Rory Chambers

11:15pm: 003.
Thank you to Neville for a wonderful Beltane celebration at the beginning of the month! I had a brilliant time, and though it wasn't as rowdy as the other celebrations I've been to, it was a lot of fun, and I appreciate all the hard work he put into it!

The end of year is bringing about more pleasant weather. On one hand, it's great. I love summer, especially the warmer weather! However, it makes studying much harder at a time when I need to concentrate. I wish the two didn't coincide. Alas!

8:32pm: 002.
Recently, Sebastian challenged me to read poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley, who is his favourite poet. I came across one that has particularly bothered me, called "One Word is Too Often Profaned." This is how it goes:

One word is too often profaned
For me to profane it,
One feeling too falsely disdained
For thee to disdain it;
One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smother,
And pity from thee more dear
Than that from another.

I can give not what men call love,
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And the Heavens reject not, --
The desire of the moth for the star,
Of the night for the morrow,
The devotion to something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow?


With all due respect to Mr. Shelley, I don't think the word love has been profaned. I mean, sure, there are some people who misuse it, and mistake love for other emotions (infatuation or lust, for example). However, I refuse to see love as hopeless or pitiful. Rather, I think it's a very uplifting emotion.

How jaded Mr. Shelley must have been! And I do wonder if the object of his affection bought that he could worship, desire, and commit to her totally without loving her. While worship, desire, and commitment are certainly important parts of love, they are not in themselves the sum of the total. What about sacrifice? What about feeling as if his soul is alive when in her presence? I suppose that might be considered somewhat like worship, but it's not the same. I could keep going, but I'm sure my point is made. This poem makes me feel very sorry for Mr. Shelley.

1:37pm: 001.
In case you're unaware, March is Optimism Month. I didn't know until I saw it on my calendar as I was getting ready to turn the page to April. Okay, it's a couple of days early, but I wanted to see the April picture because I was curious! It's a Kestrels calendar, and the April picture has been focused on one of the beaters batting away a bludger. The man is purposefully not looking at the camera, and he won't turn around, so I can't tell who it is. I was pleased to see that the April picture is more exciting, because it's a wide shot of a game against the Bats.

Anyway, more on optimism. The word is from the Latin word optimum, which means best. As you may know, most of the Latin-rooted words in the English language actually come to us through French because of the Norman Invasion. So, more accurately, the word optimism derives from the French word optimisme. Today, optimism is defined as "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome."

Studies have found that optimism can improve health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

There's no sure reason why optimistic people have better health outcomes, but there are a couple of hypotheses. One is that having a positive outlook enables a person to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on the body. The second is that optimistic people live healthier lifestyles anyway, getting more physical activity, following a healthier diet, and smoking and drinking less.

So, I think I'm going to celebrate the rest of Optimism Month by trying to be more optimistic. It's for my health!

5:28pm: 000. Application
( Rory Chambers )