David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times and a guest commentator on the PBS evening news. This is not the first time I’ve credited him. I’m sure he has chinks in his armor and makes mistakes, he is human after all. But his writing is meticulous and his opinions leave no loose ends. So said, I trust him as a source of information, of thoroughly researched and thought out reporting. Add to that, I find his moral compass and civil disposition to be close aligned with my own. A self described Moderate Conservative, he has changed the way I view labels. If the playing field was level, if Liberty and Justice were in fact, for all, then I could be a moderate conservative.
His March 4 post in the Times, ‘How To Love America’ has language that cuts to the quick and I want to share some of that here. He opens with reference to a child’s sense of patriotism, the feeling that we are not only special but also powerful and wonderful. That childlike feeling, that naive pride should follow a growth curve the same as flesh and bone but too often it suffers arrested development or fabricated denial. Quoting Brooks: “That kind of patriotism tends to play down shameful truths. It tends to bloat into touchy and overweening (excessive) pride.” He recalls a core American creed, ‘E Pluribus Unum’ Latin for ‘Out Of Many, One’. It was born of Founding Fathers, a ‘Self Respect and Common Cause’ that supersedes pride.
But that sentiment doesn’t seem to resonate with the far right. They have adopted, ‘Build a wall.’ They identify as patriots but their narrow views demonstrate Nationalism rather than Patriotism. Brooks observes that it depends on a bitter rivalry with internal enemies, a tribal thing. “Nationalists base their loyalty not on our common creed but on common clan, in which you’re either in or out.” I like the piece because it is concise, pointed and I already believed it, he read my mind. I recommend David Brooks anytime but this piece in particular.
It’s a great day. With the weather beginning to turn and Covid vaccine available, I think I see light leaking in. I got my first shot last week, feel like a puppy, nose pressed against the window, anxious to be off the leash. I keep telling myself that everyday is a great day, sort of defense against bad news. It reminds me of a fellow teacher back in Michigan, a devout, born-again believer who prayed for me, “Hey, I prayed for you this morning.” I let it pass and he would push the bubble. “What is it about the promise of salvation and a loving, merciful Father that is so hard for you to believe in?” I could ignore his proselytizing indefinitely still, he felt obligated to go forth and spread the gospel and I give him that. His last-straw effort, peaceful and well intended as it was, “You know, even if you were right and it is all a myth, it would be a wonderful way to live, don’t you think?”
That is my ‘Great Day’ argument; even if it’s not that great, it’s a wonderful way to live, don’t you think? People tend to find in each other and with life in general, whatever it is they are looking for. So I’m looking for the day to be good. Karma says; whatever it is that you put out into life’s mainstream, it will circulate forever and in its own good time, come back around and nest in your lap. What you put out there, it comes back to you in spades. When you look for the best in others, they see you at your best. Throw poop and find fault: don’t hold your breath, it’s out there somewhere, on its way back around.
His March 4 post in the Times, ‘How To Love America’ has language that cuts to the quick and I want to share some of that here. He opens with reference to a child’s sense of patriotism, the feeling that we are not only special but also powerful and wonderful. That childlike feeling, that naive pride should follow a growth curve the same as flesh and bone but too often it suffers arrested development or fabricated denial. Quoting Brooks: “That kind of patriotism tends to play down shameful truths. It tends to bloat into touchy and overweening (excessive) pride.” He recalls a core American creed, ‘E Pluribus Unum’ Latin for ‘Out Of Many, One’. It was born of Founding Fathers, a ‘Self Respect and Common Cause’ that supersedes pride.
But that sentiment doesn’t seem to resonate with the far right. They have adopted, ‘Build a wall.’ They identify as patriots but their narrow views demonstrate Nationalism rather than Patriotism. Brooks observes that it depends on a bitter rivalry with internal enemies, a tribal thing. “Nationalists base their loyalty not on our common creed but on common clan, in which you’re either in or out.” I like the piece because it is concise, pointed and I already believed it, he read my mind. I recommend David Brooks anytime but this piece in particular.
It’s a great day. With the weather beginning to turn and Covid vaccine available, I think I see light leaking in. I got my first shot last week, feel like a puppy, nose pressed against the window, anxious to be off the leash. I keep telling myself that everyday is a great day, sort of defense against bad news. It reminds me of a fellow teacher back in Michigan, a devout, born-again believer who prayed for me, “Hey, I prayed for you this morning.” I let it pass and he would push the bubble. “What is it about the promise of salvation and a loving, merciful Father that is so hard for you to believe in?” I could ignore his proselytizing indefinitely still, he felt obligated to go forth and spread the gospel and I give him that. His last-straw effort, peaceful and well intended as it was, “You know, even if you were right and it is all a myth, it would be a wonderful way to live, don’t you think?”
That is my ‘Great Day’ argument; even if it’s not that great, it’s a wonderful way to live, don’t you think? People tend to find in each other and with life in general, whatever it is they are looking for. So I’m looking for the day to be good. Karma says; whatever it is that you put out into life’s mainstream, it will circulate forever and in its own good time, come back around and nest in your lap. What you put out there, it comes back to you in spades. When you look for the best in others, they see you at your best. Throw poop and find fault: don’t hold your breath, it’s out there somewhere, on its way back around.
No comments:
Post a Comment