To someone special,
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly
and listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser
persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
keep interested in your own career,
however humble;
it is a real possession
in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery
but let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of years
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune
but do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are borne of fatigue and lonliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here,
and whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive God to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations.
In the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful.
Strive to be happy.
Posted by tempus at July 18, 2006 01:48 AMGeorge Will reminds us that the Conservative voice in America is an important part of our political discourse. We're so accustomed to the neoconservative whine that it's easy to forget our rational Conservative colleagues.
Democracy [maybe] gave us George W. Bush, just like democracy gave Lebanon Hezbollah and Palestine Hamas. We think that democracy has built in mechanisms to self correct - to right itself when it loses its way. Well, it’s election day today where I live. We’ll see if we’re right about that. If democracy is, indeed, a viable form of government, the way to make that point to the world is to show it by voting our current misdirected neoconservative into retirement, not by world conquest…
Posted by Mickey at July 18, 2006 04:39 AMNo offence Steve, but I'd rather chew off my big toe than read George Will this morning.
Posted by idiosynchronic at July 18, 2006 05:01 AMGee, Will writes a subdued, and sober column. I recall how Will was righ there with the jingo war whoopers in the runup to that fateful March 2003.
Now George is subdued? Oh my.
Such a great column to end with such a clunky baseball analogy.
Posted by boilerman10 at July 18, 2006 05:39 AM
Worthwhile Will column, too bad he's in the dustbin of "conservative" history, with foaming-mouthed loons like Krystal now the "conservative" champions.
I offered the idea yesterday that, to the extent that Syria and Iran are involved, part of the current Middle East shoot-out involves showing our democratization program for the sham it is.
We don't lift a finger to restrain Israel from carrying out its patented disproportionate military responses, even when the target countries (Gaza and Lebanon) are part of Condo's new "democratic forces".
The main task of the Syrian ambassador to the UN on the PBS NewsHour last night was to make the point that Bushco isn't doing one thing to help the new democratically elected Lebanese government of the "Cedar Revolution"---a phrase he was happy to use, ironically or not.
If the incipient forces of Arab democracy are so crucial, one would think that Israel's raining of unmeasured assaults down on new, weak, Arab democractic movements would be viewed askance by our democratic emperor, Nero Jr. But no.
If it's business as usual in the brutal Middle East, and one's "democratic" status is meaningless as far as help from the US goes, then Arabs can be forgiven for concluding that having a strong autocratic government is better than having a weak democratic one.
So much for five years of the "Bush Doctrine".
Posted by euzoius at July 18, 2006 05:52 AMGd thng Sddm s n lngr n ny pstn t ggrvt th sttn.
[Editor: ignore=off]George Will looks and sounds like he hasn't had a decent bowel movement in at least 2 weeks.
William Kristol looks and sounds like his favorite activity is brushing his mother's hair.
Each man occupies the pantheon where the Bohemian Grove has its headquarters.
Posted by Christopher at July 18, 2006 05:57 AMSuch a great column to end with such a clunky baseball analogy.
Any guy who puts so much energy into 'things baseball' is a dip. It's appropriate for Will though. His mindset stuck in an era when baseball actually meant something about America. Or at least so I'm told.
Glad to see him swinging for Kristol though.
Posted by snark at July 18, 2006 06:13 AMI disagree with Will on many issues, but I respect him. Similar to how I feel about William Safire. They are a dying breed of the old school Republican.
Posted by ann at July 18, 2006 06:13 AMAm I the only one having flashbacks to Katrina? Why are we the LAST western nation to help our citizens get out of Lebanon. The admin has been talking about it for days and days. Meanwhile Sweden, France, and others are in the process of getting their folks out or have already done so. Americans are just waiting and waiting and hoping to hitch a ride on some other country's boat.
Posted by CG at July 18, 2006 06:21 AMJoseph, good article. I did noticed Berkowitz mentioned that her values had begun in the home basically, while Agness said her values came from reading Time Magazine at an early age. I wonder who supplied that Time Magazine for her to read at "an early age."
Tempus, thanks for posting Desiderata. I have loved those words for years.
Posted by Judith at July 18, 2006 06:22 AMAmericans are just waiting and waiting and hoping to hitch a ride on some other country's boat.
The story this AM is that we are - we're just ferrying our citizens to Cyprus via helicopter.
Posted by idiosynchronic at July 18, 2006 06:25 AMthese guys- what can you do with them? Into the fourth year of what will ultimately go down as the first major defeat of a United States Military in history - two of it's most ardent cheerleaders clash. Will, wingnut that he may be, is an intelligent person who can only keep his head in his pants for so long. That time is apparently up. Kristol, on the other hand, wants more conflict, seemingly unaware of the situation with the war he has on his hands now. Unfortunately for us all, it is the Kristol mindset that also can be found in our simple leader. Just not able to see reality. The latest Israeli war has obscured, for a few days, the extremely deteriorating situation in Iraq. But for the Kristol's and the Bush's - that might as well be a fantasy game.
Posted by T2 at July 18, 2006 06:29 AMYou'd need to have an operating, solvent national government to quickly evacuate your endangered citizens from Lebanon.
Sweden and France have such a thing because a majority of their citizens demand a functioning national government.
We don't, because a majority of our citizens don't want one, and Republicans are happy to comply.
Posted by euzoius at July 18, 2006 06:31 AMThe story this AM is that we are - we're just ferrying our citizens to Cyprus via helicopter.
Thanks--I think I was watching a re-run of nightline this morning on our local cable news channel, so it was a bit behind. Still, as I said, I was reminded of Katrina when every day the news was that they were going to get people out, and the next day they were still there. Four days later (during Katrina) I remember swearing at the radio report in the car (with my kids.) I felt the same way this time.
Also, the report said that Americans would have to pay their own way home. Wonder if other countries are doing that?
Posted by CG at July 18, 2006 06:37 AMCG,
I blogged about this outrage Sunday.
The State Department will indeed rescure Americans stuck in wartorn Lebanon, but for a price.
I've now learned it's $300 to be ferried to Cyprus and dumped on the streets. From Larnaca, you're on your own, so hopefully all have means or at very least, a credit card with available credit to fly back to the states.
It's interesting that France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the UK all rescued their citizens gratis. Only the U.S. State Department is charging what they call a "repatriation fee."
Posted by Christopher at July 18, 2006 06:51 AMOnly the U.S. State Department is charging what they call a "repatriation fee."
Give 'em a break.
They're just doing their part to keep the deficit from rolling over the $300,000,000 mark.
Posted by snark at July 18, 2006 07:00 AMBush Gropes German Chancellor Merkel
Watch the whole thing and look at the slides.
Bush looks like he's auditioning for the role of a zombie in a horror movie.
Rest assured, if the Bush twins were stuck in Lebanon (all those horny boys and yummy beer) the Bush junta would send an aircraft carrier at U.S. taxpayer expense to retrieve them.
Posted by Christopher at July 18, 2006 07:36 AMCondi's not been around for awhile, y'see . .
And Angela is just that type a' nice gal.
Even though she looks like Hillary, doesn't mean I'd do the same for Mrs. Clinton!
Posted by GWB at July 18, 2006 08:03 AMIf the Bush twins were stuck in Lebanon, the war would be put on hold until they were well enough to be discharged from rehab.
Posted by TIKI AL at July 18, 2006 08:28 AMt's interesting that France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the UK all rescued their citizens gratis. Only the U.S. State Department is charging what they call a "repatriation fee."
I strongly support Israel in this, though I'm not sure they're doing themselves any good. That being said, I think the US isn't paying because that would be like admitting that Israel is destroying the whole country (you really *have* to get out) rather than targeting Hezbollah (it's not that bad--if you want to leave, you pay your own way.) Sounds political to me.
Posted by CG at July 18, 2006 08:52 AMGood thing Saddam is no longer in any postion to aggravate the situation.
Exactly. Saddam was pretty big in Terra, what with his sexual relationship with Osama and the WMDs he slept with at night. Thank God Iraq is not proving to be a problem in the region.
You can go back to taking Medicare from old people with heart problems. You are so manly when you do that.
Posted by phidipides at July 18, 2006 09:22 AMWill took Weekly Standard to the woodshed. Spanked them pretty good too.
Before he flip-flopped, Will made a great statement on Bush's liberating Iraq. I seem to remember him saying something like, "if our reason for going to Iraq is to get rid of a bad dictator then what next? On to Burma?"
The Bill Kristol smackdown continues. First Juan Williams, now George.
Posted by Daryl at July 18, 2006 11:55 AMIf Kristol and his ilk can legitimately be called "conservative", does that mean that we can legitimately call the government of North Korea "liberal"?
Posted by Bryan at July 19, 2006 05:53 AM