Friday, August 20, 2010

What kind of person do we want to attract to the AMP? part 4 The King of Elfland's Daughter,by Lord Dunsany

From:The King of Elfland's Daughter,by Lord Dunsany;...And away rode Alveric out of the village of Erl with his company of adventurers behind him;a moonstruck man,a madman,a lovestruck lad,a shepherd,and a poet. And Alveric made Vand,the young shepherd,the master of his encampment,for he deemed him to be the sanest amongst his following,but there were disputes at once as they rode,before they came to make any encampment;and Alveric,hearing or feeling the discontent of his men,learned that on such a quest as his it was not the sanest but the maddest that should be given authority.So he named Niv,the witless lad,the master of his encampment;and Niv served him well,till a day that was far thence,and the moonstruck man stuck by Niv,and all were content to the bidding of Niv,and all honoured Alveric's quest.And many men in numerous lands do saner things with less harmony.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Why an aristocracy ? part 2 Revisiting Narnia

Again from "Revisiting Narnia" "Lewis's decried certain trends in the educational system of his day for teaching that emotional responses to imaginative texts and beauty in poetry and nature were purely subjective and revealed no truth. It is in making the imaginative knowing of myth,fairy tale and heart's desire out to be mere dream and play.If our dreams and play are mere fun and fancy,then our deepest wishes and desires for life can just as easily be reduced to nothing,to an allusion or projections of our own psyches.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Why an aristocracy ?

From "Revisiting Narnia:Fantasy,Myth and Religion in C.S.Lewis's Chronicles"How can you tell a copy from an original? Lewis's answer of all fairy tales:look to the desires of the heart.Nature abhors a vacuum;it would never evolve in us a desire that could not be fulfilled.Hunger is not proof that a man will eat,but it is proof that food exists somewhere in the world. If there was no food,people would not need it to survive.In the deepest desire of our hearts,we long for our lives to matter,for beauty,for love and life to have purpose and meaning.We long for life to be like magical fantasy and our most favorite movies.We desire these things because the desire can be fulfilled.Why do we long for fairy- tale lives where we are Princes and Princess of the realm?Lewis would say it is because we are already children of the King."

Monday, August 9, 2010

What kind of person do we want to attract to the AMP? part 3" Dare and to Conquer:

Again,from the "Dare and to Conquer: David Sterling (founder: SAS)..."engage in the never ending pursuit of excellence,maintain the highest standards of self-discipline in all aspects of daily life;tolerate no sense of class,all ranks to possess humility and humour.They compose an enduring personal code as well as core instructions for any demanding venture."

Sunday, August 8, 2010

What kind of person do we want attract to AMP? part 2

We want our members to have a "heightened sensitivity to the promises of life,as if he were related to one of machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away",an "extraordinary gift for hope" a "romantic readiness" all quotes from A Great Gatsby,F. Scott Fitzgerald

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What kind of person do we want to attract to the AMP? To Dare and to Conquer:Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations,from Achilles to Al Qaeda By Derek Leebaert "

From To Dare and to Conquer:Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations,from Achilles to Al Qaeda By Derek Leebaert "The qualities of self-command-discipline,from within-a sense of proportion,respect for the rest of the world,even when one seeks to do it harm-are to be found among all superior fighting men,just as they are among good people in general,perhaps in the demanding professions."