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Post by Maolsheachlann on Oct 22, 2019 13:42:25 GMT
I've just been meditating on the first lines of De Valera's infamous comely maidens speech: "The ideal Ireland that we would have, the Ireland that we dreamed of, would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as a basis for right living, of a people who, satisfied with frugal comfort, devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit ..."
One of the reasons this has come to mind is because I've been reading a lot of Irish language journals recently. They tend to have a high percentage of articles about poetry, literature and culture.
When I was younger, I simply assumed that the point of a society was to pursue, collectively, the higher things in life: spiritual and cultural things.
In the TV series John Adams, there is a scene where the President-to-be of the young Republic gives a speech, which is (I've just learned) based on something he wrote in a letter to his wife: "I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain."
But who today thinks of culture as a matter of public concern, or public debate, or public discussion? Religion is a matter of public discussion but only the endless debate about how far it should even be allowed a place in public life-- which means ANY life outside the home and places of worship.
And triviality occupies so much of the airwaves-- reality shows, consumerism, hedonism more or less.
I'm not so stuffy that I think we can't ever have fun, or be goofy, or that fashion and interior decoration and holidays etc. aren't an important part of life and interesting subjects in themselves. But am I unique in finding the DOMINANCE of these subjects depressing? Is this "the august destiny to which it is called", mentioned in the Proclamation?
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Post by Tomas on Apr 20, 2020 20:09:09 GMT
This is a great post! I can´t find anything to add. Only the materialist dominance, and mass triviality, must not necessarily be termed depressing? Every time people use that word it strikes clinical, one private little voice of my nature always craves for a more genuine term closer to the spirit. Maybe *saddening* in this situation. Only a shallow remark. For the rest there was already nailed the whole basis for tradition and culture.
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Post by Tomas on Apr 21, 2020 8:29:23 GMT
What I meant is that clinical words, like depression compared to sadness, risk playing in the hands of the "totalitarian modernist" agenda. If everything becomes political we all get reduced to tools. Even small use of words can play a part, favouring functionalism. Culture may already be half dead but clinical materialist words brings no remedy. Please say if these thoughts are simply misunderstanding and stupid. It may well be that my knowledge in English is making the whole thing a strawman out of nothing. My only argument comes from the feeling in often wanting to hear the use of sad rather than depressed. If the word depressing has no association as sounding clinical the whole question is dull.
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Post by cato on Apr 21, 2020 10:52:30 GMT
What I meant is that clinical words, like depression compared to sadness, risk playing in the hands of the "totalitarian modernist" agenda. If everything becomes political we all get reduced to tools. Even small use of words can play a part, favouring functionalism. Culture may already be half dead but clinical materialist words brings no remedy. Please say if these thoughts are simply misunderstanding and stupid. It may well be that my knowledge in English is making the whole thing a strawman out of nothing. My only argument comes from the feeling in often wanting to hear the use of sad rather than depressed. If the word depressing has no association as sounding clinical the whole question is dull. I do agree with your general point Tomas about the word sadness being preferable to the more clinical sounding "depression". Sadness is a normal inevitable but often fruitful part of life. There is much to sadden us in life especially in a culture and civilisation that has been self destructing for almost a century. We do live in an age were medical/pychological terminology enters into common speech. We often hear about "stages of grief" "closure" "opening up" etc. As therapy replaces religious faith it's terminology enters our speech too. |
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Post by cato on Apr 21, 2020 11:03:22 GMT
I've just been meditating on the first lines of De Valera's infamous comely maidens speech: "The ideal Ireland that we would have, the Ireland that we dreamed of, would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as a basis for right living, of a people who, satisfied with frugal comfort, devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit ..." One of the reasons this has come to mind is because I've been reading a lot of Irish language journals recently. They tend to have a high percentage of articles about poetry, literature During the national address made by the acting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on St Patrick's day the thought crossed my mind this was the end of an era. Perhaps some future historian will use the 1943 speech and the 2020 one as bookends to mark an era in Irish life. Varadkar's speech will win no prizes for soaring rhetoric but he prepared the nation for the coming storm that would change our country in unimaginable ways in a calm down to earth manner which disappointed some who had predicted a total shut down. He even borrowed a line from Churchills 1940 oratory to rally modern Ireland. St Patrick was only noticeable by his absence. |
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Post by Tomas on Apr 21, 2020 12:54:30 GMT
I've just been meditating on the first lines of De Valera's infamous comely maidens speech: "The ideal Ireland that we would have, the Ireland that we dreamed of, would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as a basis for right living, of a people who, satisfied with frugal comfort, devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit ..." One of the reasons this has come to mind is because I've been reading a lot of Irish language journals recently. They tend to have a high percentage of articles about poetry, literature During the national address made by the acting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on St Patrick's day the thought crossed my mind this was the end of an era. Perhaps some future historian will use the 1943 speech and the 2020 one as bookends to mark an era in Irish life. Varadkar's speech will win no prizes for soaring rhetoric but he prepared the nation for the coming storm that would change our country in unimaginable ways in a calm down to earth manner which disappointed some who had predicted a total shut down. He even borrowed a line from Churchills 1940 oratory to rally modern Ireland. St Patrick was only noticeable by his absence. In response to this massive virus nuisance any "calm down to earth" still may appear better suited than threatening of "change our country in unimaginable ways" by official speech. What globalistic impact it will have remains almost as diffuse as the specific channels it was spread so far. |
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Post by hilary on Apr 21, 2020 14:51:51 GMT
This reminded me of Minister for Health Simon Harris saying in the last couple of days that children maybe could go back to school one day a week for their "mental health and wellbeing" and this would give their families a breathing space. Maybe I'm being harsh but I thought it was a casual use of the term "mental health". If young people are suffering with their mental health then going back to school one day a week might not be the prescription they need. Are teachers expected to deal with children suffering mental ill health when they go back? And to suggest that parents might just want a break from their ill children beggars belief. I suppose he intends a wide definition of 'mental health' but I think for families of young people with mental health problems it might be seen as insensitive. He would hardly be acknowledging that the lockdown is causing mental ill health, would he?
The original post was very interesting and no, you're not unique in finding it depressing or saddening!
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