The man in the Arena...INVICTUS..I am the master of my fate: The Captain of my soul.

I saw Invictus yesterday, really inspirational.....Nelson Mandela..WOW what a man...I looked up the poem..."Invictus" is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley which was with Mandela, The title comes from the fact that Mandela had the poem written on a scrap of paper on his prison cell while he was incarcerated. The movie portrays that he gave the captain of the rugby team this poem:

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.



but in reality it was Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena":

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.


both very powerful ......As we stand and struggle I would rather be in the Arena and not pointing fingers

I'm still looking for the good people but last night I was robbed, Christmas Presents and other things (North York)

This goes out to the person/people who broke into my garage last night and stole my baby daughter's Christmas presents, Christmas cards/cash, my small business cash float, Gps unit, school bag and even my cologne. What goes around comes around, I learned my lesson not to leave my things in my locked car in my locked Garage. I understands times are tough but we are lucky to live in the greatest country in the world, We have many programs, where else can we lose our jobs and get a paycheque(UI), even if times are even rougher we have welfare, Osap, etc. Oh well, time to rebuild, I'm sad and upset but I try to look at all the things we are fortunate to have, hey I have a car and a house. If you find it in the goodness of your heart, please break back in, return the stuff and lockup on the way out and no questions will be asked, may the Lord forgive those who do not know.