What Is History? Part 18
. . . the human mind, as allotted by the Creator to certain of his creatures, is capable of receiving any impression it chooses, and holding it as a fixed conviction. Other minds may gather a different and more rational conclusion. . . . —Dr. John A. Wyeth
The dismaying sense of it, perhaps the one common denominator in the various feelings of several million men caught up in a war, of the steady, in the exact sense, preposterous, compulsion. . . . —James Gould Cozzens
The love of God towards men and the intellectual love of the mind towards God are identical. —Spinoza
I never see a pen but what I think of a snake. —Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest
The task of the civilised intelligence is perpetual salvage. . . . If in making progress, you destroy beauty, it is not progress. —William Gilmore Simms
Bidden or not bidden, God is present. —Carl Jung
History, in general, only informs us what bad government is. —Thomas Jefferson
Poets, when they are real men, are prophets, for there is a soul-instinct, which they represent, which is far more profound than any reason. —William Gilmore Simms
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn.
—Robert Burns
The trouble is no one in this country of ours seems to learn anything from past mistakes. —Taki Theodoracopulos
We live through time, that little piece of time that is yours, but that piece of time is not only your own life, it is the summing-up of all the other lives that are simultaneous with yours. It is, in other words, History, and what you are is an expression of History. . . . —Robert Penn Warren
Publishing houses are not, as has been claimed, a refuge for rogues, thieves, and intellectual criminals who depend for their existence on their expertise in battening on the skills and talents of the miserably rewarded few who can do what the publishers are totally incapable of—string together a few words in a meaningful fashion. Some publishing houses are run by people who are recognisably human. —Alistair MacLean
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The trouble is no one in this country of ours seems to learn anything from past mistakes. —Taki Theodoracopulos
I'm interested in the (informed) opinions of everyone, particularly the Orthodox Christians among us, on the election of new OCA Metropolitan Jonah. Do you think he will help resolve the non-canonical organization of the various Orthodox Churches in America?
Dr. Wilson,
Best wishes for a joyous, healthy, (prosperous is another matter!) new year. Have so much enjoyed and been edified by your frequent offerings on "What is History."
One you might add for the future, I've always liked is: "Revolution is the substitution of misrule for bad government." Ambrose Bierce, Devil's Dictionary.
We all do know (or so I hope) that dissent is the noblest form of patriotism. However by being complacent, needlessly lenient, we have succeeded in abrogating our civic duties to ourselves and future generations. The shrewdness of our leaders has not played nearly as an important role as our own stupidity – therefore “the degree of human stupidity is truly immeasurable”. How much of a decline in values, freedom of religion, freedom of speech do we have to abandon to see the very fabric of our country disintegrate?
That’s exactly why I read the Chronicles. We have the uniquely brave eloquent speakers and free thinking, sound minded people like Dr. Wilson, Dr. Trifkovic, Mr. Buchanon, Dr. Fleming, Mr. Richert. By far the bravest free thinkers of today.
I don’t pay much mind to paleo-this or neo-that. This is just a group of people where the common cause has been so clear and so precise as to bravely note our own shortcomings. It’s our foolish government that fails to see Islam as a sect not a religion, it’s our own government which makes us take our shoes off at the airports. But we deserve such an inept government since we simply didn’t raise nearly as much Hell as we should have given all the errors of their ways. Surely they gave us bread and games (panem et circensis), if I were the government I wouldn’t even be that generous. We will remain stupid as long as we stay stupid, and this proud few can’t really help us much but they are a beacon of hope.
Come to think of it, even the Satan was somewhat of a humanist, he even encouraged us to indulge in all sorts of excesses and probably laughs slyly at our decline into decadence of sorts. Last year it was fuel, this year it will be banks, automotive and air, next year we’ll have to bail out our agriculture – in a decade or two we may come to our senses.
"The task of the civilised intelligence is perpetual salvage. . . . If in making progress, you destroy beauty, it is not progress. —William Gilmore Simms"
This deserves repetition. Beauty is the splendor of truth and the task is to understand things and not to always change them, unless the chnage is directed at opening the narrow heart to the wider visions of a heart full of desire for the "everlasting hills."
"Man’s inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn.
—Robert Burns"
In the late 90's, I attended a play in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in which the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was portrayed. After the play, the actor, who gave an excellent performance, had a question and answer session. In one of his responses, he related that Bonhoeffer, in moments of doubt, asked, "Where was God?" An older gentleman, known in the community as a liberal intellectual, stood, posing and stating, "A better question is, where was man?"
I was compelled to respond, "Man was in Nazi Germany where he has always been since the fall: slaying his brother; and such was not limited to the Nazis."
God's nature is holy. Out of Him and His holiness comes the cosmic order with its relationships and commensurate duties and responsibilities. Late modern man or post-modern man, whatever he is, will have none of that. He claims the attributes of God for himself while denying the cosmic order, God's holiness and God Himself.
"We live through time, that little piece of time that is yours, but that piece of time is not only your own life, it is the summing-up of all the other lives that are simultaneous with yours. It is, in other words, History, and what you are is an expression of History. . . . —Robert Penn Warren"
Well, I suppose that is what we did just today: be an expression of history. For dinner, the noon meal in these climes, we had black-eyed peas and cabbage with ham, cornbread and onions and a choice of buttermilk or iced tea. After dinner, Beau (one of my dogs) and I hauled off the trash. As I type this, I am burning leaves and limbs from the over-Christmas storms. Among the burning leaves and limbs is an old iron pot in which my father used to fry fish over an open fire along the creek banks of the Louisiana uplands. For nigh unto forty years the old pot languished in a shed, putting on a coat of rust. I am burning the rust off. Tonight, I will season it in the oven and get it ready to perform its old task: fry fish over an open fire on some creek bank or some lake side just after I have caught and cleaned the watery critters. Around that old pot, many a story has been told; and since fish frying is a man's job, including the dangerous task of testing the grease for the right temperature which is determined by its ability to light a kitchen match, men counseled one another in quips and jokes on marriage, and we young boys came to know what to expect as we contemplated matrimony. I know the old pot can still fry fish. I can, if necessary, tell a story; I am just not sure who will be around to hear, and if they are around to hear, who will listen.
"Poets, when they are real men, are prophets, for there is a soul-instinct, which they represent, which is far more profound than any reason. —William Gilmore Simms"
This is especially good, Clyde.
"Only a fool fights in a burning house"
Klingon quote.
"I serve as a blank screen, on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."
(Barack Obama; The Audacity Of Hope.)
Not a puppet?
Straight from the horse’s mouth that’s way this guy is so dangerous aligning himself with Brezinski and the Clintonites.
"Bidden or not bidden, God is present." -- C.G. Jung
This is not actually from Carl Jung, though he did have it carved over his front door. The Latin is "Vocatus atque non vocatus, deus aderit," and I believe it is a Latin rendering of a utterance by the Delphic oracle.
A closer Englishing would be "Called and even not called, a god will be present."
History, in general, only informs us what bad government is. —Thomas Jefferson
If you'll indulge me TJ said of Nathaniel Macon "He was the last Roman."
And since the Macon post is closed, I found his grave on a recent trip to Georgia. Here's video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUI8i2RWECc
Thank you Mr. Gervaise for pouring out a libation and offering this fitting memorial for a great patriot and lover of the south country.