There’s a scene in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game where Ender, a child genius who has been pushed to save humanity, sits on a small boat and looks out over the water.
Thank you for this beautiful post I gleaned from @David Raxa.
Your post reminds me of John Henry Newman’s description of a gentleman:
“[The gentleman] is never mean or little in his disputes, never takes unfair advantage, never mistakes personalities or sharp saying for arguments, or insinuates evil which he dare not say out. From a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.”
Interesting read. I’m trying to figure out where this paragraph fits into the overall point. David, can you expand on the thought? I ask because this all feels like it should be apolitical. Not to mention, everyone has a right to be “furious” right now, no matter their political leanings.
“Conservatives are right to be furious right now. Anger at murder, at lawlessness, at cowardice disguised as some kind of stand against “fascism”...yeah right.”
That’s a fair question, and I appreciate you asking it in good faith. You’re right that justice itself should be apolitical; that’s the whole point of the piece! But the context right now isn’t apolitical. We’re living through a moment where the Right, in particular, is feeling a deep and growing fury after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, after riots in L.A., and after violent clashes involving ICE. That anger is real, largely unacknowledged, and it’s dangerous if it’s left without moral and institutional direction.
My goal in naming conservatives specifically wasn’t to excuse anyone else’s violence or rage — that’s for the Left to confront within its own ranks — but to speak to the audience I know best, and to help build an intellectual and moral bulwark against vigilantism. If we don’t channel this anger through our traditions of justice, law, and proportion, we risk losing the very civilization we’re trying to defend. I hope there is similar discourse on the left, and if not, someone finds the courage to say the same.
I think that’s the issue, though. I don’t think it’s “in particular” the right or left. Whether it be the Minnesota politician assassinations, the overly aggressive, and seemingly indiscriminate, ICE raids, or the current administration’s fight against using existing funds to fund SNAP, the left is furious, too. Hell, I know plenty of left-leaning people that are just as pissed off about your examples as my right-leaning friends and vice-versa with mine.
There are plenty of things the different sides of the aisle disagree on, and by all means point out those differences, I just feel like on things like this where it’s universal, we should stand together when we find common ground. Whether we like it or not, we’re all way closer to seeing the world the same way than we are led to believe. If we have a voice and a chance to point out those agreements, I wish more voices would.
Great read by David Rand. I hope to see more of these.
Thank you for this beautiful post I gleaned from @David Raxa.
Your post reminds me of John Henry Newman’s description of a gentleman:
“[The gentleman] is never mean or little in his disputes, never takes unfair advantage, never mistakes personalities or sharp saying for arguments, or insinuates evil which he dare not say out. From a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.”
https://catholicgentleman.com/2014/08/cardinal-newmans-definition-of-a-gentleman/
Interesting read. I’m trying to figure out where this paragraph fits into the overall point. David, can you expand on the thought? I ask because this all feels like it should be apolitical. Not to mention, everyone has a right to be “furious” right now, no matter their political leanings.
“Conservatives are right to be furious right now. Anger at murder, at lawlessness, at cowardice disguised as some kind of stand against “fascism”...yeah right.”
That’s a fair question, and I appreciate you asking it in good faith. You’re right that justice itself should be apolitical; that’s the whole point of the piece! But the context right now isn’t apolitical. We’re living through a moment where the Right, in particular, is feeling a deep and growing fury after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, after riots in L.A., and after violent clashes involving ICE. That anger is real, largely unacknowledged, and it’s dangerous if it’s left without moral and institutional direction.
My goal in naming conservatives specifically wasn’t to excuse anyone else’s violence or rage — that’s for the Left to confront within its own ranks — but to speak to the audience I know best, and to help build an intellectual and moral bulwark against vigilantism. If we don’t channel this anger through our traditions of justice, law, and proportion, we risk losing the very civilization we’re trying to defend. I hope there is similar discourse on the left, and if not, someone finds the courage to say the same.
I think that’s the issue, though. I don’t think it’s “in particular” the right or left. Whether it be the Minnesota politician assassinations, the overly aggressive, and seemingly indiscriminate, ICE raids, or the current administration’s fight against using existing funds to fund SNAP, the left is furious, too. Hell, I know plenty of left-leaning people that are just as pissed off about your examples as my right-leaning friends and vice-versa with mine.
There are plenty of things the different sides of the aisle disagree on, and by all means point out those differences, I just feel like on things like this where it’s universal, we should stand together when we find common ground. Whether we like it or not, we’re all way closer to seeing the world the same way than we are led to believe. If we have a voice and a chance to point out those agreements, I wish more voices would.
David Stand is Nick Fuentes lite. When will “Dad” welcome the real thing onboard?
Who’s David Stand?
Thanks. Rand. Spell check got ahead of me.
Mighty good trolling you've done here. Top marks.