Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Digital Neighbors & Friends! I hope you had a wonderful introduction to the New Year and if you are getting back to the work week may it be an easy transition. How about another visit to Oxymoronica, complied by Dr. Mardy Grothe? Off we go!
Civilizations commonly die from the excessive development of certain characteristics which had at first contributed to their success. - Rene' Dubos
The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Happy New Year and welcome to contemplation of a dying civilization! Is our civilization dying? Many would say yes, they would point to a multitude of trends in the West where various elements are pulling us apart rather than holding us together. I don't think anyone can disagree that societies are becoming more divided, perhaps that is the unintended consequence of celebrating diversity as a highest goal without ask what are the limits of diversity. I dunno. There are so many areas of limited diversity in life that I suspect we accept its absence without question. It is those areas of pushed diversity that become subject to debate or perhaps we just surrender to the intended "good" of diversity without questioning where the turn to the right or the left will lead us. Trans-women competing against biological women seems to be the stellar example to illustrate where unintended consequences flow from assumed good intentions.
I would like to think civilization is ailing, but not dying. Unattended illness can become critical and eventually lead to the death of the host. Until there is some agreement on the nature of the illness, it is difficult to prescribe a medicine. I am guessing Emerson would invite us to return to nature, contemplation and a life less industrial. I can't imagine what he would say about the transition of the industrial experience of modern life to the ever intrusive technological experience of life. I know the irony of this as we all sit in front of our computers, phones or tablets.
One last quote for a Monday of the first week of the year to encourage us not to be despairing, a far too easy surrender in the face a of a future of what seems to be evident & unavoidable diminishment. Seems to be, not a given. How best to spend our time and exercise our efforts becomes one of the most important reoccurring choices that we make. Happy Monday Friends!
If we are crazy, then it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy. - Peter Maurin
Winter Barn in Lisbon, Iowa
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
Good Morning, Digital Neighbors, and Blessed Sunday to one and all!
Sundays are for gratitude, and few things impact our lives more than intentional gratitude. It is not enough to say you are blessed or that you are fortunate; the actual naming of our blessings plants them deep in the heart, transforming us as persons rather than leaving us with the bland “thankful for everything.”
Two years ago, I wrote this reflection on resentment and gratitude. In light of the celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, I think it’s worth revisiting. We can choose to be among those who are thankful for America or among those who find nothing but fault with it.
You cannot build a future based on resentments of the past. You cannot grow if you are mired in the injuries of yesterday. God and life do not call us to ignore such experiences, but He constantly calls us forward—to be more, to receive more, to live more. Heal those wounds and work through those injuries, but do not be defined by them, and do not try to ...
