Weekly Quote: Neil Peart on Seeking our Better Natures

This week’s quote comes from Neil Peart, the late legendary drummer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band Rush and a prolific author of many books.

We all experience our own darkness, the coming night that Peart references. Depending on the situation, it can be minor, or it might overwhelm us, shut us down for a while, or utterly destroy us. The next line in the song, not included in this quote, no one gets to their heaven without a fight, will mean different things to different people. I hear it as pushing through whatever resistance we face, with our highest ideals at the vanguard, towards the most important aspects of our lives. That may be family, children, friendship, or a professional calling, whatever is most important to us.

When we are at our best, we try to be even better. We extend more love, seek more connection, and present more kindness. Seeking elevation means pushing ourselves to become better.

Sometimes, little reminders are all we need. This lyric pops into my head sometimes, and it’s helpful to remind me that I can fortify myself against the darkest night, and the best way for me to do that is to hold the most important aspects of life close and see them for what they are, my everything.

*Photo Credit: Weatherman90 at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 ,via Wikimedia Commons