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Very good discussion, though not without casualties. Regrettably.
I woke up last night thinking of this thread and of what has been said back-and-forth in the spirit of debate. I echo Mark’s angst and can relate to his sense of frustration with himself even though I don’t entirely understand it. But what I do see in it is the irony: his own frustration and weariness mirrors the heart the article itself: the amorphous nature of self-identity and, on the flip side, others' perception of it. Prufrock. An existential weariness grows. Sometimes, I stop my flailing and sink to the bottom and come face to face with the murky truth: all we have is a free will and the liberty to use it. Ah, but what to do with it?
Unfortunately we will just have to soldier through these times together. It will likely take another generation or two - not so long - before this angst with everything, this fear and loathing, this foreboding feeling, subsides and we wake and forget and understand how to move on. Just as Prufrock predicted. Kinda sorta.
Robert Frost said,
“One must have the courage to act on limited knowledge… to go boldly with caution.”
For someone like me who cannot hope to become as learned as many are here (and there and everywhere) the Frost quote gives me comfort. (
Here is the entire interview that I extracted it from; 28 enthralling minutes long; some have likely seen it before; well-worth the time and very much in keeping with the topics of politics and self-identity).
Sam, Thanks again for the piece. Thanks for holding up the mirror. By the way, I’d like to hear your reasoning for posting this article. Your view and thoughts would add wisdom to the conversation.
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