CSotD: The Coming of Wisdom with Time
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Today's Speed Bump acknowledges what we've all observed recently, although I'm not finding much greater need to avoid bringing up politics than in the past.
Granted, I purged my social media of trolls and the heartless during the run up to the election, in keeping with my well-established "Archie Bunker Rule," which originally said that nobody who would not be welcome through the door is welcome through the TV but has been amended to include computer screens.
Yes, we all have that uncle whom we dearly love but in front of whom we do not raise certain topics.
But you're not him and we can disagree, but, if you can't behave, you're gone.
Besides, it's never been polite to pipe up in public places around people whose politics you do not know, and, if you want to carve out an exception for "bearing witness" remember that, if it proves fruitless, you may have to shake the dust of that place from your sandals.
So don't incautiously "bear witness" any place that you need to be very often.
On the other hand, I'm finding it less and less parlous to discuss politics as more and more people leap out of the non-deplorable half of the Trump basket.
It's more a case of whether it has become tiresome.
But, as Pat Byrnes' cartoon at the New Yorker daily site suggests, it's become tiresome, but it's also become unavoidable.
Abbie Hoffman used to laugh at politicos who, in the Sixties, would greet any joke or any conversation about personal interests with "Where's your social consciousness?" because we do have lives, or, at least, those of us with lives have lives.
However, that was back when you could, at least to some extent, temporarily put aside concern about Vietnam and pollution, at least long enough to roll a joint and perhaps a partner.
That is, we were already knee deep in Vietnam and already couldn't see from one side of the Monongahela Valley to the other. The issues weren't going anywhere.
But we certainly didn't put them aside indefinitely, and, today, not only are the changes more sweepingly existential, but, so far, we've only experienced a few actual plagues.
There's time to avoid the others, if we don't sit back and just assume that Pharaoh will eventually give in.
Jen Sorensen offers a handy conversational guide.
I don't know that they'll make the exchanges any more productive, but they'd make them quite a bit more amusing, and that isn't a totally vain goal.
One of the gentler ways of handling a bar room blowhard is to deflate him, and if the quiet pushbacks of Sam and Norm won't keep Cliffie in check, you bring in Carla to rough him up a little.
We could use more of that constructive, insistent mockery — either kind or tough – and refusing to deny democracy and the sovereignty of the people is a pretty good starting point.
Youth is not wasted
(Frazz)
(Mr. Fitz)
Wisdom is not a bad goal in life, and, if growing old is not an unalloyed pleasure, growing wise is not to be despised.
As Frazz notes, you'll collect a bruise or two along the road anyway, even though, as Mr. Fitz's young friend suggests, growing wiser is not as much fun as getting your learner's permit.
Still, Yeats acknowledged the end of folly as a consolation:
Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth.
By contrast, even as a young man, Solomon was wise enough to know what to ask for:
In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
Though, as Anne and God notes, there are fewer public inducements to wish for charitable wisdom than for personal riches.
Now here's your moment of constructive fury:
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