'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know'

Keats wrote those immortal words over 190 years ago, before he died at the tender age of 26. How did he know this as such a young man?

I was thinking about that this week as I was breaking my resolutions of last week. If one had only one sentence--one phrase--to leave to his kids, what would it be?

Might it be the Golden Rule? Perhaps Polonius’ words to Laeretes; “This above all ,to thine own self be true.”

In fact, Shakespeare could no doubt provide one with scores of lines that would stand one’s kids in good stead.

The Bible, of course, from the 10 Commandments to the Lord’s prayer, probably has more meaningful sayings between two covers than any book ever written. But the Bhagavad-Gita and the Koran are not exactly chopped liver--and Confucius is no slouch, himself.

The Federalist Papers may contain the noblest sentiments ever written regarding the Rights of Man . From the signers of the Declaration, to Lincoln, to Humorists like Mark Twain and Will Rogers, America has produced phrase makers who can give Aristotle, Plato and Socrates a run for their drachmas.

(When the Goobs was pregnant, on the popular theory that a fetus can hear, I used to whisper two things into her swollen belly, each night. One, “Remember, we always sleep through the night” and two; this line from Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”—‘Beauty is Turth, Turth beauty,--that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.’ I’m not sure that either one took—but one can’t fault a guy for trying.

So, why does this simple sentence from a post-pubescent English Romantic poet stand out so much for us?
Probably, because of the time we lived in when we first heard it. It was the early 60’s, right here in the Stone Building down at St. Helena High. There must have been method in Sophmore English teacher, Mr. Ainsle’s madness. The phrase was continually thrown back at me throughout the decade, like a tear gas canister during my years at Cal—back when our school cheer had changed from “Roll on you Bears” to “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust/ We hate to close it down, but we must we must!”

What does it mean? Just what it says. That the truth is beautiful--and that that which is beautiful is true. Simple enough. So what’s the big deal?

It’s just that I miss that authenticity in kids (to say nothing of politicians and some businessmen) today. Now I know throughout history, each generation has thought that the following generation has had worse manners than they did. I accept that I will never like the clothes, music, or hair styles that will appeal to my kids, anymore then my folks liked the way I dressed, danced or cut my hair.

That’s small stuff. Back in the day, “Phony” was an important word. We were raised on Holden Caufield , Huck Finn, A Thousand Clowns, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Folk music from Pete Seger to Peter, Paul and Mary, to Dylan attempted to articulate the slide into mediocrity, conformity and mendacity.
(Speaking of “mendacity” my second favorite Christmas present a few years back, was the video of Tennessee Williams’ Cat On a Hot Tin Roof . Remember Burl Ives as “Big Daddy” and how he was crazed over the mendaciousness of those “no necked monster” grandchildren of his? Of course, it was the same with King Lear. He was driven mad by the mendacity of Goneral and Regan--and unable to cope with honesty of Cordillia, the only daughter that truly loved him.

When we grew up, anyone over 30 was not be be trusted. To be a “Hypocrite” was the greatest sin of our youth. Sometimes it seems that we’ve lost that to the concept that “Greed is good”—or to that ever present standby “situational ethics.”

I don’t know if it’s a gene we have or what. But somehow, on some level, mankind instinctively strives for beauty--strives for truth and yearns for what is “real.” Or if we don’t, we definitely know that our lives become desserts when we chase the opposite--when we embrace falsehoods--when we live lies.
The lies are tempting--money, status, power, material objects, greed, control, security, fame--the list goes on. It’s all the usual subjects. You know them better than I. But they are fleeting. Phony. False. Temporal.
That which is “true”, endures. Indeed, “A thing of beauty lasts forever.”

So in this new year, as we begin breaking our vows to lose more weight, eat fewer sweets, drink less beer, wouldn’t it be something if we told fewer lies, were more authentic, strove to be more sincere--less phony? Or is such a resolution the height of hypocrisy?

As a father, I know that it is also true, that if it comes from me, chances are my kids won’t embrace it. This is right and just. Which is why, if you ever visit our house, you’ll see copies of Keats strewn around the place, with pages accidentally dog eared to certain pages.

It takes a phony like me to pass the truth on to those who know that no one knows less about the world than Dad!

Like Mark Twain said, “At 16 I thought my father was ignorant. By the time I was 20, I was surprised by how much he’d learned.” Happy New Year—especially to all you stupid and phony dads, like me.