Pay attention

[pjthompson]

Random quote of the day:

 

“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”

—Plato

 

 

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

Comments

[jandersoncoats.livejournal.com]

You'd think we would have learned something in the last 2000 years.

You'd be wrong.

*sigh*

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

...condemned to repeat history again and again.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

We're a species with a very short attention span.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

The pattern repeats endlessly.

[marycatelli]

The price of lacking apathy toward public affairs is to waste a lot of time dealing with them and still get ruled by evil men.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

Sorry. Not someone who can say, "La di da la di da" and not fight the good fight. The alternative is the coward's way.

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

"Humane conduct subdues inhumane conduct the way water subdues fire. Nowadays those who practice humanity often do so as if with one cup of water they could save a whole wagonload of fuel on fire, and when the flames are not extinguished, they declare that water cannot subdue fire. This helps those who are not humane and causes greater losses." -- Mencius, 371-289 BC, a follower of Confucius.

Yours is an old declaration, with old results.

[marycatelli]

As if the bloodbaths of the twentieth century were not committed in the name of subduing inhumane conduct.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

Your original argument was in defense of apathy and now you are twisting it to fit some other agenda. It doesn't matter what argument tyrants use to justify their actions as long as good people say "Nothing I do matters so I won't do anything." By doing and saying nothing good people support tyrants.

[marycatelli]

"Apathy" is what you choose to read into a prudent awareness of the limits of politics and the extent to which "good people" can delude themselves about their virtue.

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

Yes, the only way to stop the Axis powers in World War II was with a horrible war -- even Bob McNamara says he directed war crimes in order to win. But if good people had acted sooner and smarter, the bloodbaths might have been averted. Confucius spend much of his time preventing wars. He also nearly starved to death and was the subject of assassination attempts, since some people want wars. It's hard to change the world, but it can be done. That's also something the 20th century showed.

[marycatelli]

I was thinking of the Communists, actually. Hitler does, after all, only come in third on the list of the greatest mass murderers of all time.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

Brilliant.

[marycatelli]

I note, incidentally, that the "humane conduct" covers a lot bigger scope than politics.

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

What about the apathy that comes from realizing that no matter how hard you fight, evil is in power and will not be uprooted unless you are willing to sarifice yourself to become like those in charge?

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

You keep spreading the message, one way or another. Just because you don't get everything you want right away doesn't mean you aren't making incremental change and creating the possibility for dialogue that does lead to change. You're only ever going to be able to change a small number of minds at a time--at best. The fight is the important thing, not the grab for power. And compromise is not defeat. Either/or thinking gives us the Tea Party and Al Qaeda.

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

look at how hard the people in WI fought. And it got them nothing. Worse than that, they took time from their jobs and lives to protest against a handful of men who had already decided their wealth was the most important thing.

Three weeks and it didn't make a single difference. The GOP did what it wanted to do and screw the people affected.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

That fight isn't over. Gov. Scott has plummeted in the polls, a recall movement has serious momentum, and people who have nothing to do with union jobs have joined the protest. It wad NOT for nothing.

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

I would love to see him recalled, would love to see that this wasn't for nothing. That liberals in this country can actually shape the politics when they choose, and not when the conservatives finally allow it because it affects them.

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

The good laws that Scott is undoing got there somehow.

[geniusofevil.livejournal.com]

agreed. but it took over 100 years.

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

Then we'd better start right away. The other side is betting that we're too weak and too easily distracted to engage in sustained effort. And maybe you are, but I'm not. Lead, follow, or get out of the way -- as they said 100 years ago.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Ha! Nice photo.

And I'm impatiently waiting for our elections this year. I am not happy with our government.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

Who is these days? :-D

[frigg.livejournal.com]

*lol*

True.

[rowanda380.livejournal.com]

good one, thank you.

[pjthompson.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it. :-)