The austerity of height

“The austerity of height shamed back the vulgar baggage of our cares. In the place of consequence it set freedom, power to be alone, to slip the escort of our manufactured selves; a rest and forgetfulness of the chains of being.”

-T.E. Lawrence

Waterfall by Hokusai

by vthunderlad on January 19, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in Realms of Araby

Posted by vthunderlad on January 19, 2008

https://losthunderlads.com/2008/01/19/the-austerity-of-height/

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3 Comments

  1. acilius's avatar

    acilius

     /  January 24, 2008

    I read someplace that T E Lawrence invented roadside bombs and introduced them to Iraq during the Arab Revolt. I’ve now come to be acquainted with several Americans and two Iraqis who have seen roadside bombs in action in that country, so my only wish is that Aircraftman Shaw had been a little shorter.

  2. vthunderlad's avatar

    vthunderlad

     /  January 28, 2008

    Something negative to say about T E Lawrence? Such a surprise!

    I think ol’ Aurens would put some new wax on the gramophone – “Don’t lay your funky trip on me” for example – and laugh.

    Not that I’ll defend the guy. I just like his slash history (non-fiction/fiction).

    Wagner was pretty unpleasant yet “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” makes me well up with emotion. But then, I’m Hitler…

  3. vthunderlad's avatar

    vthunderlad

     /  January 28, 2008

    On a similar topic, I work with a young guy who was in Iraq. He was 5 minutes away from eating in the exact spot in this mess hall that blew up.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6782944/

    One can wish no one had invented motivated Saudi medical students, I suppose.