I wonder whether, maybe, there are only a few things that have ever changed. Two
of those are the scale of events and the speed and ubiquity of communication. That
is, war was always linked to despair, but the big wars of this century have
brought pain and death to more people than those of any other time. And modern
communications have let people know of and grieve over events all over the world,
instead of worrying only about local problems. But more essential things don't
change. Longfellow, the poet who made it ok to be brilliant only some of the time,
wrote this in one of his better efforts:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought of how this day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rung so long the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then in despair I bowed my head.
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells now loud and deep:
"God is not dead nor doth He sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.
Incidentally, other things that really have changed over time are that a greater
percentage of humans do have the right to pursue their own vision of happiness, or
a way to get to where they can have that right, and that more and more types of
prejudice are viewed as wrong by more and more people. Despite the Irish Troubles
and the Mid-East unrest, and the recent genocides in Africa, despite some of the
things happening even in the US, and a world with more troubles than Pandora had,
those things still give me Hope.
Today I am Thankful for: See above.
Posted by dichroic at December 5, 2002 08:15 AM