Prelude to Act III of Shaw's Man and Superman (below) If my finger is the organ by which I grasp the sword and the mandoline, my brain is the organ by which Nature strives to understand itself. My dog's brain serves only my dog's purposes; but my own brain labors at a knowledge which does nothing for me personally but make my body bitter to me and my decay and death a calamity. Were I not possessed with a purpose beyond my own I had better be a ploughman than a philosopher; for the ploughman lives as long as the philosopher, eats more, sleeps better, and rejoices in the wife of his bosom with less misgiving. This is because the philosopher is in the grip of the Life Force. This Life Force says to him "I have done a thousand wonderful things unconsciously by merely willing to live and following the line of least resistance: now I want to know myself and my destination, and choose my path; so I have made a special brain - a philosopher's brain - to grasp this knowledge for me as the husbandman's hand grasps the plough for me. And "This", says the Life Force to the philosopher, "must thou strive to do for me until thou diest, when I will make another brain and another philosopher to carry on the work." Anyone interested in reading the entire 3rd act can CLICK HERE Gift #2 for BigEye's readers The below video tells the story of Elbert Hubbard, a man who, more than one hundred years ago, is timelessly modern and a hero to this website's creator. I hope that you enjoy and appreciate this wonderful and very American story. Anyone desirous of finding more information about Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters should read the book, Art and Glory by Freeman Champney. I had the huge pleasure of spending an afternoon in Sarasota with Mr. Champney who, while living in East Aurora next door to the Elbert Hubbard's son, gathered in depth information that resulted in his captivating book.