This is a winter poem by Rudyard Kipling that my dad liked:
A Carol
Our Lord Who did the Ox command
To kneel to Judah’s King,
He binds His frost upon the land
To ripen it for Spring—
For to ripen it for Spring, good sirs,
According to His word;
Which well must be as ye can see—
And who shall judge the Lord?
When we poor fenmen skate the ice
Or shiver on the wold,
We hear the cry of a single tree
That breaks her heart in the cold—
That breaks her heart in the cold, good sirs,
And rendeth by the board;
Which well must be as ye can see—
And who shall judge the Lord?
Her wood is crazed and little worth
Excepting as to burn
That we may warm and make our mirth
Until the Spring return—
Until the Spring return, good sirs,
When people walk abroad;
Which well must be as ye can see—
And who shall judge the Lord?
God bless the master of this house,
And all that sleep therein!
And guard the fens from pirate folk,
And keep us all from sin,
To walk in honesty, good sirs,
Of thought and deed and word!
Which shall befriend our latter end—
And who shall judge the Lord?
It appeared at the end of Kipling's children's or young people's book, Rewards and Fairies. And I think he may have borrowed elements of it from traditional folk songs. But anyway an interesting poem.
I have in mind to do a little exercise for the new year, could we each pick one concern, and one hope for 2026? I know that there are a lot more concerns than one. Which is why I limited it. The hope can either be a collective one for the nation, or an individual one.
I'll go first. One of my biggest concerns is AI and how we will deal with it. I could have picked "America first" and the whole xenophobic thing. But that isn't actually new, it is something that surfaces from time to time, and we have always managed to rise above it, when we didn't have any other option. AI is something new. Though there are echoes in the stories we tell, and in myth. I am thinking of the Tower of Babel, and the Flight of Icarus. The downfall is always in hubris, the temptation of overreach, and arrogance. Can we learn how to manage it to avoid the worst effects of economic and job disruption? We need to think fast.
And my pick for hope, my oldest granddaughter graduates from high school in the spring, and I have hope that she can find her way forward on the path of life, as we all did. She is a good kid, who does well in school. And has friends that she interacts with in person, and doesn't spend an inordinate amount of time online. I think that is important. She is a hard worker, already has a part time job. Talks about majoring in aviation and being an airline pilot. Of course that goal could change with time. But I don't think at least that AI could replace that job.
Does anyone want to go next?
My concern is wealth inequality.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that the balance of powers that Trump is toppling will be restored.
I am not sanguine that either will improve without bloodshed.
I hope that the balance of powers that Trump is blasting through can be restored without bloodshed (that is any more bloodshed than we seem to currently accept as just background noise). For sure a lot of seats need to be flipped in the 2026 midterms. I think that can happen.
DeleteThe wealth inequality is a difficult problem which is decades in the making. The crypto-currency economy is sketchy as hell and I believe it is cruising for a collapse, the sooner the better. Maybe that will help? I don't know.
Democrats need a better strategy than "at least we're not Trump." Maybe come up with a 5-point plan a la (can't believe I'm sayin' it) Newt Gingrich.
DeleteMy greatest concern and my greatest hope are two sides of the same coin. My greatest fear is that America will continue its march towards white, Christian nationalism, continue to weaken our freedoms, will render the Constitution almost meaningless, and continue the march to a new version of fascism, which is turning into a multi- national trend. My greatest hope is that someone or something will reverse the slide towards an authoritarian government that limits our rights - especially the rights of minorities. For that to happen the non- MAGA remnant in the GOP will have to work hard to wrest control from the MAGA wing - probably a vain Hope since very few in the GOP seem to have any principles nor the spine to defend them.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very cold here on this first day of the year. Happy New Year anyway.
I am seeing cracks and infighting in the MAGA cult. I hope that continues; I think MAGA will collapse eventually because cults do in the long term. But it needs to happen soon. Would help if the spineless but non-crazy Repubs would find common cause.
DeleteI hope I can do some good in 2026. A couple of years ago, I visited the Seward Peninsula in AK with M and her two grownup daughters. At one point, I was walking to a river with M and one of her daughters some distance behind me. A guy in fishing gear was resting his chin on a truck siding and I said hello. He returned a dejected hello. I walked further on and looked back to see M and her daughter with this guy in tow. He said his wife left him and he felt like killing himself. He had a .45 revolver strapped to his chest, a defense against brown bears. We talked and talked to him. M got his address. She kept in contact. He didn’t kill himself. He got back with his wife and kids. M sends him honey from her hives every year. And two little bear jars of it for the kids. Everything can go down the tubes but we can still do acts of kindness and I think that has a better chance of turning things around than the machinations of governments and political parties.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that, Stanley. We never know the difference kind words can make for someone. (And it took courage to talk to someone who was despondent and had a 45 strapped to his chest!) It's neat that M sends them honey every year. I think you are right that individual kindness can help society move in a better direction.
DeleteWe used to have bee hives in the pasture back home, there were beekeepers who had hives on different farms, their "rent" was sharing honey with the landowners. But between colony collapse and loss of people who had knowledge of beekeeping, the hives aren't there anymore.
Yes, M probably saved the man’s life. I was shocked many years ago to get a phone call from a high school classmate shortly after our class’s 25th reunion. I didn’t go to it, but he got my phone number from a friend who did go. He called to thank me for being his friend in high school. He told me how he had been tormented not just by other kids but by the school vice principal. He was a nerd, as was I, so we were outcasts together. I knew nothing about homosexuality when I was in high school - didn’t know it existed. Apparently the tough guys and the school vice principal thought that he was gay and tormented him. He told me that he had planned to drive his car off the edge of our mountain highway (with hairpin turns) so that his death would look like an accident and not suicide (to spare his parents). He said he didn’t because whenever it would cross his mind as he drove that treacherous highway he thought of our friendship. To say I was stunned by his revelation is putting it mildly. Bullying of kids who are different in any way is worse than ever. I saw him finally at our 50th reunion - I flew to California for it. I met his wife and saw photos of their grown son. He died about 5 years ago. We had stayed in contact for a while in college but lost touch after I moved east. I had always been grateful to him for teaching me how to drive a stick shift - he had a VW “ bug” and never said a word when I would grind the gears. He was an “intellectual” and so he was resented and mocked. High school is a pretty miserable experience for a whole lot of kids.
DeleteKindness is necessary and good for its own sake, but probably not sufficient to save our country and world from the forces of darkness called MAGA.
Anne, I knew very little about homosexuality in high school, either. It wasn't talked about among the girls. My husband said that boys talked about it more, mainly to harass other boys.
DeleteI had a crush on a guy in high school, I couldn't get him to notice me. Found out 40 years after that he was gay, that may have been a factor! He is deceased now, but apparently had a happy and productive life, and a life partner. Unfortunately that isn't always the case for people who are different. I think high school is still miserable for a lot of kids.
I know, Katherine. M does all kinds of treatments to stave off the mites. I’m not even sure that wild colonies CAN exist on their own anymore. But honey direct from private amateur beekeepers is the best.
DeleteAnne, glad your high school friend made it through. Sometimes I wonder why I wasn’t bullied back then. I made an effort to blend in and not be noticed. Or maybe it was just a different environment. Surprised it still goes on considering the bullied can come to the school with their dad’s AR-15. I guess kids don’t think things out.
Glad the Alaska story had a good outcome. People in precarious emotional situations often spiral in higher latitude wilderness areas. Fluctuating light levels, harsh climate, and isolation increase alcoholism, suicide, and domestic violence rates. There's a reason why Icelanders have the highest rate of antidepressant use in the world.
DeleteI meant Kenai Peninsula, not Seward.
ReplyDeleteTesting. I think I got kicked off here. What a surprise ...
ReplyDeleteJean, I don't think you got kicked off? I can still see your comments.
DeleteAt least I can see two of them, unless there are more?
DeleteI see two comments from Jean on this thread.
DeleteWe seem to be having momentary outages since the snow storm. The Universe's reminder that my comments are not vital to planetary survival.
DeleteJean, the universe doesn’t want us to have more truth than we can handle.
DeleteMy concern is that our president will continue to cause economic damage to us and our allies, and break the post-WWII trans-Atlantic alliance, such that more competent successors won't be able to fully repair the damage. My hope is that I'll still be employed by the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteJim, I share that concern. Trump has pretty well demonstrated that he doesn't understand complex economic systems, and hasn't surrounded himself with people who would enlighten him. I do hope that whoever is his successor will make it a priority to attempt to undo the damage.
DeleteI also hope that your job will be safe.
I have been following the Buddhist monks Walk for Peace to Washington DC. People come to visit and pray with them. They rescued a dog along the way. It won't change the world. But they're trying to foster faith and hope and bring out charity in others. So good on them.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/news/walk-for-peace-monks-aloka-route-south-carolina-sc/article_91db325d-2935-4f67-b468-174189732fc7.html
Dear Lord! Trump started out the New Year with bombing Venezuela and kidnapping their leader. We know what it’s all about. Stealing oil. Every pretense my country has to a moral basis has been blown away.
ReplyDeleteI had assumed from the beginning that the whole point of blowing up fishing boats was actually to prepare the way for regime change and stealing the oil.
DeleteYep. No surprise. Just deep disgust.
DeleteI didn't know about that until literally now. We couldn't even get through the holidays without some Trump-caused disaster. A lot of people aren't even back to work until Monday. Kids are still on school break. The world and the nation can't catch a single break from purgatory.
DeleteTypical Trump. He's been having wet dreams about the Trump class naval destroyers and moved half the US fleet down there for weeks to set off explosions. He's basically a delinquent 14-year-old who's been given a BIC lighter and an unlimited supply of full M80s to play with. He's f*cking deranged.
DeleteTried to listen to Trump snuffling, stumbling, and droning thru his prepared statement, but too painful to listen to. Bottom line is that the US will run Venezuela and US oil companies will run Venezuelan oil industry.
DeleteYou have more fortitude than I do. I can't listen to his voice. It has this nails scratching on chalkboard nuance that is uniquely his.
DeleteKatherine, I can’t stand to listen to him either.
DeleteWith respect to the future of the world, the USA is a bad thing. BRICS may have success in encysting this country economically. Whether that decreases our military aggression is another thing. It may increase with desperation. It would help if Americans demanded a change of course but we need to become better people than we are for that. I’m not hopeful.
DeleteChina and Russia get a lot of Venezuelan oil that Trump wants to control for leverage. Trump wants Greenland's (and Ukraine's) rare earth resources. It looks to me like a consortium of tech bros, manufacturers, and communication tycoons with Trump's help are trying to claw their way to world domination by controlling vital resources. It's the Roman Empire, feudalism, and the Gilded Age all over again.
DeleteHistory teaches us nothing except that history teaches us nothing.
Jean mentioned in a previous comment that the Democrats need a five point plan. I agree, and only one of them can be "affordability" I don't know what the others would be yet, but I feel that these extra-judicial killings and acts of war without congressional approval have to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteMy druthers:
Delete1. Harden checks and balances on the executive. IMO, some actions should result in automatic impeachment.
2. Address the Social Security crisis slated to hit in the 2030s.
3. Revamp Obamacare.
4. Enact a wage disparity act, i.e., CEOs cannot earn more than 10 times more than lowest paid workers.
5. Streamline the way state and local health departments collect and report info to the CDC. COVID exposed many weaknesses in the national ability to respond to a pandemic. This has not been fixed.
#4 probably has no chance in succeeding, so taking care of Dreamers would be an acceptable substitute.
Long-term and chronic problems include climate change, crumbling infrastructure, housing shortages, food deserts, aging of elected and appointed representatives, and the decline of public education, and cost of higher ed.
Good ideas Jean, especially #1. We have to lose the idea that a president can do any damn thing he pleases without consequences.
DeleteJean, that’s a great list. But the Democrats have to run it by the billionaires first. Oh right, just the “good” ones.
DeleteSigh, yes, everything bows to the Almighty Dollar, as Dad used to say. Half the members of Congress are millionaires compared to, at most, 10 percent of regular Americans. Extrapolate what you will from that factoid.
DeleteI am not concerned about AI. It seems to me to be another of the periodic stock market booms that is headed for a bust. I am not invested in the stock market. As a retiree my job will not be threatened. A recession caused by an AI bust will probably have little effect upon my life.
ReplyDeleteI am more concerned about income inequality. That is heading us toward another great depression rather than just a recession. I have little hope that politics will help us avoid another great depression although the reality of another great depression may change our politics.
I do have some hope that world-wide Catholicism might help us avoid another great depression and/or manage one better. Francis has certainly positioned Rome in this area, and Leo seems likely to continue his direction.
My greatest hope is that I have not only another Pope but also a bishop who are taking directions that appear promising. The bishop of Cleveland’s emphases upon fifteen minutes of prayer a day, developing personal spiritual networks, articulating one’s spiritual journey and knowing one’s mission in life, i.e. where to spend one’s talents, time and treasure provides a very practical framework that allows great individual diversity and cooperation.
If Pope Leo provides Catholicism with greater unity around themes that allow conservatives and liberals to better tolerate one another while pursuing the greater good of the Church and humanity in a variety of ways, then a better functioning Church might emerge at the personal, parish, diocesan, national and global levels.
I don’t think politics and political parties hold much hope for managing AI, economic inequality and the many problems confronting our nation and the world.
My greatest personal concern is for managing my old age and our health. Betty views this last year as a candidate for the worst in her life. Without me she would likely have been in a nursing home without much hope of getting out. Her daughter’s death has permanently altered her life.
Both of us are faced with the fact that we don’t really have good family support systems. We mainly have each other. The stress of caring for Betty has strained my own health.
We are both dependent upon paid help, e.g. health professionals, and yard maintenance people. The problem there is less the cost, rather finding good people. Good people are often not that expensive; expensive people are often not that good.
Both of us have to do much less while maintaining the quality contemplative aspects of our lives. While both of us are church people, getting more involved in parishes is not the answer. Even though Covid is low enough from March to August to go the Mass in person, we have both found that effort exhausting.
The parish needs to become supportive of the things we do at home and on the internet, the Hours, Commonweal Local Communities, Gardening, Betty’s artwork.
The flip side of my hope in a better direction for the church at the universal and diocesan levels is a concern that our parishes and fellow Catholics have done little to respond to Rome and the Bishop’s directions. Our parishes continue to be absorbed doing things that make pastoral staff and their devoted followers happy (like religious education programs) but don’t help other people very much (except for the food bank, Saint Vincent DePaul Society, and a few support groups).
Some of this sounds familiar to me, too, but we've all got our emotional, age, medical, and $$ woes. Talking about them just drives away whatever support you do have. I couched mine in black humor for awhile, but that becomes less possible as time goes on. One reason I don't want to be on here any more is to hear about people's problems that make me sad and that I can do nothing about. Plus it reminds me of what dire shape Raber and I are in.
DeleteI don't see parishes supporting old people and what they do at home. Not sure what that would even look like, but I see no interest in it at the local parish. Typicall, old people get tired, sick, and stop coming to church, and that's the end of them as far as the parish is concerned until their funeral Mass.
A few years ago, I offered my friend who divorced Satan to finance his buying a house in NJ. If he could pay me back someday, fine, if not, fine. He turned me down because his American capitalist brainwashing told him that it would be shameful. Now he admits that the house he would’ve bought would have gone up in value enough to cover me. But despite knowing how BS and unfair the capitalist system is, he still thinks by its damned rules. Call me a socialist. Call me a Native American imitator. Call me an early Christian. And he gets pissed off at God for not bailing him out of his situation. Aren’t I a little brainwashed by Jesus?
DeleteI should have written “was divorced by Satan”.
DeleteYah, maybe don't be so critical of your friend. The poor or even temporarily needy in America are sitting ducks for everybody's theories and opinions about how they screwed up what they should have done to recover. At the rate this country is going to the dogs, a lot of people are gonna get shocked out of their comfy zones PDQ.
DeleteJack -.” The stress of caring for Betty has strained my own health.”
ReplyDeleteI understand that completely. Even with a part- time caregiver five days/ week I am always exhausted and more susceptible to passing viruses.
“The problem there is less the cost, rather finding good people. Good people are often not that expensive; expensive people are often not that good.”
Finding GOOD people for caregiving is a huge challenge. Even though paying a significant amount of money. Our caregiver for the last year was wonderful, but due to her own health issues she is giving up caring for hard patients like my husband ( physically hard because of his paralysis) for ambulatory clients and is going to be doing administrative work also. We are hoping our new caregiver works out.
I admire your optimism, but I doubt that the Catholic Church will have much influence on managing a global depression.
Jean - “ History teaches us nothing except that history teaches us nothing”
ReplyDeleteI decided to review the involvement of the US in regime change during the last few decades. Most were done to protect American financial interests, usually involving minerals or oil - most often, oil.
Not sure how trump folk who embraced his isolationism and promises to be a peace President feel about his first year - we have bombed 8 countries so far - a “ record”. Plus we have now invaded another country - other Presidents did authorize these kinds of attacks ( which often didn’t turn out well in the long run) but he is the first to do so without consulting - or even informing - Congress. Putin would love to be able to “ run” Alaska. Trump has been systematically destroying the Constitution and the rule of law domestically. Is he now systematically destroying international laws as well? Maduro is a criminal and a thug. But trump is also a convicted felon and a thug - albeit dressed in bespoke suits.
I pulled out a book I read after Kuwait to re- read ( or Re-skim - it’s very long but I did read all of then - it was fascinating to me) which gave the history of the central role oil has played in the worlds geo- political history, especially its role in wars, big and small. It’s called “The Prize”, by Daniel Yergin. I see he’s updated it recently. Those who want to understand the central role of oil in global history might find it worth the time to read.
https://www.amazon.com/Prize-Epic-Quest-Money-Power/dp/1439110123
My husband and I were just talking about Franklin Roosevelt's famous "day that will live forever in infamy" speech that he gave before Congress after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. We contrasted it with what Trump has done. The US was not attacked, and he did not seek Congress' approval, they found out after the fact. I'll bet some of them regret not voting to impeach when they had the chance.
DeleteI wonder if the attack on Venezuela will alienate some of the MAGA bunch who voted for him because he promised to take care of problems at home and not get involved in "forever wars".
It is ironic that much of the rest of the world is embracing alternative energy.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/after-us-strike-venezuela-pope-leo-urges-respect-law-justice-and-peace
ReplyDeleteAfter US strike on Venezuela, Pope Leo urges respect for law, justice and peace
"I follow the developments in Venezuela with a heart full of concern," the pope said from the window of the Apostolic Palace, speaking to thousands of rain-soaked pilgrims under umbrellas in St. Peter's Square. "The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration and lead to overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace."
The pope urged respect for the country's sovereignty, the rule of law enshrined in its constitution and the human and civil rights of all citizens, with "special attention to the poor who are suffering due to the difficult economic situation."
He said he was praying — and invited the faithful to pray with him — entrusting Venezuela to Our Lady of Coromoto, the country's patroness, as well as to Sts. José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles, figures deeply woven into Venezuela's historical Catholic identity.
Venezuelan influence runs deep within the upper ranks of the Holy See, where some of the Vatican's most sensitive diplomatic and administrative roles are held by figures with close ties to the country. Among them is Venezuela-born Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, one of the most powerful officials in the Roman Curia, who serves as substitute for general affairs in the Secretariat of State, effectively overseeing the Vatican's day-to-day operations and internal coordination.
Peña Parra is second only to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, an Italian whose familiarity with Venezuela dates back to his tenure as apostolic nuncio in Caracas from 2009 to 2013. Several Vatican diplomats also were born and raised in Venezuela.
THE POPE'S TOP DIPLOMATES CERTAINLY KNOW A LOT ABOUT VENEZUELA.
Those experts in the Vatican might provide the most trustworthy guidance.
DeleteI didn't know that the Vatican had so many Venezuelan diplomats. But I had read Pope Leo's words from the window to the crowd in St. Peter's Square. I hope some are paying attention.
DeleteAnybody making book on how fast Trump will build a deportee holding and offload center in Caracas?
ReplyDelete