i finished it

here are the last three quotes i collected from snow falling on cedars...

"And here he sits awaiting your verdict, in the hope that although fate has acted against him, human beings will be reasonable. There are things in this universe that we cannot control, and then there are the things we can. Your task as you deliberate together on these proceedings is to ensure that you do nothing to yield to a universe in which things to awry by happenstance. Let fact, coincidence, and accident conspire; human beings must act on reason."

"I say this because as an older man I am prone to ponder matters in the light of death in a way that you are not. I am like a traveler descended from Mars who looks down in astonishment at what passes here. And what I see is the same human frailty passed from generation to generation. What I see is again and again the same sad human frailty. We hate one another; we are the victims of irrational fears. And there is nothing in the stream of human history to suggest we are going to change this. But--I digress, I confess that. I merely wish to point out that in the face of such a world you have only yourselves to rely on."

"No one trod easily upon the emotions of another where the sea licked everywhere against an endless shoreline. And this was excellent and poor at the same time--excellent because it meant most people took care, poor because it meant an inbreeding of the spirit, too much held in, regret and silent brooding, a world whose inhabitants walked in trepidation, in fear of opening up. Considered and considerate, formal at every turn, they were shut out and shut off from the deep interplay of their minds. They could not speak freely because they were cornered; Everywhere they turned there was water and more water, a limitless expanse of it in which to drown. They held their breath and walked with care, and this made them who they were inside, constricted and small, good neighbors.

Arthur confessed to not liking them and at the same time loving them deeply. Was such a thing even possible?"

some of these remind me of the book i started reading last night written by the dalai lama. this last quote, with its reference to good neighbors, reminds me of the frost poem i posted awhile back about good fences making good neighbors. and i really like the reference to an inbreeding of spirit...that just caught me immediately.

hopefully i didn't give too much of it away....
peace