If 1984 wasn’t intended as an instruction manual, then the following should not be treated by our rulers as a motivational speech.
The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.
What matter where, if I be still the same,
And what I should be, all but less then hee
Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least
We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n.
I may be a little late with that one…
All the Culture Wars contributors seem to have their eyes on the skies today.
Firstly, Julia on the common falcon by an uncommon poet who believed in something good and great about our civilisation and who followed his beliefs at some personal cost.
Via Julia, John Duff is perhaps an inadvertent participant and I’m grateful because he’s also looking to the skies through the words of and a hero of our country of whom I’d never heard before, and who in turn inspired one of my American heroes.
Speaking of heroes, Pavlov’s Cat makes two superb culture posts, and from his choice of heroes which I share almost to the last byte I’m tempted to paraphrase Rooster Cogburn…My god, he reminds me of me.
And then twelve short, ambivalent-moving lines from a poet born near my alma mater.
Counting Cats, on men and machines and the skies once more, and for me the original line of the week so far to quote whenever I can.. “And that is civilization. That is beauty and power and force applied in a righteous cause. That is the very essence of what we ought to be.”
And late-reported news - fun via My Doubts if you like that sort of thing and, strangely, so do I a bit. Click on the pic.
As for tomorrow; who knows?
No comments:
Post a Comment