Humility

From "Thoughts in Solitude"

It is not speaking that breaks our silence, but the anxiety to be heard. The words of the proud man impose silence on all others, so that he alone may be heard. The humble man speaks only in order to be spoken to. The humble man asks nothing but an alms, then waits and listens.

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude: 91, 1958

Gentility is a virtue in conversations, listening a service. There is a common thread among arriving presidents in the United States of an appeal to gentility in the population. President George H. W. Bush appealed to a "kinder and gentler" nation; Pres. Clinton appealed to a new, "third way" in politics; George W. Bush likened to a "compassionate conservatism". Listening serves all of these qualities admirably.

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June 14th is U.S. Flag Day

From an email message:

The flag of the United States has not been created by rhetorical sentences in declarations of independence and in bills of rights. It has been created by the experience of a great people, and nothing is written upon it that has not been written by their life. It is the embodiment, not of a sentiment, but of a history.

Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. President

June 14th is Flag Day in the USA. Many of us fly our flag in support of our nation and the troops that fight to protect us all. The American Flag is the symbol of the “Great Experiment” of democracy, a politics that has evolved to represent the great country we citizens are very proud of. For us it is not just a flag, it is the spirit behind America.

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Corruption

From "The Oxford Book of Aphorisms"

Whatever may be the general endeavor of a community to render its members equal and alike, the personal pride of individuals will always seek to rise above the line, and to form somewhere an inequality to their own advantage.

De Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1835

They say that campaign finance reform can never be totally successful- ways will always be found to 'beat the system' if human will is strong enough. Corruption is that undue influence in policy making that makes the resulting policies unfair. Political reformers must prevent corruption, and also be prepared to take action to eliminate corruption whenever it happens anyway.

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Power

From "oxymoronica"

The greatest power available to man is not to use it.

Meister Eckhart

Paradoxically, those who serve others are the most powerful. They build 'political capital'. Political capital is not power, however. Those that lead from their political capital and not by power earn the greatest will of the people.

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Civil discourse

Tea for two
by David Weller


tea for two
for you and me

rather for a cup
to sup, to gather

whether hot or warm
we charm or not

yes, leaves to please
with ease it relieves

tea in a cup
yes, sup with me


Synonymous with the British Empire is the afternoon tea. The ritual of having tea in Japan has survived many centuries; it is an honored tradition, from the preparation of the drink to drinking mannerisms. It is a ritual of civilized culture, with civil speech in a civil setting.

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Trust

From "The Oxford Book of Aphorisms"

A man usually has no idea what is being said about him. The entire town may be slandering him, but if he has no friends he will never hear of it.

Balzac

The value of a Republican form of government, is that representatives are given a level of trust from their people to make decisions for them. This trust must be maintained through openness with the people on what the representatives are doing. And, the representatives must hear from their people with a high level of transparency. Democracy encourages a pro-active citizenry such that the trust can be maintained.

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Desperation

From "Walden"

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

Henry David Thoreau, 1854

Nothing quiets the soul like classical music; for others, it may be the great outdoors. The day-to-day existence can catch one up and take them. Life runs its own pace; as Ralph Waldo Emerson quipped, "Hitch your wagon to a star." Enjoy life and all its bounty- it's there for the taking.

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Politics and legacy

From "My Heart is a Large Kingdom: Selected Letters of Margaret Fuller"

Be so good as not to speak of my intended work-- it is known only to a few persons. Precarious health, the pressure of many ties make me fearful of promising what I will do.-- I may die soon-- you may never more hear my name. But the earnest aspiration, the sympathy with greatness never dies-- Es lebt im Asche ["It lives in ashes."]--

Margaret Fuller, Letter to Anna Jameson, Dec. 22, 1837

Ms. Fuller wrote this to a pupil when she was only 27 years old. She is today considered to be one of the greatest American women of the 19th Century. She was a feminist, a very learned partner of the Transcendentalist community of letters; she corresponded with Emerson, Goethe and European political leaders. Margaret Fuller cultivated an independent spirit and had high aspirations for like women in a society where women were restricted to few professional enterprises. Fuller indeed lives today, widely read as an example of studied greatness.

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Power

From "oxymoronica"

The liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them.

Lenny Bruce

Paradoxically, revolutionaries that attain power "become a conservative the next day" (Hannah Arendt). True reform comes from the outside. Take, for instance, the Prohibition success: it was a colossal government failure; as H. L. Mencken said, "One [government] composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top, there is no limit to repression." In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams wrote:

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service, when it is violating all His laws.

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The Democratic Government

From "oxymoronica"

If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism;
if our government is to function, it must have dissent.

Henry Steele Commager, Freedom, Loyalty, and Dissent, 1954

The historian knows of this inclination of past successful societies, that change is at the heart of endurance. "Reform, that you may preserve," said Thomas Babington Macaulay. In the heart of the patriot is a place for dissent, for "... in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law" (Martin Luther King).

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Contraries and politics

From "The Oxford Book of Aphorisms"

Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.

Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, 1790-3

Or, Human existence manifests contrariness? It has been experienced time and again the polarization of a population during political contests. I must admit I am puzzled by why and how this happens, except for a desire for a debate over the issues. The prevailing political system directs how many positions will be taken by the people, and how open the debate will be.

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Equality

From "The Oxford Book of Aphorisms"

What makes equality such a difficult business is that we only want it with our superiors.

Henry Becque, Querelles litte'raires, 1890

Perhaps tongue-in-cheek, it makes prescient the eternal value of service. But, service can only take you as far as the prevailing system will allow it to. Openness and transparency may accomodate how much equity a system aspires to.

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