Blaise Pascal, Penseé 347: “Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him. A vapor, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But, if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this. All our dignity consists, then, in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor, then, to think well; this is the principle of morality.”

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Anger and The Final Speeches of President Campaign





(Springfield, OH, November 2, 2012)


(Morrisville, PA, November 4, 2012)

One of the most interesting and most disturbing things about this campaign has been the anger level. In my estimation, the Democrats, from the convention on, have simply been angrier than the Republicans, and I think this also characterized the candidates. Sandra Fluke, Elizabeth Warren--the Republicans in their convention produced nothing close to that level of angry superiority. You can see that distinction in these speeches, especially in Obama's "vote for revenge" comment. This is corrosive. It is not effective leadership. The problem with anger is that it can become a drug that supports one's righteous indignation and vice versa--its a circle that's hard to break out of. I know this from my own experience, and it was on my mind last year as I blogged about Fresno State issues. 

One of the things that impressed me most about the campaign was Romney's temperance. I admire that about him, as I admire his charitable giving. 
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