that was the only thing I had to use," he said. By the time he was fourteen, Baldwin was spending much of his time in libraries and had found his passion for writing. During this early part of his life, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a preacher. Of those teen years, Baldwin recalled, "Those three years in the pulpit -- I didn't realize it then -- that is what turned me into a writer, really, dealing with all that anguish and that despair and that beauty." In 1948, Baldwin left for Paris, where he would find enough distance from the American society he grew up in to write about it. Being abroad gave Baldwin a perspective on his life and a solitary freedom to pursue his craft. "Once you find yourself in another civilization," he notes, "you're forced to examine your own." In a sense, Baldwin's travels brought him even closer to the social concerns of contemporary America. He became an early voice in the civil rights movement. His major works include “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son,” “Giovanni’s Room,” and “Nobody Knows My Name.” Although he spent a great deal of his life abroad, James Baldwin always remained a quintessential American writer.
5:52 PM
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