Wisdom exists, the words of people who have come before us, who have struggled with the same issues of War and Poverty; Class warfare and the notion that profit is more important then the wellbeing of people; Life changing environmental damage and seeking safety in a dangerous world; Political and Relgious ideology that are mere shackles to brutalize and imprison freedom and conscience. We could learn so much and minimize so much heartache if only we were literate enough to study their words. If only we would study their words, and remember their lessons that they struggled so valiently to pass along to us.
"...At times like these, it’s worthwhile recalling George Orwell’s distinction between patriotism and nationalism. Orwell wrote the essay “Notes on Nationalism” in 1945, just as the most cataclysmic war in human history was ending in Europe.
“By patriotism,” he wrote, “I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world, but has no wish to force upon other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally.”
Nationalism, as Orwell defined it, “is inseparable from the desire for power.... A nationalist is one who thinks solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige.... His thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations.” To Orwell, it was “power hunger tempered by self-deception,” a kind of moral insanity. (Is Our Democracy Sleepwalking Into a Nightmare? Gene Lyons) ..."
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