I'm in a mellow, contemplative mood today and not at all disposed toward braving the cackly, hurling, swirling, stinky pit that GD-P has become. There is no "there" there, just a swift transition to anger, confusion, isolation, conflict. Where the hell is Dante to hoist a warning sign up over the entrance when you need him? If that atmosphere is representative of us, then we are no longer acting like Democrats, at least not in accordance with what I have always understood democracy to be. With what I admired and found spiritually resonant about democracy.
It's not my intention to turn this into a personal essay, although I suspect that one is lurking right there below the surface. Today, I have too many small exigencies to cover before I allow myself the luxury; my time is not entirely my own. (Indeed, when is it ever?) But my discourse inferno (burn, baby, burn) thoughts about these message boards led me to think of extinguishing all the sulfurous political fire and brimstone with a short sermon by a obscure preacher, whose most famous tag line is often misquoted and mis-attributed:
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." The author is Dr. Bob Moorehead and the title is The Paradox of Our Time. An excerpt:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
If it isn't in there already, I'd suggest adding that we have too many opportunities to talk too much, and still come away saying too little of any intrinsic or productive value. So, for the salve and enjoyment of those taking a short break from GD-P and its fevered minions, just a few quiet words:
http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/moorehead.shtml