At Men’s Cafe we have been visiting the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society. In the film we were challenged by this quote.

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer. That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

Over the next few blog post we have guest bloggers who will contribute their verse.

We thank them.

“I stand here before you
Vulnerable and uncertain
But I am stronger because I tried instead of doing nothing.” 
– Mark Montague

At Men’s Cafe we have been visiting the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society. In the film we were challenged by this quote.

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer. That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

Over the next few blog post we have guest bloggers who will contribute their verse.

We thank them.

Winds of Change

Change can be feared
Like a locomotive,
Belching steam as it bears down upon one,
Giant pizza cutter wheels ringing on the rails.
But, with a conscious choice,
Change can be something to move toward,
Like running headlong toward a precipice
Knowing,
Certain in fact,
that one will not be cast and broken among the rocks below,
but instead will soar on the winds that brought it.
~D. Sewell

  The River

The river is rolling,
and it also runs still.
We try controlling,
and breaking its will.

Yet out in the wild
‘tween the dams and lakes,
It does what it wants,
It gives and it takes.
~D. Sewell

MEN’S CAFE
BY S.P. Lummer

A CAFÉ’ OF MEN GATHER HERE TO TALK, TO LAUGH, TO PRAY.
WE’RE DRAWN EACH WEEK BY SOME STRANGE THING ….MAYBE THE CRAZY THINGS WE SAY.

WE SET A TONE TO NOT BE ALONE.
WE SHAPE A VOICE, WE CRAFT A CREW
NOT TO SEE THROUGH YOU…
BUT TO SEE YOU THROUGH.

A TRIBE CALLED TRUST, A PRIMAL “YAWP” CAN SEEM SOMEWHAT HARRY.
A TIME TO LIFT, A PAUSE TO DREAM AND FRIENDS TO HELP US CARRY.

WE’VE FOUND OUR VOICE WE SPEAK OUR MINDS IN MANY COLORFUL WAYS.
WE’RE DRAWN EACH WEEK TO THIS PLACE – TO TALK, TO LAUGH TO PRAY.

AN ODD STRANGE CREW DOES GATHER HERE
BUT THAT’S WHY WE LOVE THE SPACE WE CALL MEN’S CAFÉ.

For the next two gatherings at Men’s Cafe’, we will be viewing the classic 1989 film Dead Poets Society.

We will be meeting at the PEAKS in down town Prescott. at 8:00 A.M.

202 W Gurley St, Prescott, AZ 86301

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the film that we will be looking into.

“TO QUOTE FROM WHITMAN, ‘O ME! O LIFE!… OF THE QUESTIONS OF THESE RECURRING; OF THE ENDLESS TRAINS OF THE FAITHLESS… OF CITIES FILLED WITH THE FOOLISH; WHAT GOOD AMID THESE, O ME, O LIFE?’ ANSWER. THAT YOU ARE HERE — THAT LIFE EXISTS, AND IDENTITY; THAT THE POWERFUL PLAY GOES ON AND YOU MAY CONTRIBUTE A VERSE. THAT THE POWERFUL PLAY GOES ON AND YOU MAY CONTRIBUTE A VERSE. WHAT WILL YOUR VERSE BE?”

“CARPE, CARPE. CARPE DIEM. SEIZE THE DAY, BOYS. MAKE YOUR LIVES EXTRAORDINARY.”

“NO MATTER WHAT ANYBODY TELLS YOU, WORDS AND IDEAS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.”

“THERE’S A TIME FOR DARING AND THERE’S A TIME FOR CAUTION, AND A WISE MAN UNDERSTANDS WHICH IS CALLED FOR.”

“JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IN ANOTHER WAY. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY SEEM SILLY OR WRONG, YOU MUST TRY.”

“BUT ONLY IN THEIR DREAMS CAN MAN BE TRULY FREE. ‘TWAS ALWAYS THUS, AND ALWAYS THUS WILL BE.”

“WHEN YOU READ, DON’T JUST CONSIDER WHAT THE AUTHOR THINKS, CONSIDER WHAT YOU THINK.”

“BOYS, YOU MUST STRIVE TO FIND YOUR OWN VOICE. BECAUSE THE LONGER YOU WAIT TO BEGIN, THE LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO FIND IT AT ALL. THOREAU SAID, ‘MOST MEN LEAD LIVES OF QUIET DESPERATION.’ DON’T BE RESIGNED TO THAT. BREAK OUT!”

“‘O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN.’ WHO KNOWS WHERE THAT COMES FROM? ANYBODY? NOT A CLUE? IT’S FROM A POEM BY WALT WHITMAN ABOUT MR. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. NOW IN THIS CLASS YOU CAN EITHER CALL ME MR. KEATING, OR IF YOU’RE SLIGHTLY MORE DARING, O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN.”

“SUCKING THE MARROW OUT OF LIFE DOESN’T MEAN CHOKING ON THE BONE.”

When I was second guessing myself as to what we were doing rehashing the 1989 film, I happened across this recent Apple ipad add that stopped my second guessing.

CARPE DIEM.