This is typical Roger Cohen: beautifully written and worth the read, but unconvincing in the end.
I am worrying. There are too many details still to follow.
13
We are all dying, some more painfully than others.
3
Or William Blake:
'He who binds himself to a joy,
does the winged life destroy.
He who kisses the joy as it flies,
lives in eternity's sunrise.'
But let's not be kissing our joys as Trump wipes his feet on our backs.
12
“The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
Ha! The very definition of the trump administration!
17
The glory of the Flake speech is offset by the fact that, okay, here's just the sort of person that _should_ be serving in Congress, but he's bowing out, and letting the inmates take over the asylum. Doom is nigh. But hopefully we can continue to say that forever.
9
Sigh. I have always seen a walk in nature as a restorative experience, forests help me breath. There are truly simple things to be remembered and treasured. But the rest of reality does intrude. You need to be careful you're not dancing while the Titanic sinks. I'm going to be heading for the lifeboats, hoping to suffer the the cold reality of miles of water around it.
6
Good article, funny, especially Jewish cable, "Start worrying, details to follow!" However, rise of far right in Germany is a good thing, healthy for democracy, antidote to the authoritarianism of the left. Balances things out!Witness AM's unilateral decision, made without consulting German people, of accepting a million or so immigrants from ME, whose presence in many cases has been a source of havoc and disruption, It does not make you an xenophobe, anti immigrant, to see how disruptive the policy has been, and women in Cologne are advised not to go jogging at night for fear of being assaulted.Am reminded of Enoch Powell's speech in 1967 predicting in his "Rivers of Blood" speech disastrous consequences for GB in admitting 50,000 unassimilated newcomers yearly, and Conservative Party chief Heath telling Powell to shut up about it.Brexit is average Briton's way of saying we want to own our country again!AM is a Lutheran, and never met a Lutheran who was not in his "fors interieur" an anti semite. How could it be otherwise since the founder of the Reformation himself, Martin Luther did not harbor benevolent feelings towards his Jewish brethren in 16th century Europe? But Mr. Cohen has written a fine article!
3
Bill Evans's first posthumous album is an ode to the suicides of his beloved brother , Harry, and his partner, Elaine. It is a glowing, beautiful recording and this column brought it to mind. In fact, the album carries the title of a Michel Legrand tune, "You Must Believe in Spring" - a perfect iteration of If All Else Fails. If you need three minutes of soul purifying clarity, just listen to the opening "B Minor Waltz."
3
Until the media begins to tackle the real curse, the fact of oligarchy raging in this country, none of the pretty phrases around, though admirable in themselves, will actually do anything.
Please start talking about the Kochs and the Mercers. They are running the show at the moment. (It is thought, for example, that Robert Mercer funded brexit.)
The Mercers are dominating Trump and seem to be far more into fascism and racism than the Koch brothers. With any luck, there will be some jail time for some of the collaborators.
11
We kind, compassionate, science based, reasonable--we are the majority.
Big money has a line on easy money--and they don't want us in the way.
7
Great Column
In the words of Shakespeare :
“To Be or Not to Be” a democracy or an autocracy that is the question for the voting public.
Hopefully the intellegent voter will recognize the correct path!
3
This fine essay to a certain extent makes me regret not believing in an afterlife. We must make the most of our mundane lives now, appreciating odd bits of happiness and beauty where we find them, or them us.
It makes me recall the op-ed piece a week ago here about heroes and ticker tape parades. I suggested mothers. But on further reflection, it probably should just be people marching, with the sports teams, first responders, entertainment folks, foreign dignitaries, and the usual 'heroic class' standing on the sidewalks cheering.
Ordinary people, many more than you might expect, finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances will perform heroic acts. Even more people, living their lives, as Thoreau wrote, of 'quiet desperation', can perform small heroisms. Just getting out of bed in the morning; reading a book to a child; voting...
Cue the Aaron Copeland fanfare.
18
Ozdemir "would be the perfect rebuke to the AfD"? Be careful. Walther Rathenau was not a rebuke, but the perfect foil, for the Nazis.
2
Your article reminds me of this famous McBeth quote :
"This life, which had been the tomb of his virtue and of his honour, is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." by William Shakespeare
For me, that quote has always meant what I think your article is saying : enjoy your moments of life, the ones nobody can steal from you : your kids laughter, your companion beautiful smile, your dog looking at you, your friends , because, in the end, these are the only things that allows you to make it through.
Thank you for this ray of kindness.
21
Further evidence of some slow (but perhaps quickening) death is at hand, however, where "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
4
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
The actual quote makes a lot more sense, from Macbeth. It is the lament of the unworthy king’s impotent misery upon hearing of Lady Macbeth’s suicide. He has murdered and has mismanaged his state, and this soliloquy presages the anagnorisis of the denouement. (Whew!)
Here’s one from Hamlet that is even more irrelevant in this time of ignorance and lack of thought emanating from the top:
Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
4
Always nice to hear a reference from the Bard, but this one ("Macbeth," by the way, not "McBeth") strays from the text. The first quoted sentence is simply "Life's but a walking shadow..." Your added clause, while elegant, is inaccurate. If any scholars out there can provide attribution, perhaps from a translation, I would appreciate it.
3
Germany has already had a "non-Aryan" national politician, former Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Philipp Rösler, who was an adopted Vietnamese child raised by German parents. On whether that presented problems to the German electorate, see
http://spon.de/adRFB
2
Beautiful column. So many insights here, but my favorite of all has to be the definition of Brexit: “The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
Reminds me of many situations here. But the other benefit of living in "interesting times," is that the more people protest against measures deemed unconstitutional, the more they are forced to learn (if they don't know already) about the Constitution.
And that's a very good thing.
28
Would you sing, as the Titanic sinks, because she was once a pretty ship?
2
Should have written this eulogy at Bush v. Gore. It is past way too late. The unburied corpse of our democracy has been picked apart by wolves.
23
Driving home from work the other day, the setting sun finally shone from under the layer of clouds that had persisted all day. It shone like a golden spotlight on the one of the hills at the edge of the Hudson Highlands, turning the fall maples into crimson and copper and coral, all bathed in golden light.
It was like seeing Noah's Rainbow. It was like a promise.
Yes, there are things to see and celebrate that are not the turmoil of politics or the quiet desperation of job searching and worrying about the mortgage, the cost of healthcare, and the kid's college tuition. We are alive and plan to stay that way until we aren't.
But, really, and this is true - I would still have appreciated the promise of my personal epiphany without the surrounding turmoil.
16
Beautiful. But it reads like a eulogy.
17
Thank you for trying to find
a positive "spin" to a horrible
time in history. All we can do
at this moment is to try our level
best to do some good...volunteer
at a hospital, donate food to a
shelter, help a friend, rescue
a dog or cat..."little" things that
won't remove the demons lurking
but will alleviate some distress.
The animal that you rescue will
be a living being that you save...
you won't win a prize or get your
name in the paper but you will
have done something pretty darn good.
22
All heroes need a protagonist. The greatest generation (maybe not so great given how they voted) needed WWII. The firefighter needs a fire. The roadrunner needs Wile E. Coyote. The emerging heroes of today need DJT and his gang. If we don't all go in the conflagration maybe some good will come of it. Maybe....
9
While you're waiting to die, tie up the loose ends of life in the here and now.
Above all, prepare for nefarious forces preparing to loot the U.S. Treasury, and your assets.
Especially, pay attention to the experts at bankruptcy and distressed assets.
Otherwise, expect to get pennies on the dollar for your failed bonds.
Or, bet your savings at an Atlantic City or Las Vegas casino. What have you got to lose?
7
I put up a poster of Hubble ultra deep field on my wall. I look at all those galaxies, some billions of light years away, and Donald Trump disappears from my mind for a full five seconds!
27
Allow me to further tear down my native country that I left fourteen years ago when America embarked on another fruitless war in Iraq under the second Bush.
Roger is pulling at straws looking for a rehabilitated America by speaking to hopeful people at deaths door.
The reason many documents over the JFK assassination are still not released is that they spell out a broad spectrum of conspiracy to overthrow the government with the CIA taking the lead. This carefully coordinated killing was finalized by LBJ and his wish to be president and not go to jail as was in the cards at the time.
The government fear is that this revelation will undermine what little faith Americans have left in their country and that this knowledge will result in a complete collapse of American patriotism.
Trump is merely a symptom of this democratic debacle, not a final turning point.
I believe that Americans can endure the worst revelations and still come back to rebuild their country. In the final analysis, the beauty of democracy is its unending ability to reinvent itself regardless of what terrible thing has befallen the Republic!
5
When has Democracy in America ever been beautiful?
3
You are mis-translating Einstein. "Erfolgreiches Streben" means "successful striving" not "pursuit of success". Einstein's point is that a quiet and modest life always beats a life of ambition and unrest, even if it is successful.
19
Great column! I disagree with you about whether life is a straight line or a curve. I agree with Nassim Taleb, the author of the NYT bestseller, "The Black Swan." To paraphrase him, history does not move in lines or curves, but in jumps. In mathematics, this is a step function. We never know when we are going to take a big jump or fall off a cliff.
11
On the subject of the wisdom of the Jews -- as a hayseed girl totally devoid of life experience outside of a small college town in Ohio I arrived in New York City (my teen-age dream after watching Brando in On the Waterfront) I found myself in a small apartment in Washington Heights surrounded in this nearly 100% Jewish community, a synagog on each corner outside my door - 110 Bennett Avenue. My Jewish neighbors took me under their wing, seeing well my ignorance about life, and diid their best to inculcate me into a level of higher awareness for which I'll always be grateful. Two powerful messages that I particularly cherish from those nurturing friendships are the expressions, "Shrouds don't have pockets" and "Enjoy" -- at every parting I was sent on my way with a smile and a warm "ENJOY!" - a fine message, yes, to help us face each day on this roller-coaster of life.
18
My mother's sage advice was always: "No one promised life would be easy. And if it was, it'd be awfully boring." I've lived by it. Being tested shores up the character and makes us stronger. Feel sad, instead, for those who believe ignorance to be bliss, and those who never experience the fullness of life. A well-worn experience warns us to be wary of the man without empathy, for therein lies the root of evil. And in those times we now live, once again. Testing our character, once agin.
15
Reading this at 2 A.M. and thinking of what Mueller can have found, brought smiles and hope to me, Thanks to Roger Cohen
17
Do no harm; help where you are able; enjoy what you can; make the best of what you don't; and not to worry, it will be over soon enough. Life is too short too worry about it but long enough to be worth doing something about it.
14
Would that Sen. Flake had spoken those words as well as they read. The quaver in his voice belied his real situation.
2
Beautifully written, Mr. Cohen, and preposterously optimistic. Neither the grandest oratory nor the most beautiful moments in anybody's life will save the republic. It's doomed. Expecting anybody to remain cheerful in the face of that truth — now there's a doomed enterprise if ever there was one.
7
This is a fine column. But I take exception to this and other characterizations
of Senator Flake's speech. Yes, it he was eloquent and wise, but he has chosen not to run at least in part because he would likely not have won in next year's election. His poetry is tempered by a big bowlful of political pragmatism. I bet you a martini, Mr. Cohen, that Flake runs for president in 2020 and uses this speech in his campaign commercials.
27
I think it was better than just a speech where he said he was not going to run again.
Flake can only change his actions and his opinions, he can't change what the polls say today about his chances in the rotten red state of Arizona. So maybe, in 2020, after the disaster of our current regime is more fully realized, Mr. Flake will garner a larger audience for his eloquence. Surely he will not be indicted as a man that didn't have the courage to speak his mind when others stayed quiet.
11
In what possible universe is it good for an elected politician to be neutral on politics? Flake won't run in a primary he would likely lose. So what. The politics changed for the better in a slight way and more will come.
I turned on Flake after his Gorsuch buffoonery. But the criticisms, immediate know it all criticisms, are as clueless.
The real problem is that the democrats are so fat headed spineless and Inept and greedy they will probably throw away the chance. With the Times enabling.
5
Yeah! Me too.
2
Excellent article, but I agree about Flake. Don't think he'll run for president, but he could have run in Arizona just to take some wind out of whoever is going to be on the Republican bandwagon--and , who knows?, maybe help out a Democrat.
1
What would cheer me up is to have the Republicans in Congress pull-up their big boy and big girl panties to defeat and impeach Trump instead of slinking away with their tails between their legs and not standing up for what is right.
25
I know I shouldn't admit this but a well put together, well thought out and well written OP-ED piece in the NYT can be a thing of beauty as well. Congratulations on the hat trick Roger.
36
As it's been said/ sung before - "sometimes the lights all shinin' on me, Other times I can barely see" --" What a long strange trip it's been"............. GD ...
Keep on Truckin' bro!
C ya ....sometime, somewhere .........Cliff
16
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
1
¿Por qué parece natural y de no urgente meditación que el hombre tenga problemas? [Why does it seem natural, and not a matter for special thought, that man should have problems?] —Ortega
7
Roger, you almost managed to cheer me up, reading your column while strolling down Paul-Linke-Ufer in Berlin with my dog this afternoon.
I looked at the graceful weeping willows, the diversity of people around me bracing the nasty weather, considering "the moments of beauty in (my) life"...
Until you joined the Jeff Flake-choir towards the end of your column.
"“We must never regard as ‘normal’ the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country"
That might have cheered me up had I not known that Jeff Flake was a staunch supporter of George W. Bush and his policies: war crimes, torture, the Patriot act, Guantanamo Bay,... the list is long.
And it is also a list that you just can't ignore.
That's like abandoning the Nuremberg Principle.
Not uplifting at all.
How would you feel about some Nazi enabler giving a moving speech in 1959, knowing full well that he was complicit in war crimes?
Would that make him any less repulsive? Responsible?
Would you be moved and cheered up by his phony speech?
I wasn't and it really ruined my afternoon because I was expecting better of you than this implicit endorsement of war crimes.
SAD.
13
Fall is my favorite season, but it is difficult to enjoy it when we have a jerk in the White House who is trying to ruin the lives of millions of people. I'm sure there were Germans, Poles and others who enjoyed the beauty of each season as the Jews were dragged off to Concentration Camps. If you forget the horrors that are happening around you just so you can feel "happy," there is something amiss in you makeup!
17
"All things must pass
None of life's strings can last
So I must be on my way
And face another day"...........George Harrison
8
Many encouraging, uplifting words but with no discernible ability to redirect from the downward path. We need to remember history. Hitler's Germany was riding on the euphoria of power and national unity as Hitler crept into power. Following Mr. Cohen's logic, Germans, starting from 1935, should have taken a positive attitude since now in 2017, Germany is riding a wave of exceptional success. It that the path we wish to take? The steps in between were a mite ugly.
I don't mean to imply that the US is yet in a position like Germany, but, with history in mind, fearful people have a responsibility to be fearful at heartless, ruthless, direction of leaders who can turn their backs on the country and vote for their greedy rich backers and them alone. McCain's and Flake's words are words alone by men who are willing to vote to push their private agendas using utterly blatant lies to camouflage their intent from the voters, the public.
11
October 27, 2017
Truly inspirational and perennial for the times now and forever - making our heart and mind speak as one eternal.
jja
9
Dreadful anecdote coming up here. But it came to mind.
Picture to yourself--a cattle car. Loaded with Jews. Bound for Auschwitz. There they all are--huddled in the dark. Cold, hungry, wretched. Their terrible journey almost at an end.
And the car stops suddenly. It stops cold. No explanation. There they sit waiting, expecting the Lord knows what. And guess what happened?
They started to laugh. To LAUGH. My fellow Americans, it doesn't get WORSE than that. They are utterly at the mercy of their Nazi captors--creatures of incalculable hatred and cruelty. The dreadfulness of their predicament was so totally overwhelming--laugh was all they could do.
So they did. They laughed. The story is both dreadful and funny. I believe I read it in The Philadelphia Inquirer. (Sorry, New York Times. I love you TOO. You know that, right?)
Or Oscar Wilde on his deathbed. In some squalid Parisian apartment. Contemplating the ghastly wallpaper:
"One of us!" he declared--witty to the the last. "One of us has got to go!"
Or the Emperor Vespasian--also on his deathbed--considering a posthumous deification:
"Vae puto deus fio!" exclaimed the dying Emperor--soon to become Divus Vespasianus--the divine Vespasian. "Vae puto deus fio."
"Oh dear! I think I'm becoming a god."
Thanks, Mr. Cohen. I say this from the bottom of my heart. I expect millions are saying it too.
"I NEEDED that!"
And we did. Thanks again.
16
Voltaire, on his deathbed, was asked by a priest if he wanted to renounce the devil. He responded " I don't think this is a good time to be making enemies".
6
I will cheer when the center and left get genuinely emotional, angry, galvanized, focused (as in "show up to vote" ways) rather than a "shrug and
cry softly in pillow, then whine during waking hours" variety over the hijack of this country by an angry, white-nationalist mob and their ilk among religious right and the know-nothing set.
I will cheer when the democrats grow spine and stop using vocabularies of the weak ('we want common ground with white nationalists) and the actions of the defeated ('finger pointing at big bad Trump until someone jumps in and solves their problem').
I will cheer when American women are commonly repulsed by a misogynist and a self-admitted sexual assaulter.
And oh my god I will cheer like crazy when the 70 million strong generational of millennials occasionally stop staring into their cell phones and palm tops, and get engaged in something other than "my hurt feelings" and show up to vote.
Then I will cheer.
No, it is not over yet, but neither is my zorg and fartsveyflung.
Kalidan
18
There is more to life than just laughing to the tomb, and what you do for mankind during your lifetime may determine your ability to laugh at the end. Those who have accumulated much may find comfort in their accumulations. However, the laughter will be hollow for those who have spent their life satisfying their own needs and wants without any real contribution to the welfare of all - a hollow laughter indeed.
See:
RevolutionOfReason.com
TheRogueRevolutionist.com
7
"Enjoy every sandwich."-----Warren Zevon.
10
Just Thank You! Nothing more needs to be said.
5
Thank you for the hope and the wit and the cheer. The more unsuitable they are, the more we need them. "... the likeliest thing is that something unlikely will happen." May we be blessed with an unlikely event that is also true, generous, tolerant, and smart. Yes, may America be smart again. Like Senator Flake, be loud and clear. Yet also keep calm and carry on. The law of unintended consequences is the joke that the universe tells on its Mr. Trumps. Humor is the elvish sword that gleams wherever a Trump is lurking.
7
Another golden oldie: 'You know how to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans."
7
If ever you feel you are sinking, there is one, and only one, response: swim! And keep swimming ... on and on and on ... remembering to find time between the strokes to crack a joke now and then so that the sailor who lifts you aboard his ship will ask: "What was so funny?"
9
commenting on fellow saying America is envy of the world.very few Canadians would agree with that.plus my sister 40 years in London.happy there.crazy guy in vegas getting hold of machine gun.friend spent nite in hospital in florida..cost 17 thousand.no other country would charge so much.beautiful warm weather in Ottawa nearly November.
7
Thank you, sir, for eloquently extolling the value of eloquence
6
Thank you, Roger Cohen. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4
We must find joy and beauty in the little things, so that we may continue to RESIST the big thing(s).
9
I sometimes feel bad about the frequency and intensity of my posts related to the current state of American politics on social media, and suspect that many of my "friends" have blocked my lamentations out of sheer exhaustion.
My instincts, however, tell me very strongly that this is not the moment for stoicism and forgiveness. Trump and his toadies are trying to drag us into a kind of darkness, of night, into which I will not go quietly. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
10
Yes, we can imagine all kinds of things but in the end we live life as we find it and can best do with what happens to be. Change comes to all things in the life we live as mortal beings.
2
it's a pleasure once more mr. Cohen to read this well-crafted op-ed piece
4
Beautifully written. Thank you.
5
Those moments of beauty, to which Mr. Cohen refers, sustain us all, particularly in these dark days. What we are fighting for is a world where the creation of these moments of beauty in the future can be sustained and expanded.
20
RichD is exactly right
3
I think Roger is the best columnist at the Times.
HOWEVER, this column appears to be a lament about our times: specifically, the Age of Trump.
People like Trump and Sheldon Adelson and Steve Bannon survive, thrive and prevail because they have more Qi (or life force) than "decent moderates" like Jeff Flake and Bob Corker and...most of the rest of us for that matter.
Intensity wins.
http://www.wednesdayswars.com
6
A much needed reminder. Thank you.
5
after a certain age, you know more people who have gone than people who are still dying. at times, it's unforgivable.
2
The rich love watching the rest of us fight over the scraps. Getting the most scraps is one kind of ambition. Another is not giving them the satisfaction.
9
"Start worrying. Details to follow."
The best bumper sticker I've seen in a while. Thank you.
11
Trump will probably be removed from office, early in 2019. There will be a combination of Republicans and Democrats doing so, no matter which party has the majority in each house.
Under the 22nd Amendment, if Trump is removed prior to late January 2019, then Pence can only serve 6 years as President, but after Trump has been President for 2 or more years, Pence could complete Trump's term and serve two of his own, totaling up to 10 years of Pres. Pence. That is what Pence is waiting for, before evoking the 25th Amendment. Trump can spite Pence by Trump resigning in less than two years, so Pence remains his puppet.
Unfortunately, Trump can start a nuclear war on a whim and he is fond of irrational whims.
So I cannot relax while the USA flushes its freedoms and decency down the drain.
23
My guess is that in 2024.President Trump will be finishing his second term with him as Vice President elect on a repub ticket with the President elect abdicating after inauguration in 2025.There will be more settlements in the West Bank and even less of a two state solution than there is now.The Dow over 30,000.Kim with 50 deliverable Nucs some fusion glaring at South Korea and Japan.
1
Flake voted for the GOP's middle-of-the night draconian budget, so don't get too cheerful.
22
Amen, amen. Let us also remember that the Magna Carta was forced on King John, and was only for the benefit of the barons – the medieval equivalent of a tax-cut for the rich.
8
Despite the divisions, the distrust, the suspicions, it is still the best of times. We live in a spectacularly safer first world, with a much better rule of law, much better health with the best of medicines that our parents could only have dreamed of, and a much more intelligent world that knows a lot about the world than at any time in human history.
Yes, we do not like the other side of the political spectrum that much, but it would have been a far more boring (and dare I say) a dangerous world, had we got broadly in agreement with everything the other party had to say. After all, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so".
I will enjoy the life for what it offers; an ability to learn, grow, love, differ, and not the least a sense of wonderment at our inconsequentialness in the vast, and (mostly) an empty universe.
5
amen, brother or sister...one doesn't have to be starry eyed to appreciate what life offers us...
3
Of course "this too, shall pass". Mr. Cohen writes a beautiful column saying just this. But columns such as these give me pause. I've noticed these past few months that many of us, now powerless in the face of an increasingly fascist nation, have become resigned to the current state of our country.
We have a deranged man in the White House, with generals "babysitting" him who, we know now, are just as extreme in their views, if not their behavior. We have a Republican Congress that, despite rousing speeches from Mr. McCain and Mr. Flake, are complicit. We now have five solid Supreme Court votes that will underwrite Trump's agenda.
And yet, even the number of comments in response to essays such as Mr. Cohen's have dropped off dramatically these past several months. It is as if it is finally dawning on many of us that we have no way out of this America. That it will be decades before our nation is able to undo the damage of four or eight years of a Trump presidency. That many of us who are middle aged or older will live the rest of our lives in a hollow shell of what was once America. That many of us who are younger will not see meaningful educational and professional opportunities and little hope for our families. That those of us who are ethnic or religious minorities, or the LGBTQ community, know that we will remain targets in our own country, for the foreseeable future.
Of course this too, shall pass -- but not before many millions of us suffer irreparable harm.
69
How beautiful. Like listening to the band on the deck of the Titanic..as it sank.
24
karl,
You are making me giggle like a twelve-year old.
Glad to help
1
I am an AfD voter and I won't feel especially 'rebuked' if Cem Özdemir becomes foreign minister. His party is the worst of them all, the most extreme proponent of the open border policies that are destroying Germany, but personally I have no problem with him. He has the wrong ideology and will pursue policies I strongly disagree with but he is personally decent and qualified. Mr. Cohen automatically assumes that AfD voters reject everyone who is not pure German, which just shows that he has not understood anything and probably never will.
2
Thank you for this----“The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
Please write an entire column or more on how this applies to American politics, not just Brexit. This could be the main theme of our journalism.
Undefined and unspecified because US media doesn't grapple with issues. Voters are unprepared by the narrow range of solutions to our health care and tax issues---just 2 issues affecting all our lives. Instead we get mostly personality politics and drama. A soap opera of who is up and who is down this week. And what HE tweeted.
We are seeing an exit from democracy. What word to use?
And what will the Trump/Gop voters do if they ever realize they've been seduced and abandoned?
13
Thank you Roger Cohen
I possess neither the genius of Albert Einstein nor the genius of the hornswoggler in charge of the United States of America. I do the best that I can with my limited resources to make the world a kinder gentler place for all. That is all I am capable of doing and I am very lucky that the people around me are able to affirm I am doing the right thing, there is nothing more that I can expect. I am a very lucky man
Hornswoggle: to get the better (someone) by cheating and deception.
19
Ah Montreal... - Is Schwartz's still there? I'm not, but then I wasn't pure laine...
4
"This, in turn, has given rise to the need for a dictionary definition. This one appears on inktank.fi: “The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
Well done! -You have provided us with the all encompassing spot on definition of the GOP/Trump debacle.
The blind leading the blind is now forever relegated to the dustbin of understated aphorisms.
9
Oratory will not do it. Hitler was a great orator. Obama was a great orator, but his oratory did not work; it was preaching to the choir because his enemies found a way to disarm its power. Oratory, and rhetoric in general, is a form of advertising, marketing, what we euphemistically call public relations, a value-neutral tool that can be employed for good or ill.
Jeff Flake supported most of Trump's program. He validated the theft of a Supreme Court seat, for example.
What is truly valuable is the ability to see through oratory, and this is enhanced through humor. It cheers me up that we live in a golden age of humor, where Al Franken is once again letting his dry funny show (at least, to those of us who can see such things), and avatars of Socrates vie for our attention.
If nothing else, our comics (and their large audiences) keep hope alive until somebody figures out how to get something off the ground.
14
A quiet life is good for me. Thank you for this piece. I am sometimes caught up in the commentary following the death of a famous person, "philanthropist, inventor, entrepreneur, saved the children, saved the planet, extraordinary being" and I wonder if I have missed the point of life. Then I realize that not everyone can be of that ilk. I am the peace, the calm, the quiet I crave and I am happy, that is the point of my life.
35
Giddy-up, Maggie !
11
thank you Mr Cohen and the other commentators here for warm tears. yes warm tears come easier with each passing day. feels nice.
6
Once again, a very well put and apt column...I'm 61 years old and value my health above everything else in life. Here in the Northeast, we've enjoyed 10 degree above normal temps for the past 5 weeks and many of our trees are still green or just beginning to turn to the vibrant colors associated with the beginning of October. I'm visiting my 88 year old mother in northern NJ for the weekend and there is wonderful park with a 1.2 mile running path around its perimeter a little more than a half mile from her home. I actually played high school soccer and tennis there lo those many years ago. But today I ran 3 laps around the park and was able to stare at the magnificent trees in various stages of their beauty and once again was very thankful for the health and freedom that enabled me to exercise in a wonderful setting. Yes, there are still good things out there.
14
Thank you for your bittersweet observations. I will enjoy a beautiful walk home tonight limping.....
10
Consumed by the cult of success, we have forgotten the simple pleasures of life that make life purposeful. What compounds the problem is the obsession with all things digital. Only yesterday I was walking on our beautiful campus on a honey-hued autumn day and guess what I saw: almost all the students were looking down on their smartphones, furiously texting as if the fate of the earth depended on their frivolous, misspelled missives! They were oblivious to the grace of the dark-eyed juncos and the playful finches right in front of their eyes. Let Einstein's wisdom come to the rescue yet again: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed."
114
Surely some of those students were taking selfies with the beautiful trees behind them. Autumn, preserved in the cloud forever.
3
Sunsets and my wife are still beautiful and more than I have any right to expect.
35
"“Start worrying. Details to follow.”"
LOL! I don't know if you have to be Jewish to fully appreciate that, but it doesn't hurt!
As far as Einstein's aphorism, I don't know if I fully buy into that. It's really dependent on how you define or process your own "joy", as joy is not a tangible, external "constant". Even as the most brilliant physicist ever, apparently he was not above doling out some greeting card quality philosophy.
But hey, I agree with John McCain, America is still on top, here to stay and the envy of the world, no matter what anybody says.
Any country that could birth a company with the slogan "Wings, Beer, Sports" will always be number 1!
14
My warmest thanks for this beautiful column. If more writers -- and more of the talking heads on TV -- focused, as Mr. Cohen does here, on what makes life worth living instead of the latest outrage, I firmly believe the world would immediately change for the better. Garbage in, garbage out -- beauty in, beauty out.
5
Just reading this column is restorative. Thanks.
10
There's not a single thing in one of Roger's more poetic columns that Trump would ever get. That's part of what makes them so delicious.
10
And also, to paraphrase one of his limited vocabulary's favorite expressions, so sad!
5
Your writing is gorgeous. Always. Thank you.
7
So, Mr. Cohen, now you've moved on from red wine to martinis at dusk? That can't be a good sign for democracy.
2
It's always nice to get reminders like this. Most people do, in fact, want to do the right thing, even though it might be less "newsworthy". I often think of something Fred Rogers, of "Neighborhood" fame once said. When he was a young boy, he was distressed by something bad that had happened, and had asked his mother why people do those kinds of things. She told him not to focus on those that did the bad thing, but to focus on the people who rush in to help. "There's always those that help", she said. So true.
4
It'll be interesting to see how Jeff Flake and Bob Corker vote, as they're gonna be in Congress for another year and more, and I think--well, I hope--that they just declared war.
Otherwise, yep. Modest life, even if you're famous for some reason. And keep your powder dry, and do some election work next year, and vote.
Oh, and don't watch the news more than you have to.
6
I wouldn't mind laughing before I'm incinerated by this madman,however I'd
Prefer a quieter death and one not brought on by the totally incompetent,
Ignorant,arrogant,self agrandizeing,human bully in the White House.Just my own choice mind you.Somebody wake Congress the hell up.You can't cut taxes if your dead.
20
Why is Senator Flake anyone's hero? Suppose Patrick Henry had said "give me liberty or give me death, which is why I am resigning and going home"?
9
I am unhappy about flakes voting record and hold him responsible for his part in bringing 45 into our lives, but he gave up all hope of re-election when he spoke out against 45. But at least he spoke out. The craven, spineless band in congress who may agree with him put their interests and those of their slave-holder donors above the interests of the country,
5
Roger, an amazing man, citizen of the world, who offers us a timely reminder to stop and look around us. Life is good. Sure, the never ending pursuit of liberal democracy as the answer to the world's political future requires "constant unrest" -- we can't just sit back and not be engaged. But, as Einstein knew (eloquently told us by Roger), and what we all know as human beings, real "joy" is another pursuit that we need to grab a bit of each day. I'd love to sit down someday and enjoy that martini with Roger, or better yet a nice South African wine.
6
“The Prophet” is a book I read when I was young. I find that when I am confused or incomplete, I return to it.
On Death
Then Almitra spoke, saying, We would ask now of death.
And he said:
You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the health of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; and like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance
9
I love your writing. Please carry on. It helps me to do likewise.
12
Roger Cohen does not fail to make to make me laugh and cry. He reminds me of the deep joys of being human, one of the best being the connection felt through the written word.
7
Where are the petitions and petitioners, asking us to lend out support for throwing this scum of a man out of the highest office in the land?
Can not, We, the People, impeach a President?
12
In Cohen's attempt to be insightful he fails miserably...
3
Why?
2
Mr. Cohen is thoughtful as always.
His essay recalling for mel Dr. Pangloss in Candide who was always looking for the best in this best of all possible worlds.
I think it is becoming clear that the worlds is lurching towards a more authoritarian model and parallels can be credibly drawn between now and the early 20th century. It would be a mistake to overlook the threat that Trump and a complicit congress pose to our democracy and way of life--regardless of whether a few republican senators-- liberated and heterodox for one reason or another--have chosen to speak up.
There is danger ahead and we would be wise to heed the wind in the wires.
15
America always needs an anglo star any one will do. I know that Flake wrote a book critical of trump which was the beginning of trump’s focus to get rid of him. Well and good.After his decision to not run foe reelection, he has the book and the speech to certify his feelings about trump. Well and Good. Whst’s Really important about Flake is that he is a republican that fully supported their agenda, on the outside of his feelings about trump. Cohen should have cited his voting record. That would give me a clearer idea of what kind of man Flake really is.
7
Thank you, Roger Cohen, for this extremely fine column. I also thank all the commenters whose sentiments echo yours and mine. Years ago a Times science reporter wrote a book about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. It was called "We Are Not Alone." I am always glad to know that I am far from alone here on Earth in feeling both despair and hope every day.
13
Yes it is easy to be distracted and depressed by all of the noise around us. So much of it is noise for noise sake. There is much to be said for quiet, had we had some before the election my guess is that the results would have been very different.
11
Thank you Mr. Cohen, a very thoughtful article. Worth reading and keeping your thoughts in mind. Your analysis is true, we keep competing day after day; and start all over again on the following day. Hopefully we have learned something from the battle we lead in our daily life.
Maria, Tucson, Arizona.
7
What a refreshing perspective on life! Thank you.
15
I have been so depressed these past few weeks. I was watching scenes of the noble people of Puerto Rico struggling to survive and thinking of our coarse response: sending the president of the United States to remind the traumatized citizens of their debt and then tossing paper towels at them. I started crying. It feels so hopeless and tragic that we are in this cruel thoughtless time. How did this happen?
It helps to remember that there have been other extreme times. It helps to laugh - not at politics - I laugh at my grandchildren racing on the still wet morning grass or my terrier herding the cat away from his bowl, the birds furiously bathing in the water dish out back. Silly things that somehow aren't silly at all.
Thank you for this piece. It is human and gentle and true. Things I have been missing lately. Resist.
241
I WANT a quite, modest life. I dream of being left alone, uninterrupted in my soothing routines, my checklists, my weekly calls to elderly relatives. Their litany's of medical appointments, new prescriptions, weird neighbors are entertaining and so NORMAL. However, this Regime threatens even this modest life. An old, nasty, spiteful Man could destroy us all, literally with the push of a button. Someone please stop this insanity, before HE stops us all. Permanently.
61
Make that " old, nasty, spiteful Men".
6
So why am I still depressed? I think it has something to do with reading newspapers, even when I agree whole-heartedly. Maybe I'm missing the point and need to re-read this article a few more times, because I'm interpreting it as urging us to whistle on our way to the gallows, to put our heads in the sand as others are shoved out of society's vehicle and left to wither and die at the sides of the roads. I am not unhappy for myself because I have it pretty good -- good health, reasonable safety from violence, a decent place to live in a beautiful and vibrant city, a supportive community, and access to an abundant array of food choices. What else could I possibly need? But how can I rejoice in my own good luck when others are being shut out?
54
Thank you, Pat.....my feelings exactly.
6
So why is Sen Flake leaving? Saying the right thing but running away does no one any good.
19
18% approval rating!
3
There is still a lot of good out there, even in the red states and even in Trump country, contrary to what the elites, particularly in the media, would have you believe. We just have to look for it and listen to all of our neighbors, not just those who agree with us. If the elites of both parties had really listened, we would not be in our current mess.
4
Who are these "elites" you are talking about? Can you define that a bit better for us? Because many people consider educated people "elites," and others have other definitions. I'd like to know. I am a person who came from a working-class background, with parents who did not go to college, and grandparents who worked in the fields. I went to college and earned graduate degrees. Would you consider me an elite? Because I certainly don't. I do, however, think that education is the ticket out of the working class to a better life. My parents were determined that I would do better than they did, that I would go to college and better my life through education. It worked. I earn three times what my father earned during the peak working years of his life, and my circle of friends are people who are educated, well spoken, thoughtful, and compassionate. Most were not born with silver spoons in their mouths. They got where they are through higher education. Are they elite?
15
Dear Mr. Cohen although you are composing a pretty tune to console us, please re member you may be playing it as you pass through a graveyard. I grew up in Fascist Italy as a child and my parents provided a rich and happy household with beauties of Italy all around. Unfortunately, we awoke in Sept of 1938 to the realization that our paradise, because we were Jews, had melted, leading to eventual departure and life in America. I cannot but fear that the basis of our lives here may be on quicksand rather than Democrcy's greenery.
15
Oh, the Germans are SO principled. That's why they have good (fair as can be) health care and a relatively healthy environment. Thank goodness for Mom Merkel.
http://www.thecriticalmom.blogspot.com
8
Thank you for the beautiful article Mr. Cohen and thank you to the people who have written such lovely comments this morning.
21
I'd go a step further and say a life led privately, but shared with close friends and family is better than a life led publicly and shared wantonly on social media.
21
Some of the everyday pleasures to be savored in the changing of season stems from the changing of the quality (and quantity) of light.
The autumn morning light entered my bathroom window and changed the CPAP clear mask into something luminous from within.
The lyrics to Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York" come to mind:
"Autumn in New York
can make the slums look like Mayfair."
Light--and reflections--work their magic and, if you're lucky, you capture it as an image or in memory...and smile.
12
There you go again. I can count on you at least once a year to write a superb column, to make me smile, to make me almost cry with your vision of what is to come and what is already here. Thank you.
17
Of all the virtues, I put gratitude near or at the top... and I am grateful to you, Mr. Cohen, for your gentle, beautiful, and funny essay. Thank you.
34
"The Consolation of Philosophy" but consider the circumstances that inspired it!
3
Happy Friday! Sometimes, no response is 10 times more powerful than a well crafted response - silence can be golden. I also loved the 'old Jewish cable' - it cracked me up!
I also appreciated John McCain's quote - I like to tell my wife that if we drink too much kool aid from either party, we can lose your focus - I firmly believe that I am American first. Every day, I remind myself to appreciate the opportunities we have.
8
It's frustrating though. I am also in the final 1/3 of life and I expected my country to grow in maturity and wisdom with me. Instead, I am deeply worried about what America has become for my teenagers who are about to become adults.
I can take respite in the moment. I sincerely do. But lately, it feels like a requiem for a lost country.
24
Roger, thank you for an excellent article in which you have pointed to the humor,courage, & wisdom that still exists in a world of demagogues, & hatred.It’s difficult to realize there still remains love & decency in the world, when we get a steady barrage of xenophobic rhetoric from the likes of this deranged man who occupies the White House.
13
Having lived with a simmering vibration of mild panic in my gut since the inauguration, I truly did need a column like this. My self-vision is shattered - I never before thought myself capable of hate and I keep trying to redefine what I feel into something more palatable, and to remember to hate the sin and not the sinner. And yet, there it is. I loathe this administration, and everything it stands for, because even the things that sound good (better cheaper healthcare, tax cuts for the middle class) are all fake. And the things that sound bad are so awful.
If focusing on the glass half full, the beauty of a golden Indian summer, the simple pleasures sprinkled throughout my gritty urban life will soothe me enough to function and be purposeful, so be it. I have had a brush with mortality in the last year (Stage 1 breast cancer) and lost a beloved relative all too young (67) to pancreatic cancer. When I last saw her she held her granddaughter in her lap, and we spoke not of the sad ending hovering ahead but of the simple joys of grand-parenting and the little girl's exciting first days in Kindergarten.
Maybe choosing to dwell (not blindly but defiantly) in the realm of blessings and beauty as much as possible is a parallel form of resistance to the brutal ugliness of Trumpism, like a rising above or an outwitting. I will not wallow in your "American carnage" sir. I will revel in my hard fought freedom to see what is good and glorious, hopeful and enduring.
163
America was found on the pursuit of happiness. End the pursuit, end the happiness.
Before Trump's 4-8 years are done, nothing American - the Dream, the Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature, the Health, Education and Welfare, the Military, the Media ... will remain the same. Either gone, or be a shadow of their ere self.
Broken roads and broken homes, falling bridges and rotting infrastructure, decimated neighborhoods, polluted drinking water, disappearing industry. Trump is the child who shouts that Emperor has no clothes – that our Socratic Republic – the government of the people, for the people, of the people - has morphed into a Democracy, the rule of the Demos, the 5% (nay 1%) moneyed males who rule over the rest – women, plebs, slaves, and ready to poison any brave thinking man into silence.
Lament for a nation.
6
There will not be 8 years of trump! Even a few repubs I know are shell-shocked at what they have done and will not make the same mistake again. Hope that goes for the bernie bros and those who hold their vote lightly.
3
Certainly Einstein would have been appalled at what this fetched. He was grounded in the very real world of physics and I believe that this global goat-rodeo we live in now would not have been to his liking.
3
actually it was all albert's fault.....why did he have to be so smart?
A quite life knows that silence is golden...unless it makes you complicit by accepting injustice without speaking up, defending those that cannot defend themselves from 'evil'. There is a saying that 'if you have to brag about something, there is nothing to brag about'. But I digress. A quiet and modest life is most successful if we can exercise 'prudence' as our guide: do the right thing in spite of it being difficult, hazardous or inconvenient, as peace of mind is of the essence. Just look at our "ugly American" in the WH, insecure and immature, crooked lying Trump, must be pitied, as he seems so conflicted with himself, an empty shell trying to fill it up with hate and derision; the opposite of prudence, plain stupidity (and A. Einstein said it is always in ample supply).
1
Thank you for your writing and your thoughts. These are difficult times, and we must hold tight to beauty, right, goodness, justice, kindness and decency. We must be quiet and not brash. We must be noble and strong. And we must have gratitude and contentment. We will get through these crazy times. Trump is a symptom of a deep seated inability of some Americans to correctly situate themselves through the eons of history and the geopolitical landscape of the globe. I do hope that the destruction that is being wrought will be well worth the sacrifices that are being made. I do hope that we will a be able look ourselves in the mirror at the end of all this an be finer and better for it. For now, yes take comfort in the quiet beauty of nature. Remember that the majority of humanity is peace loving and not war mongering. And pray, pray for peace, peace for all mankind, peace for mother nature and all of her creations, peace for our children and their children .. and on and on.
6
To see beauty all around you, I highly recommend photography. No, not the deep technical dive into the intricate details of how cameras work, which F-stop you need along with a particular shutter speed to get a great photo. Not that. Cameras are so automatic now that they can defeat the intentions of the photographer, but that automatic character also means that you don't have to be a technical expert with ten years of deep training. Just get out there and shoot. Have fun.
There world is not what most people think it is. Most of us, are so busy that we don't have time to actually see what is around us. When I go out doing photos of an evening, hundreds of cars are speeding down the roads nearby. Dinner awaits, an evening with family or television to enjoy/endure, no one has time to just observe. Meanwhile, there is all this beauty served up, free for the asking, if anyone would just take the time, even a moment, to pause and notice it.
Not long ago, I happened to be in Texas after hurricane Harvey. The sun was going down, conveniently in the west (as it often does, did you know?). Photographers hate darkness and the glomming of the evening coming on means "give up, go inside". I looked down at my feet (Hill Country, outside Austin) and there was this most striking cactus plant. The beauty came to me, as it often does, just by waiting and watching.
You can see the photo and a few others here: https://fineartamerica.com/artists/doug+terry
4
But why should we be reduced to this??
2
Thank you for this exceptionally well-written, well-reflected, calming contemplation.
4
Woody Allen used to end his standup routine by saying: I'd like to leave on a positive note, but I can't. Will you take two negatives?
It kills at math conferences.
8
Thanks! Had been getting a little teary reading this op-ed and responses, but you made me laugh.
5
thank you
6
Note to NYT: while I realize this is Op Ed, we need more articles in the main news section that focus as Cohen's does on the those striving to elevate our existence. Of course we need investigative journalism to expose the egregious doings of those in power, but there is so much space currently devoted to a frenzy of "can you believe this?" journalism that I can hardly bear to read anymore. There is always hope on the horizon, always individuals and organizations fighting for the common good. In all our best interests, please seek to identify more of it, and publish it.
2
Thank you for this wonderful piece! "Start worrying. Details to follow." Reminds me of election night. We didn't know exactly what was coming but we knew it was going to be bad.
While I would like to follow Einstein's advice and try to with small measures of success, I feel that quiet is something I can not be right now. The daily outrage is sometimes just that and need not be commented on or railed against. And yet We must speak up every time there is the now predictable assault upon human decency, equality and justice for All.
I wish in the last quarter of my life I could just enjoy my family but with the increasing possibility of going broke over my healthcare on the personal side and the determined movement to marginalize and expel my fellow Americans on the other, I feel compelled to speak out and more.
9
I'm trying not to "just shrug." But for someone like me, an anxious soul even in good times, it is very difficult.
5
The best moment? September 1964, the plane circling over New York in the late afternoon sun allowing a twice repeated view of the Statue of Liberty giving me a personal welcome to the USA as an immigrant!
A few moments of sadness familiar to all of a certain age for loss of life and limiting accidents of the fullness of it.
And then recently a realisation sad and liberating at the same time: at the end of a vacation on the plane just leaving Miami on the day of the inauguration of Trump....... going back to my country thinking that after all 45 was not my president!
7
Your columns are a joy to read, Mr. Cohen and a challenge to live them. The furies have been unleashed. My best hope is that healing will emerge in their wake.
Meanwhile, the simplest things seem to take on new meaning. Collecting star shaped pine cones, brushing the dogs, laughing at Mash reruns and rejoicing in the kindness of strangers.
Man plans and God laughs. Certainly, start worrying, details to follow is a sign of the times; one I had a leg up on before this year's daily barrages inflicted us. Bless you for your soulful reminders which bring needed relief.
4
You've done it again, Mr. Cohen. Crystal clearness from a 21st century fog wrought from wrong thinking. Thank you.
4
Thanks for a brief positive break from the profound sadness that surrounds us.
8
Lovely, lovely column. Thank you for it.
6
Or as Thucydides said, "history is a wheel kept revolving by excess of power". The trouble is I may not live to see "moron" swept from power. Where is Doctor Kervorkian when you need him?
6
I needed this column today. I am writing my memoir via a collection of essays which has provided the opportunity to relive my “ quiet and modest life” focusing on what has been most important and precious to me. I am 77 and this activity has been a calming one in the midst of the current unprecedented political storm.
9
The prospect of Cem Ozdemir becoming Gerrmany's Foreign Minister is almost as scary as the election to that post of Joschka Fischer, a renowned terrorist, who became an outstanding Foreign Minister after eschewing violence.
The cheap shots at the AfD ignores the real problems caused by the U.S. obliteration of the Middle East and Germany's generosity in absorbing floods of refugees that nobody else, least of all the U.S., would accept.
3
In his continuing efforts to divide Americans by fueling hate and fear, attacking and demolishing our democratic institutions, squeezing more money from the majority of Americans living on a budget in order to give even more wealth to the wealthy, Trump has become a living embodiment of amorality, greed, avarice, tyranny, bully-ism, corruption, racism, misogyny, bigotry, and the danger of narcissism. He does the nasty all the time.
He is a hater of mankind in specific and a hater of mankind in general. He is a walking negative charge. The rest of us, positive forces, are magnetically repelled.
However, I agree, he serves the purpose of being someone no-one else wants to be or emulate. He makes all of us want to be better people because we don't want to become a Trump. We have the fear of Trump in us along with the fear of God. Americans are united under Trump as we want to prove to ourselves and others every day that we want to do good and be good. He is our boogeyman for when we fall from grace.
Once he is removed from office, Americans will be able to live without fear of their president, and his crazy words and deeds, and hopefully return to a quiet and modest life.
12
All the best pieces of writing left in the New York Times are elegiac odes to life slowly, inevitably falling into darkness. It will get so much darker still.
16
Death, the fundamental human equality.
Detail, from Nov. 2016: We ARE living in more 'interesting times.'
But thankfully with more humor...as a partial antidote. Thank you, immigrants and refugees!
And another fine column. Thanks Roger C.!
6
My pup thanks you for your advice: he enjoyed the hugs, at 2:25 am, on another sleepless, trump-troubled, night. Worrying was never my style: practical, pragmatic, no procrastination....but now I can barely get the dishes done. My long-awaited years of quiet, peaceful, puttering retirement in tatters. I know, get a grip...but it keeps repeating in my head, "Christ, you know it ain't easy, you know how hard it can be, the way things are going....".
3
"Day after day peace is still dying, but not yet dead, between Israelis and Palestinians. Nothing dies easily these days."
For something to die or be in the process of dying, it first has to live, to be alive. Just when was there peace between Israel and the Palestinians who turned down every peace overture, even before 1948 and joined in attacking Israel even before the State was established. So what peace is dying?
You might though mention those Palestinians who made peace with the State, remained there and are Israeli citizens. They might have legitimate complaints and concerns, but they have peace.
If you mention Micha Shagrir, you should also mention his wife Aliza, murdered in Paris in a 1980 terrorist attack outside a Paris synagogue. Her chance at peace was cut down pretty quickly.
6
Bravo Joshua. I've been trying to convince the Times blogger sphere that there will never ever be peace between Israelis and Palestinians for years without much success. The Mid East peace process died a long time ago. Time to bury this dead horse once and for all.
Thanks, Mr. Cohen. What's going to cheer me up for a while is sharing your thoughts with as many as possible.
3
Oh my Roger, you have written another gen. Thank you for your wisdom. Though these times seem to present the greatest challenge to our sense of equilibrium, we can take solace and encouragement from your perspective.
3
Dear Roger Cohen - our existence is quickening, as you put it. We`re counting our sweet and bitter moments of life now. This week, Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake - brave and true patriots - spoke volumes about our democracy and its failure under President Trump, though they didn`t mention his name (his gilt brand). Einstein wrote a tip for a waiter in 1922 - `a quiet and modest life brings more joy than...constant unrest...in pursuit of success.` We can`t take gold or digital success - social media `friends`- into the dying of the light, into the grave. Let`s celebrate life! Is that all there is? as Peggy lee sang in America`s heyday. Yes, let`s dance! as David Bowie passionately inspired and urged us.
2
Thank you.....
3
What a stunning piece of writing & one I will read again & again. This is just the inspiration I need to get me through these interesting days.
3
Einstein: “A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.”
Modern times seem to allow only pursuit of success bound with constant unrest. Vastly increasing population. Vastly interconnected, communication system world. Extroverted, determined living. The capacity for a quiet life, solitude, is diminished--you increasingly have to earn your way to solitude, are given solitude the more you are worth solitude. And modesty is not likely to earn you solitude. Rather modesty just places you in position of disadvantage. You cannot afford to be modest. You have to step up, fight loudly for place where if you are successful might be one of the choice places you can kick your feet up on the desk and enjoy some quiet. But of course because you were one of the clamorous ones in the first place you are not likely to be given to the solitude you have earned, rather you scheme in all sorts of ways to improve life for everybody which does not include the possibility of solitude for anyone.
Probably the last thing you want to reveal to people today is that you enjoy solitude, quiet. That you're modest they can easily stand: One more person that does not need to be competed against; hooray for the modest man! But to mention you like peace and quiet, well...my current situation is living with a relative who every single morning must play a piece of music called "Solitude" followed by "Sound of Silence"...Never reveal your love of solitude.
1
When Trump is at it again, which is almost always, I remind myself that this too shall pass.
6
Gracious thoughts expressed gracefully. How comforting to find words of optimism at a time when it would seem the political chaos and outright cruelty and arrogance demonstrated daily in D.C. would foretell the demise of our great nation.
5
Of course, if all else fails, consider the moments of beauty in your life.
This reader takes comfort in contemplating a recently deceased Dutch philosopher's take on death - No worries! Because while your death may cause others to grieve over their loss (especially if you were one of the good ones), it's positively one hundred percent guaranteed to leave you cold!
4
"It was the people, who somehow, walked as an upright menace to her. Her life at this time was unformed, palpitating, essentially shrinking from all touch. She gave something to other people, but she was never herself, since she had no self. She was not afraid nor ashamed before trees, and birds and the sky. But she shrank violently from people, ashamed she was not as they were, fixed, emphatic, but a wavering, undefined sensibility only, without form or being'. - D. H. Lawrence (The Rainbow)
Thank you, Mr. Cohen, for this moment of tenderness.
7
While reading this I was under the mistaken assumption that it was written by David Brooks. So when I went to read the comments I was prepared for the usual onslaught of criticisms his columns unfailingly engender. But no! All nine comments (so far) were appreciative ones. Double-checked the author and had my answer. But, dear reader, here is the question: Why? Why the unanimously positive response to Mr. Cohen, when I'm sure that if Mr. Brooks had indeed written it, as he might have, my computer screen would now be on fire? Perhaps some kind soul among you can render an explanation.
1
Mr. Brooks has been a bit contrite recently in his writings, since trump put an end to his absolute defense of the undefendable republicans who hated President Obama.
3
Roger Cohen's column was badly needed by this commenter who had already printed and posted it on the kitchen bulletin board for easy access and frequent rereading.
5
The perfect rebuke of this AfD guys would be if Angela Merkel's party CDU, and even more it's Bavarian sister party CSU would stop parroting AfD's core thesis that the refugees are such a big, and Germany's main problem, that they will cost us so much economically, they will spike the crime rate, they will take over our country ... blablabla, since - besides all compassion, and human obligation issues - the facts/numbers tell us, this is nonsense. According to the CSU (short for "Christian Social Union"; note the obvious hypocrisy) we can take in only 200.000 refugees, and the 200.001st guy should be left to perish down at the fence set up by their fascistoid friend, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.
By the way: The AfD got about one eighth of the vote in Germany. So, as bad as it is, and as appalled I personally am, they were shown, they are not representing a silent majority. Interesting enough: They were most successful in the districts with the smallest immigrant populations.
P.S.: To avoid misunderstandings: I personally am perfectely fine with Cem Özdemir as foreign minister. He is a reasonable, no-nonsense guy, who is able to distinguish perfectly well between his Turkish roots, and the actual situation in the state of Turkey. That's why he is top of Turkish president's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's hate list.
3
Roger Cohen has a particular gift for finding lovely words for unlovely times.
7
"Albert Einstein wrote in German" - what a surprise! That was his mother tongue, and - I guess - the language he predominately thought in for his entire live. That's e.g. why the term "spooky action at a distance" is rather bulky, whereas the German original "spukhafte Fernwirkung" goes through rather smooth.
2
". . . the daily sundering of our country . . . the flagrant disregard for truth and decency . . ."
Thank you, Mr. Flake, for your words of poetry, but how do you plan to use your remaining time in the Senate? Will you vote for the obscene tax bill? Will you continue to support the president as he destroys all plans to overturn measures that would save the planet? Will you grow a conscience and actually oppose this country's new dictator?
Actions are harder than words. Any kid on a playground knows that words won't stop a bully.
4
Thanks, Roger. Your words are one of those precious moments of beauty.
5
If one wants to see a tiny ray of sunshine in the midst of all this darkness, visit the Costco in Kew Gardens, Queens. There you will see Latinos, Asians, Russians, Indians, Muslims, African Americans, Orthodox Jews and others peacefully roaming the aisles, shoulder to shoulder. There are very few things that make me feel patriotic and a little bit hopeful. This is one of them.
180
Reminds me of something I have often related to people, a quote I love from Roger Cohen: New York City is a miracle of civility. May not be an exact quote but the sentiment is exact...and true. I grew up in small town northern Michigan and never understood why I was surrounded by hundreds of miles of white people (nothing against white people, I am one). I moved to NYC at age 22 because it just made sense to me, the scene of the Costco in Kew Gardens, this is how the world should be. In my heart I believe most people agree. It is a small minority globally causing us all this torment.
9
The very best choice I ever made in my life was marrying-up with a woman who
-- in addition to being good looking and a far nicer person than me -- was in fundamental agreement with me on things that matter like work, money and children. We have never aimed at much together besides going to work, paying the bills, saving up for later and getting the kids through school. Always plenty of books, concerts, plays, walks on the beach and dogs and cats, but no fancy vacations or cars or expensive restaurants, no big-screen TV, no big house, very little in the way of parties or a night-life. I had a few years of chasing after that kind of life in my twenties and that was enough for me. Not wanting it all or needing too much has worked out well for me.
138
It is hard to be a vigilant stoic, but sanity sometimes requires belief in a contradiction.
Plato emphasized that for something to exist it must have an opposite. While the argument doesn't pass logical examination in the physical word, it seems to be true in the metaphysical world. Political thought is subject to Newton's law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (which was highlighted by Marx's thesis, antithesis and synthesis political theory). Conflict drives change. We must be the reaction so we must be vigilant, but we must also have the longer view of the stoic of we will burn out our ability to resist before we even allow ourselves a turn at the voting booths.
1
Thanks for the uplift Mr. Cohen, pulling in humor, wisdom, and examples of good arising to counter negative forces. You may know of this fresh example of the latter. Wednesday in Italy, to counter soccer fans' prior displays of anti-semitism on t-shirts bearing the debased image of Anne Frank, these words from Anne Frank's diary were read over loudspeakers before soccer games: “I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.” Her cherished moments of beauty and hope become ours. Copies of her diary were distributed to young soccer fans.
10
There are so many wonderful moments in this piece. Scattered throughout are quotes by wise and famous people in history, but it's the words of Cohen himself that ring most clearly. He is of our time, speaks to our pain, and points the way with grace and quiet humor to the beauty in our live
I think I need to read Roger Cohen, perhaps David Brooks, and a smattering of Bret Stephens and no one else for a little while. They speak to my better angels who drift away when I join the fray and but come home without prejudice when I call upon them.
It feels like Sunday today. Thank you Roger Cohen.
15
The most poetic, beautiful and profound article I've read in a long time. The power of metaphor...Yep, you were visited by a muse this morning, Roger. Thanks muse!
19
When in doubt, always defer to the brilliant wisdom of the Jewish genius who fled Ayran psychopaths of fascist Germany.
Albert Einstein helped organize a non-partisan group that stood against fascism.
Einstein, his family, and his secretary left Germany in 1933 and he renounced his German citizenship and separated himself from all German institutions he had worked with and announced that he would not return to Germany.
Einstein stood against the Nazis and said this as he and his family moved to the USA in 1933:
“I shall live in a land where political freedom, tolerance, and equality of all citizens reign.”
That didn't stop the reign of Hitler, but it eventually Made America Great Again with the addition of a genius immigrant, diversity and America's eventual contribution to punching German white supremacy in the face and stuffing it in a dark closet for a few decades.
More Albert Einstein wisdom:
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
"For me the Jewish religion - like all others - is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."
Let's Make The United States of Albert Einstein Great Again.
262
"For me the Jewish religion -- like all others -- is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."
Thank you, Socrates. It is sad to observe any serious publication constantly ramming religion down our throats. And by that I mean ANY religion. This is the 21st Century, for Heaven's sake.
As John Lennon once wrote: "Imagine no religion ................". It really ISN'T 'hard to do' .............
16
One of my favorites:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
Aint (!) it the truth...
5
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
Understanding is the booby prize in life. Acceptance is a better goal. Peace!
Thanks for the uplift Mr. Cohen, pulling in humor, wisdom, and examples of good arising to counter negative forces. You may know of this fresh example. Wednesday in Italy, to counter soccer fans' prior displays of anti-semitism on t-shirts bearing the image of Anne Frank, these words from Anne Frank's diary were read over loudspeakers before soccer games: “I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.” Her cherished moments of beauty and hope become ours. Copies of her diary were distributed to young soccer fans.
13
As I write, I am listening to the woodpecker who resides in my back yard rhythmic, rooftop tapping. She is offering one of nature's early morning jazz concertos accentuating the first snowfall of the season here in Minnesota. To honor her music and your musings, I share Anne Lamott's poignant and hopeful words which come to mind after reading this insightful essay. " Often, we have moments of understanding when we are deteriorating faster than we can lower our standards." "Truth is always a paradox." Namaste.
7
My existence quickened somewhat when Bernie ran for president. It was a time of hope. Come to think of it, it's still a time of hope.
5
And Winston Churchill said, several times, "Never give up!" Thanks for this column, which made me laugh. "Start worrying. Details to follow." reminds me of my dear husband.
20
Thank you Cohen. Never stop writing.
29
Oh, how I relish the idea of being a first time grandmother soon, at age 67! I am told by experienced grandmas that we are getting the better end of the bargain. I feel a sense of excitement and peace, of something gentle and innocent ahead. Unfortunately, these thoughts are, at times, tempered by thoughts of wondering what kind of world this child will grow up in, considering the current political climate. Will there be someone who is making decisions who will value the importance of this future life as much as I do?
43
In response to your comment...I will also be a first time grandmother at the age of 66. I actually did not think either of my kids would have children. I was at peace with it...now I find myself anxious about what lies ahead for this child. My "quiet and modest life" may become kind of wild and crazy!
4
Best wishes and enjoy!
3
Thank you for this beautiful piece. I pulled out my copies of Marcus Aurelius and Montaigne just after reading it. So much inner piece to be gained from the stoic, meditative life!
22
A welcome and wonderful column. Thank you! It would make a wonderful sermon at any religious celebration this weekend.
30
Thank you, Mr. Cohen, for this beautiful piece, and for the wonderful jokes it contains that, in spite of the daily deluge of insults coming out of Washington (and, to be fair, elsewhere), had me roaring. Yes, the Republicans are scheming to give billions more to the billionaires (and take Medicaid away from the poor to pay for it), but as I look up, I see the morning sun electrifying the reds, oranges and yellows of the remaining leaves. So we will continue to resist, hopeless though it seems at times. And for me it helps to remember the words of Meister Eckhart: "If the only prayer you ever say in your life is 'thank you', it will suffice."
150
I can remember three moments of beauty and wonder in my life. First and foremost, the birth of my daughter who has grown up to be successful on her own. Then, the wonder as I noticed a small caterpillar inching its way up the rock scree near the summit of Mount Washington--what persistence! Lastly, the near silent accompaniment and true beauty of two dolphins accompanying the boat I needed to use to cross Guantanamo Bay in the dead of night.
Now I am glad to have banked these memories since the pall of this time requires me to draw on this account to keep perspective and sanity.
75
There are times when words are both our armor and our swords. Those that endure spring from the finer instincts of the human spirit and enable us to, "consider the moments of beauty" in our lives. They also give us the courage to soldier on against the, "regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals." Thank you Mr. Cohen.
34
A beautifully written piece. People should get paid for writing stuff like this. But I must say, I feel like I just read a eulogy where the speaker was trying to comfort the audience after experiencing a tremendous loss. I am somewhat comforted, but the loss remains. Our country is dying. The Brexit definition identifies the disease:
“The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
Because of this disease, as I am now in the last 1/3 of life, my goals would be best served by following Einstein's advice.
“A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.”
I would be saving myself a lot of trouble by trying to just get by and be satisfied with that. Unfortunately, just getting by is going to be very hard to do because of:
“The undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed.”
232
Robert Mueller III is undoubtedly in the last third of his life too. There are very important members of the Supreme Court who are in the last tenth of their lives.
A quiet and modest life is indeed an admirable thing. But in trying times like these, if you feel the need to fight what's going on, just do what you feel needs to be done. Remember Granny D, the woman who walked across the United States about 15 years ago (I believe her cause was tax reform, which oh well....). She was 90 when she finished that walk and she lived another 10 years after that.
5
Truly thought- provoking although my thoughts are provoked in multiple incongruous directions. I guess my quick takeaway is that it is up to each of us to find our peace with the world and so much of the world will not be an ally in this quest. If only I could recapture my good humor, which has abandoned me in these Trumpian times.
39
"To love mercy, to do justice, to walk humbly." This is a lovely essay, singing the the simple pleasures of gratitude, grace, and depth. "Strive to be happy."
53
thank you - this remarkable predicament is all that we have, so we may as well enjoy as much as we can.
23
I had one of those moments a few mornings ago hearing the call of an owl as I stepped outside in the very early hours: oo-oo--oo-oo---oo-oo--oo-ooooooo....The last hoot in an extended descending note. I can just begin to imagine the Owl Symphony Beethoven might have wrought from such a French horn intro. But yes - those moments of beauty seem more precious and wondrous than ever in the midst of such ominously wayward times. The still small voice never more needed to be heard as the mad rush to nowhere continues.
122
A beautifully written column that evokes the resilience of the human spirit and reminds me of the opening lines from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities": "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times...." In many ways, Americans have good reason to view the future with optimism. Despite contrary trends, most of us live longer, healthier lives. Even those of modest income enjoy a standard of living far beyond the expectations of the post-WWII generation, often considered the most fortunate group of Americans in history.
We do face stiff challenges in the form of the mass incarceration of young black and Hispanic men, along with widespread prejudice against people of the Muslim faith. The very controversy surrounding those problems, however, suggests that increasing numbers of Americans are demanding that we finally deal with these ancient evils.
But the need for resilience stems from the grim reality that the rise of Trump may herald the longterm decline of America as a democracy. The growing economic inequality that has eroded trust in our political and economic systems paved the way for his electoral victory and thereby exposed the disconnect between our governing elites and the people they pledged to serve.
We stand at a pivotal point in our history. Our future depends in large part on whether we recognize Trump as a symptom of deeper problems or convince ourselves that his defeat will end our current discontent. Resilience is vital, but so is honesty.
107
A lovely meditation, Mr. Cohen. Thank you. All is not dead in winter; the leaves that were young and green gave way to an arc of splendor that haunts us after the fall, but the branch is art, too, and we see the sky now reveals the sun, and there is much to be done in the garden.
151
And thank you, Kris, for capturing the essence of Cohen's column in a single exquisite sentence.
6