That was a terrible year, all those years ago, and was in a long string of terrible years. I had thought that was the worst, though. By a shrinking margin, it still is. But this year, and probably the next, are closing fast.
In order for us to learn, it has been true that we have to suffer. Maybe it never ends, the learning.
This speech is one of the most remarkable I’ve heard. Imagine if someone running for president could talk like this today, who had the kind of mind and education to be able to quote someone like Aeschylus from memory. Just imagine. I don’t see anyone who fits the job description.
Not this year.
“He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
–Aeschylus of Athens
HemmingPlay 
Though I think this is a re-post, it is a necessary reminder.
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It is. It is a fearful time again.
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True. History has always had something to teach. Had we remembered our mistakes, we would have never found ourselves here. Maybe future generations will remember our mistakes.
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I hope they do, but if history is any guide they will just remember them with mockery and learn nothing from them 🙂
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Just like us. Where does Darwin’s evolution theory fit in, I have no idea 😉
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I remember this speech. We need to take these words to heart now more than ever before. What an excellent speech.
Dwight
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