“the black places in the hearts of men”
Monday, 8 December 2008 Clay Burell 
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[Update: Oh my goodness. Seems the student writing below is, shall we say, not entirely original. I'm still thankful for the gesture, oddly.]
Call me slow. I’m spring cleaning in December. Old papers may as well follow old leaves.
And I come across this, which a 15-year-old student, who never said much of anything (in a “still waters running deep” way) during his year in my Asian history class in Shanghai, gave me at mid-year.
Why he decided to re-write me as a character who’d been a poor villager in Nazi-occupied WW II, I’ll never know.
Before tossing the paper, I had to scan it. Call this post part of an “open file cabinet.”
My question: Why can’t I show this to prospective employers as a recommendation letter? And my caveat: I can only hope he was serious. It’s hard to tell. And my mis-giving: how much “light-reflecting into dark places” can you do in school – especially if you shine that light in places too close to home?
"This is the meaning of my life."
Life is interesting.
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No. 1 — December 8th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Fantastic post!
But then, it reminded me of an analogy from the Writings of my Faith:
“the Essence of Divinity, the Sun of Truth, shines forth upon all horizons and is spreading its rays upon all things. Each creature is the recipient of some portion of that power, and man, who contains the perfection of the mineral, the vegetable and animal, as well as his own distinctive qualities, has become the noblest of created beings. It stands written that he is made in the Image of God. Mysteries that were hidden he discovers; and secrets that were concealed he brings into the light. By Science and by Art he brings hidden powers into the region of the visible world. Man perceives the hidden law in created things and co-operates with it.”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 23)
Alexander M Zoltais last blog post..Who Is Writing The Future ? – Part Three
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Clay Burell Reply:
December 9th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Alexander, is that a Baha’i passage? Nice.
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Alexander M Zoltai Reply:
December 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
It is in fact from the Bahá’í Writings.
Alexander M Zoltais last blog post..Who Is Writing The Future ? – Part Four
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No. 2 — December 8th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Hate to be the one to inform you about this, but, that story about the mirror is apparently by Alexander Papaderos. It rang a bell for me so I googled the phrase “the fact that I could reflect light” and got 273 results. Robert Fulghum credits Papaderos in his telling of it.
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Clay Burell Reply:
December 8th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Ha! Don, that’s hilarious. The quality of the writing made me suspicious.
So why did the kid slap my name on it and give it to me?
That’s a mystery deep in the 15-year-old mind, I guess.
Luckily, it wasn’t an assignment, so no need to scream plagiarism. Or is there?
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No. 3 — December 8th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
If it was me I would take it as a compliment and leave it at that.
Don Bergs last blog post..Illusion Series: Illusions About Our Global Society
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