Past Present - a Thirst for Knowledge

NCIS: New Orleans started the show last night with "tell me who you love and I'll tell you who you are", saying it was an old creole proverb (being discussed by two white guys in Mobile, but that's neither here nor there).  But now, for the rest of the story...


Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was a Spanish novelist and playwright, most famous for "Don Quixote", considered to be the first European novel - and he is attributed with the quote "Tell me thy company, and I'll tell thee what thou art."  There was heavy Spanish influence in the beginnings of settling south Louisiana.


Arséne Houssaye (French novelist and poet, who recently came back to the forefront when two years ago, Harvard discovered that one of his original manuscripts from the mid-1880s was bound in human flesh) is likely the closest antecedent that influenced the "creole" quote used last night, given the French connection with Creole culture and the Louisiana Purchase history.  "Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you what you are."


A short time later, Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born in 1900 (French aviator and most famous for the children's book, "Le Petit Prince") wrote "Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are."  He died in a plane crash while collecting information on German troop movements in the Rhone Valley on July 31, 1944.


These two French authors blend together to give the quote used last night.  Over time, stories change. But stories shape who we are and how we react to a crisis or disaster.  In New Orleans and all of the Gulf Coast, everyone here has a story from "that day".  Always remember that someone's story shapes their response to events.


Your story shapes you, and persuades others.  When at work or play, remember a story can change lives.  This storybook would have helped significantly here after Katrina - but it can help millions moving forward.  Here, it's the book that shapes someone's story... the important thing is to share.  While a picture may be worth a thousand words, but how about pages of a book that can filter water in order to make it safe to drink?  Share the word!

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