Take a second look at what appears to be someone's "good luck." You'll find not luck but preparation, planning, and success-producing thinking....
- David Joseph Schwartz
“Government of the people, for the people, by the people.”
The Gettysburg Address was an interesting speech. Pity you show zero understanding of it and use it for your misguided personal mantra.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I am quite disgusted that you used it out of context.
A government by it’s very nature indicates leadership. The Gettysburg Address does not detract or exclude leadership, nor alienate the power of the people unless the people allow it to.
In fact, this was a founding statement for the powers of democracy, free speech and individual direction. It was a statement that slavery was not OK, that the right of all men (and women - that came later) were free to choose their own direction in life, and that the state or other individuals had little say in their life unless they chose to allow it.
The fact that you used this Draco TB, in your context, is somewhat insulting to all the men and women who have died fighting for freedom and democracy.
Without some form of leadership, elected by the people, you can not weather the storms, you can not have law, you can not have order, you can not put food on the table and you can not have a community who honors and respects each other.
Even the Bible and Koran teach this, even Buddhism teaches this.
The only two modern proponents of not having leadership are Libertarianism and Anarchism, and at face value Taoist beliefs.
The only reason Taoist fits this category is the belief that you act on what you have direct and immediate influence over and let everything else wash over you. Like the primo advert… go with the flow.
I don’t often get insulted, but Draco TB, you have actually managed it.
Abraham Lincoln for all his faults was a great leader, and died for it. Your misuse of his speech and his intent for his speech shows your complete ignorance.
And “anarchism” is as far left as you can get Bill… best check your research. In fact it goes almost full circle to the right, but it is definitely Left.
When I was in my late teens someone once told me that to learn, you need to forget everything you have been taught and learn how to learn.
It became obvious one time when I was 48 hours from bankruptcy. The mindset that there is only one way to do things is what holds back society and the individual.
We can label things left, right, middle, Christian, Islam, Hindi, Marxist, Stalinist, anarchist, libertarianism, Protestant or even Jedi. It makes no difference.
We have to look at what mistakes that have gone before and try to use what knowledge we have now. Focus on the individual’s strengths, and be aware of their weaknesses. Work on the betterment of the community and through that strengthen the community.
Until we get past our political and socio economic labels we can never be the best we can be while ensuring the community can be the best we can be.
The Gettysburg Address was solidarity against slavery, bastion of democratic leadership and you are now using it as an argument against leadership.
Shame on you I say.
Without leadership, strong leadership, America would be enslaved still, Europe would be under the Fascist regime and NZ and Australia would be speaking Japanese.
Leaders are powerful, but they can also be evil or misdirected. But their power is given by the people. It is the people who allow a corrupt leader, not a corrupt leader who takes advantage of the people.
Without leadership we would flounder, we would become disenfranchised. We would become the exact society that the people arguing against leadership seek to avoid.
Response to http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=2377
“Government of the people, for the people, by the people.”
The Gettysburg Address was an interesting speech. Pity you show zero understanding of it and use it for your misguided personal mantra.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I am quite disgusted that you used it out of context.
A government by it’s very nature indicates leadership. The Gettysburg Address does not detract or exclude leadership, nor alienate the power of the people unless the people allow it to.
In fact, this was a founding statement for the powers of democracy, free speech and individual direction. It was a statement that slavery was not OK, that the right of all men (and women - that came later) were free to choose their own direction in life, and that the state or other individuals had little say in their life unless they chose to allow it.
The fact that you used this Draco TB, in your context, is somewhat insulting to all the men and women who have died fighting for freedom and democracy.
Without some form of leadership, elected by the people, you can not weather the storms, you can not have law, you can not have order, you can not put food on the table and you can not have a community who honors and respects each other.
Even the Bible and Koran teach this, even Buddhism teaches this.
The only two modern proponents of not having leadership are Libertarianism and Anarchism, and at face value Taoist beliefs.
The only reason Taoist fits this category is the belief that you act on what you have direct and immediate influence over and let everything else wash over you. Like the primo advert… go with the flow.
I don’t often get insulted, but Draco TB, you have actually managed it.
Abraham Lincoln for all his faults was a great leader, and died for it. Your misuse of his speech and his intent for his speech shows your complete ignorance.
And “anarchism” is as far left as you can get Bill… best check your research. In fact it goes almost full circle to the right, but it is definitely Left.
When I was in my late teens someone once told me that to learn, you need to forget everything you have been taught and learn how to learn.
It became obvious one time when I was 48 hours from bankruptcy. The mindset that there is only one way to do things is what holds back society and the individual.
We can label things left, right, middle, Christian, Islam, Hindi, Marxist, Stalinist, anarchist, libertarianism, Protestant or even Jedi. It makes no difference.
We have to look at what mistakes that have gone before and try to use what knowledge we have now. Focus on the individual’s strengths, and be aware of their weaknesses. Work on the betterment of the community and through that strengthen the community.
Until we get past our political and socio economic labels we can never be the best we can be while ensuring the community can be the best we can be.
The Gettysburg Address was solidarity against slavery, bastion of democratic leadership and you are now using it as an argument against leadership.
Shame on you I say.
Without leadership, strong leadership, America would be enslaved still, Europe would be under the Fascist regime and NZ and Australia would be speaking Japanese.
Leaders are powerful, but they can also be evil or misdirected. But their power is given by the people. It is the people who allow a corrupt leader, not a corrupt leader who takes advantage of the people.
Without leadership we would flounder, we would become disenfranchised. We would become the exact society that the people arguing against leadership seek to avoid.