Thursday thought: impenetrable things

This morning, in an attempt to remove my mind from the political nonsense, I am pondering the impenetrable things that count.  And what better way to do than with a poem by Dana Gioia?

Do Not Expect by Dana Gioia

Do not expect that if your book falls open
to a certain page, that any phrase
you read will make a difference today,
or that the voices you might overhear
when the wind moves through the yellow-green
and golden tent of autumn, speak to you.

Things ripen or go dry. Light plays on the
dark surface of the lake. Each afternoon
your shadow walks beside you on the wall,
and the days stay long and heavy underneath
the distant rumor of the harvest. One
more summer gone,
and one way or another you survive,
dull or regretful, never learning that
nothing is hidden in the obvious
changes of the world, that even the dim
reflection of the sun on tall, dry grass
is more than you will ever understand.

And only briefly then
you touch, you see, you press against
the surface of impenetrable things.

Wednesday with somene else's words...

I have no new photos to post, so instead I offer Dave Ramsey's thoughts on the Affordable Care Act:

Wednesday without words

Sonnet LXXIII

I am preparing today to teach my little composition class about the Shakespearean sonnet tomorrow, and I can't wait.  There are, of course, some sonnets that 13 and 14 year olds can't entirely appreciate.  Their life experience is simply not deep or broad enough yet.  But I hope to build the beginnings of appreciation in them.  I am enjoying contemplating Will's Sonnet 73.  But I am not sure I really understood it until recently:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou see'st the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west,

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.

This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

I hope you will enjoy contemplating it as well, Gentle Reader.

Five for Friday

On this first (and hopefully, but unlikely, last) Friday of government shutdown, I offer five things our government ought to do, but does not. And if we hit another Friday, I will try to offer five things our government ought not to do, but does...

1. Pass a yearly budget.  But, of course, that would mean making actual decisions and putting it down in writing for posterity.  Better to pass a series of continuing resolutions, avoid those tough decisions, and enjoy the limelight of the media-feeding-frenzy and name-calling and dysfunction that a shut down can bring.

2. Spend within its means. People of good intent can disagree on with how our money ought to be spent. But does anyone outside of ivory-towered Keynsians or high-ranking government officials really think going into ever-increasing debt as a nation is a good idea?  It does not take a rocket scientist to know that it can be fun to run up debt in the short-term, but devastating in the long-term. 

3. Pass laws that apply to all.  It only seems reasonable that if you are going to pass a law for your constituents, it ought to apply to you as well, and indeed, apply to all citizens equally.  A law ought to apply to business tycoons and labor unions, rich and poor, without favoritism.  That is the only way the rule of law can actually be the rule of law.

4. Refuse to use lawful government institutions for political purposes.  No one who is lawfully paying taxes should fear the IRS.  No one should fear that the oval office will bug their campaign headquarters.  Such abuse of power should always be heinous to us and shock us.  And it should be unconsciounable to our elected officials.

5. Place the welfare of the poeple as their highest priority. I can see that our form of govenrment will of necessity require difference of opinion, and even, at times, a break down that would cause disruption in services while the differing views in this representative government work out their differences.  But when that happens, real leaders look for how to bear the brunt of the suffering themselves and spare those they serve.  They don't look for ways to shut down things that will get the most bang for the buck, despite the suffering it causes (ending NIH clinical trials for children with cancer comes to mind.)

Quite honestly, Gentle Reader, I am non-partisan in my current disgust with out "leaders", and will work to keep all of my elected officials from returning to congress. But even more than that, I am disgusted by us for putting up with them and not requiring more. 

Wednesday without words

Five for Friday

Today I'd like to share five items I have recently been enjoying listening to.  I hope you will enjoy them as well.

1. I recently completed listening to the Librivox version of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  There are such wonderful characters and plot twists in Dickens that I am always willing to put up with his occasionally annoying wordiness and repetition.  And this is a really fun story. I enjoyed it while sewing.

2. After completing the Dickens, I began listening to The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams, also from Librivox, during my sewing time.  I love his beautiful language and fascinating history so far, though I am only several chapters in. He is the great-grandson and grandson of presidents, and knew all the political and intellectual world of the Eastern seaboard at a pivotal time in history.  He writes about the changes from the 18th to 19th centuries, and his word play often makes me smile.

3. Before bedtime, Dave usually reads to me: first from Spurgeon, then from some fun novel or other.  We just finished Orson Scott Card's Earth Afire. We had listened to the first book in this series, Earth Unaware, on a recent trip.  The third book in the series is not yet out, and we likely need to wait at least a year for the end of the story-- always a bit frustrating.  These are the prequel novels to the Ender series.  We enjoyed the stories here, but were a bit dismayed by the writing.  Mr. Card had a co-author here, and I wonder if that was partially responsible, or if there is a rush to have these books out before the Ender's Game movie arrives.  Whatever the case, these are classic Card stories that are compelling, told in less-than-perfect grammar and prose that sometimes disappoint.  They have been enjoyable stories nonetheless.

4. I have also started the new online course from Hillsdale College on Economics.  This is apologetically free-market, Austrian economics, presented by the college president, Larry Arnn, and economics professor Gary Wolfram.  I have only listened to the introductory lecture by Dr. Arnn so far, but it is interesting.  When I was teaching more, I signed up for several of these courses, but didn't have the time to complete them.  Hopefully I can do more of that in this year of rest.

5.  I have also recently found and been enjoying The Briefing, a daily podcast of news and cultural analysis from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler.  I have signed up to receive an e-mail when a new podcast comes out, and I tend to listen to this 20-minute-or-so podcast as I begin the day. I find Dr. Mohler's take on things biblical, refreshing, gracious, and balanced.

What have you been listening to or reading, Gentle Reader?  Any recommendations you want to send my way?