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The Literarian
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Selected Works by James N. Coppock
| Thoughts from the Great Plains |
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| This is me, a teacher, writer, and entrepreneur |
"No woman allows her lover to descend from his
pedestal.
Even
a god is not forgiven the slightest pettiness."
- Honore de Balzac
About the Author . . .
James N Coppock
(1964 - present) was born and raised in western Iowa and received his Associate of Arts Degree from
Kansas City Kansas Community College in 1992. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 2006 from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN and his Master
of Arts in English with an Advanced Writing Certificate
at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. in 2009. James currently resides in the Philippines.
My Purpose for Writing
For thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of years humans have struggled
to make a mark in their culture, to leave some trace of themselves for generations to come. In nearly all but a few
special instances, our ancestors were born, lived, and died in oblivion, handing down little except their DNA and perhaps
some remnants of behavioral characteristics passed on through nurturing. Even today's generations - at the
dawn of the 21st century with all their electronic communications and databases - go largely unrecorded as hundreds of millions
of souls are born and eventually die in relative obscurity even as we hurtle head-long into the bold, new Information
Age.
Thus, here lies my own meager attempt to leave a legacy for the
world and for my son, for all the generations that may follow me, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beyond whom I will
never know. Humble though the attempt be, I proudly publish my work here in the hope that some part of me, some part of my essence will survive, providing a measure of wisdom, knowledge,
and insight as I have it in me to give.
Perhaps one of the most difficult things I have done is to attempt to reinvent
myself. Over the course of years, I have experienced ups and downs, some of them my own creation and a few which never
allowed me a choice. I have discovered that events in my childhood have impacted my behaviors even unto this day.
I cannot, however, blame upbringing on the choices I make as an adult, and my ability to go beyond experience by contemplating
my choices is critical to my success if I am to truly make the changes necessary to live a fulfilling life.
Thus, recognizing this is the first step in the growth and resphaping process, one which
involves often agonizing introspection and conscious determination to act differently. In this endeavor, I find that
the material things in my life are easiest to change. Pursuit of education, for instance, has been something that I
fell away from many years ago, yet I have persevered not only in forging ahead to craft my own future and the direction of
my career, but also in forming habits that will be with me for the remainder of my life.
Harder still are making changes at the interpersonal level. Profound change that reaps
good is difficult, and the losses I experience along the way of this continued, lifelong transformation are sometimes devastating.
I am reminded, though, of an axiom which becomes increasingly meaningful as the day, weeks, and years pass: It's not what
happens to us; it's how we react to it. Indeed, I can only take comfort in personal loss if I am able to integrate
what I have learned into my daily life, to become more introspective, more action-oriented, and more empathic toward others
around me. It is a daily process whereby I take two steps forward, one step back.
At the same time, though, I see that many of the things for which I grasp are ephemeral, transitory,
and ultimately unfulfilling in and of themselves. What I have come to know as Platonic values - love, beauty, justice
- are too subjective to be real. Reality and the nature of such is formed completely by my state of mind, what I think
and what I feel. I have come to discover very recently, as well, that things only have a value if I place value on them.
Thus, emotions can be deceiving, particularly when I choose to value them in greater proportion than they need be. For
me, finding balance - reinventing who I am - must by necessity involve reevaluating the things I desire and weighing that
value in proportion to how much happiness it will bring me. What doesn't meet this new standard I am learning to hold,
then, I must discard and create anew.
In the symbolic changes I have integrated into my website, I hope to reflect some of the internal
changes I am making each day of my life. I become accountable not only to the world around me, but more importantly,
to me. I strive to forgive all who wrong me, and I ask the forgiveness of those whom I have harmed, both willfully and
unintentionally. I work everyday to be a better man, wiser, and more sensitive of others' thoughts, needs, and
feelings.
Only in recognizing and accepting my frail humanity can I recognize, accept, and come to cherish
the broken nature of others. My advice for others: Love yourself as I have come to unconditionally love me - faults
and all. Until any of us are willing to accept ourselves unconditionally, inner contentment can never truly be known.
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My Dream
I awoke early one July morning 2006 with the remnants of a dream suspended in
my mind like the aroma of a good coffee or cocoa one has not tasted in quite awhile. The details fade quickly, yet I
recall lying upon a bed, my death bed perhaps, and being asked a final question by a vaguely familiar yet unplaceable figure.
He was significant to me in some form or fashion, though what that form was I cannot say. He inquired, staring
into my eyes, "What would you have us do?"
Weakly, my voice fading almost as fast as the memory of my dream just as
my body seemed to awaken, I looked up at the figure and, smiling, said "Pursue your bliss..." then added after a pause, "...and
do no harm."
There was a significance in the dream on which I can neither wholly
extrapolate nor fully quantify, yet it seems to me that these two phrases - pursue your bliss and harm no one - encapsulate
the entire reason for the meaning of our lives, the guiding principles, if you will, which draw me closer and closer to my
humanity and the humanity within us all.
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"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed
by
a whiff of
science or a dose of common sense."
- Chapman Cohen
| Courtesy of vintage-views.com |
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| Satan upon his throne in Pandaemonium |
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He said, "Why
should I tarry?"
And smiled with tranquil eye;
"In destinies sad or merry,
True men can but try."
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
(Lines 562-565)
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