Oh, what low joke was Fortuna playing on him now? Arrest, accident, job! Where would this dreadful cycle ever end? – John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969) was an American writer and professor. A troubled man, O’Toole took his own life and A Confederacy of Dunces, rejected by publishers during his lifetime, was not published until 1981. This was largely due to the efforts of his mother and the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction that year. The main character, rather memorable, is Ignatius J Reilly who actually endured an arrest, an accident and, frightfully enough, employment. We recall the book being very funny.
Where would this dreadful cycle ever end?
Fortuna is always throwing obstacles in our path. If not arrest, accident and job it could be a car repair, family problems or a job loss. The list is endless because everyday Fortuna tosses any number of obstacles on our path and sometimes it seems there might be no way around them.
Nothing is further from the truth, however, because neither the splendid nor the tragic last forever. Sometimes pulling ourselves out of the abyss requires action on our part or sometimes not, because muddy waters clear if left undisturbed. The experience and wisdom the years provide will generally provide guidance but if not, we have found it is best to let matters lie. You can always do something, but you cannot undo what’s been done.
Fortuna – a Roman goddess that dates to well before Christ – is very busy, putting a variety of circumstances, both good and bad, in our path. Those that get on in this world put both the good and bad circumstances to work for them. The good they put to their advantage and the bad they either endure or, as likely as not, turn it over and make something good out of them because it is rare the circumstance that cannot be turned over.
The Thought for the Day runs regularly. Gaylon began stockpiling quotes in 1988.
