PEGGY NOONAN DOES NOT SO MUCH WRITE A COLUMN ABOUT ASHLEY SMITH as step gracefully aside and let Ashley Smith tell it in her own words. I'm not going to say any more than simply send you to "The amazing story of how Ashley Smith stopped Brian Nichols's killing spree", and let you read what happened in Atlanta earlier this week. Read it carefully and thoughtfully. You say you don't believe in miracles? You will.
Posted by Vanderleun at March 17, 2005 06:45 AM | TrackBackwow. just, wow.
Posted by: growler at March 17, 2005 08:19 AMIt wasn't until a second reading that I got past the riveting narrative and began to appreciatte how much presence of mind and perceptive influence Ashley Smith mustered to bring the situation to its astonishing conclusion. I would no more want to attempt success in parallel circumstances than I would want an orchestra conductor to hand me his baton.
What growler said. That was fascinating, and inspiring. My wife happens to be reading "The Purpose-Driven Life" right now, and says it has already changed her life in a positive direction. I'll be reading it when she's done.
One wonders how many people who take pills everyday in order to manage their moods might do just as well (or better) by reading a book explaining to them that there just might be a larger purpose to our time here. Or, more to the point, that our thinking that we have a larger purpose can change lives in concrete ways. The power of attitude is immeasurable.
Posted by: Jeff Brokaw at March 18, 2005 10:07 AMThe power of attitude may be immeasurable but don't assume that reading a book will correct a neurotransmitter imbalance. Nor that everyone who suffers an illness, and chooses to treat it, reveals their spiritual poverty thereby.
Posted by: jaed at March 19, 2005 07:12 PMjaed -
Agreed. Hence my choice to use the words "one wonders how many people ...", instead of whatever words you thought I used. :-)
Posted by: Jeff Brokaw at March 20, 2005 04:11 PM