Last month, The New York Times Book Review had an essay that I underlined and saved. Written by Christian Wiman, the essay was titled, "Richard Wilbur: 'Called to Praise'," and it raised some interesting thoughts about with what we choose to fill our mind.
Wilbur, a poet and a poet laureate, died at 96 years of age last October. Wiman wrote that Wilbur continually attended to "the blind delight of being" and that he did so with great intention. Wiman quotes a poem of Wilbur's: "Try to remember this: what you project / Is what you will perceive; what you perceive / With any passion, be it love or terror, / May take on whims and powers of its own."
Wiman suggests two questions raised by Wilbur's work: "How much does the imagination have to do with one's experience? And how much does one's will have to do with one's imagination." Interesting and worthwhile questions to think about.