Winning Words 8/24/11
“Maybe one day we shall be glad to remember even these hardships.” (Virgil) This Roman poet lived in the 1st Century BCE, in a time similar to ours, with a widening divide between the haves and the have-nots. Tom Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation” seems to imply that hard times have a way of engendering greatness. I see Virgil express that same thought in his poetry. Regardless, it’s hard to be poor. ;-) Jack

FROM JS IN MICHIGAN: When it is hard times for all (e.g. the Depression), that might inspire greatness ....hard times for a large group while others are rolling in money usually inspires rebellion, revolution and civil war (e.g. London right now....France in 18th century)....////FROM JACK: My memory of living during the Great Depression is that there were some neighbors who didn't have it so bad. I also recall protests that made the news. The "haves vs the have-nots" seems to be an on-going world-wide conflict. "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen."
////MORE FROM JS: The most egregrious gap between haves and have nots is in China....that is a potential explosion waiting to happen....900 million in abject poverty and tons of new millionaires and billionaires....I am just reading the excellent history of the 40s, 50s, 60s and early 70s from the Oxford History of the USA...."GRAND EXPECTATIONS"...it is an excellent chance to look back on an era in which I grew up with the "have-nots" and then went to college with the "haves" a different world....what a horror "McCarthyism" was.////FROM J: The McCarthy hearings were "reality TV" at it's best.

FROM PRJN IN NICHIGAN: Forsan et haec olin memonise iuabit -- spelling is probably off, but I remember the Latin sounds for this phrase.////FROM JACK: I'm glad for the Latin course I took in college. It helped me to understand "English" better. So did my courses in Greek. The "hardships" of those language courses was worthwhile.

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Now , isn't that something to look forward to! (Or did I miss something?)////FROM JACK: In the larger picture....Some of our hardships result in "growing" experiences, which make us better. I'm all for trying to be a better person, although I don't always relish what it is that makes it happen. In this case, "The end justifies the means."