from Douglas Vandergraph

There are questions that belong not to politics or debate, but to the deeper places of the human spirit. Questions that touch identity, culture, history, faith, and the longing for peace in an often divided world. Among them, one stands out for many believers, seekers, and thinkers today:

What would Jesus say about Sharia Law?

This is not a question of confrontation—but of understanding. Not a question of supremacy—but of humility. Not a question of winning—but of listening.

Because behind this question is an even bigger one:

How does Jesus want us to see people who come from different traditions, laws, beliefs, and cultures?

Before going deeper, I want to offer the full video message that inspired this gentle exploration: 👉 What Would Jesus Say About Sharia Law?

Now, let us walk slowly, kindly, and humbly into this reflection—step by step, heart to heart.

đŸŒŒ 1. Jesus Always Begins With the Heart, Never With the System

Whenever Jesus encountered a question tied to religious law—whether Roman, Jewish, oral tradition, cultural customs, or temple codes—He consistently responded in a way that surprised everyone in the room:

He didn’t begin with the law. He didn’t begin with the rules. He didn’t begin with the system. He began with the person standing in front of Him.

High authority sources consistently note Jesus’s posture in such moments. For example, Britannica highlights how Jesus redirected conversations about religious law by pointing “from external obedience to internal transformation.” (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica article on Sermon on the Mount.)

Jesus saw people—not systems. He saw stories—not statutes. He saw souls—not structures.

So if someone asked Him today about Sharia Law, He would begin where He always begins:

“My beloved child
 tell Me what’s happening in your heart.”

Because Jesus knows something deeper than any human system can express:

  • People are more fragile than laws.
  • Souls are more valuable than debates.
  • Hearts matter more than arguments.

And every conversation worth having begins in the place where God Himself meets us:

the human heart.

đŸŒŒ 2. Jesus Would Speak Mercy Before He Spoke Judgment

One of the most profound moments in Scripture is the story in John 8, where religious leaders brought a woman accused of adultery—a deeply serious charge under their law.

They asked Jesus for a legal ruling. They wanted enforcement, judgment, penalty. But Jesus offered something far greater. He offered mercy.

“Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”

This line did not deny law. It transformed how we see each other under the weight of law.

Mercy was not weakness. It was divine strength.

High-authority commentary from Bible Gateway explains that Jesus “exposed the hearts of the accusers rather than the guilt of the accused,” shifting the focus from rule to relationship.

So what would Jesus say about any religious or legal system?

He would begin with mercy. He would lead with compassion. He would protect the vulnerable. He would lift the fallen. He would soften the hardened. He would center the conversation on dignity.

This is who He is.

đŸŒŒ 3. Jesus Would Honor All Who Sincerely Seek God

One truth we often forget is this:

Jesus repeatedly affirmed the faith of people outside His own religious tradition.

Examples in Scripture:

  • The Roman centurion
  • The Samaritan woman
  • The Canaanite mother
  • The Samaritan leper
  • The Magi from the East

These individuals came from systems very different from His own—but Jesus honored them.

He didn’t say: “You’re wrong.” “You’re not welcome.” “You’re the enemy.” “You don’t belong.”

Instead He said things like: “Your faith is great.” “I have not seen such faith in all of Israel.” “Go—your faith has healed you.”

Even Muslim scholars note that Jesus (ÊżÄȘsā) is revered in Islam, valued as a prophet, miracle-worker, and teacher of truth. (Cited in: Oxford Islamic Studies Online.)

Jesus sees sincerity. He sees devotion. He sees the heart that seeks God—even imperfectly. Even through systems not identical to our own.

He does not begin with correction. He begins with connection.

Imagine the gentleness of that. Imagine the unity it could bring.

đŸŒŒ 4. Jesus Would Invite Every Person Beyond Law and Into Life

Every legal or religious system seeks to guide people toward a moral, orderly, ethical life.

Sharia Law does this. Jewish Law did this. Christian canon law does this. Secular law attempts the same.

But Jesus revealed something revolutionary:

Law can guide behavior, but only love can transform a soul.

He said: “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus does not dismiss law. But He does invite us beyond it—to something deeper, more intimate, more alive.

He moves us: from rule-keeping → to heart-healing from obligation → to relationship from fear → to freedom from striving → to resting from earning → to receiving from pressure → to peace

High authority theological sources describe this concept as “the fulfillment of the law through the transformative life of the Spirit.” (Source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Theology of Grace.)

What does this mean for discussions of Sharia Law?

Jesus would honor the intention behind the law. He would respect the devotion of the follower. But He would say:

“Come and find the deeper life that law alone cannot give.”

Not a rejection of a system. But an invitation into His presence.

đŸŒŒ 5. Jesus Would Calm Fear and Replace It With Compassion

One of the greatest obstacles between cultures is fear.

Fear of the unknown. Fear of the unfamiliar. Fear of the misunderstood. Fear of those who worship differently.

Fear builds walls. Compassion builds bridges.

Jesus would never encourage fear of any group. He would not endorse suspicion or separation. He would not support hostility or hatred.

Instead He would say: “Do not be afraid.”

He repeated this phrase more than 100 times throughout Scripture—directly or through angels, prophets, or messengers.

Fear creates barriers between humans. Love dissolves them.

So if someone asked Jesus, “Should I be afraid of Sharia?” or “Should I fear Christians who misunderstand me?”

He would say: “Perfect love casts out fear.”

And then He would teach you how to love courageously.

đŸŒŒ 6. Jesus Would Offer Rest to Anyone Burdened by Religious Pressure

Systems—Christian, Jewish, Islamic, secular—often carry weight.

Rules. Expectations. Demands. Obligations. Consequences.

Jesus sees the exhaustion behind it all.

And He says:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

This is perhaps the most inclusive invitation in history. Because weariness does not belong to one religion. It belongs to the human condition.

So how would Jesus speak to:

A Muslim feeling weighed by strict religious duties? A Christian feeling overwhelmed by expectation? A seeker unsure how to please God? A skeptic confused by the debate? A believer caught between law and grace?

He would say the same to all:

“Bring Me your weariness. I will give you rest.”

This rest is not permission to neglect righteousness. It is the freedom to pursue it without fear.

đŸŒŒ 7. Jesus Would Lift Up Love As the Highest Command

When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus answered swiftly:

Love God. Love your neighbor.

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)

Meaning:

Love is the foundation. Love is the fulfillment. Love is the purpose. Love is the highest law.

This is not sentimental love. It is:

  • sacrificial love
  • courageous love
  • listening love
  • bridge-building love
  • compassionate love
  • humble love

In every conversation about Sharia—or Jewish law, Christian law, Roman law, American law—Jesus would gently bring us back to love.

Not agreement. Not uniformity. Not sameness.

But love.

The kind that holds a person’s dignity higher than your own comfort. The kind that welcomes dialogue instead of debate. The kind that sees the image of God in every human face.

đŸŒŒ 8. Jesus Would Teach Us to Shine Gently

Jesus never told His followers to “win the argument.” He told them to “be the light.”

High authority Christian ethics sources note that the New Testament calls believers to “persuasion through character rather than coercion through argument.” (Source: Cambridge University Press – Christian Ethics and Moral Theology.)

This means:

Your gentleness is more powerful than your logic. Your kindness is more influential than your position. Your compassion will reach farther than your opinion.

So what would Jesus encourage us to do in discussions of Sharia?

Shine gently.

Let your:

  • humility be your witness
  • kindness be your message
  • listening be your bridge
  • peace be your presence

This is how Jesus transforms the world—from the inside out.

đŸŒŒ 9. Jesus Would Call Us to Build Relationships, Not Arguments

If Jesus walked the earth today, He would certainly speak into conversations about religious law, cultural differences, and spiritual identity.

But He wouldn’t start an argument. He would start a relationship.

He would sit with people. He would eat with them. He would listen to their stories. He would learn their struggles. He would see their humanity.

He did this everywhere He went:

  • in the homes of Pharisees
  • among outcasts
  • in the streets of Samaritans
  • in the marketplaces of Gentiles
  • on mountainsides
  • in boats
  • in deserted places
  • in crowded villages

Jesus believed transformation flowed from connection—not confrontation.

If Christians and Muslims, believers and seekers, law-followers and grace-seekers followed His example, the world would change overnight.

đŸŒŒ 10. Jesus Would Call Every Soul Into the Arms of Grace

After every conversation, every healing, every miracle, every moment of teaching, Jesus always brought people back to one truth:

“You are loved.”

Not tolerated. Not debated. Not categorized. Not labeled. Not dismissed.

Loved.

Fully. Completely. Infinitely.

Jesus would say today:

“My beloved child
 you belong in My love. Come walk with Me. Come learn from Me. Come rest in My grace. Come let Me show you the heart of God.”

And that is how He would speak into any discussion—Sharia Law included.

With gentleness. With holiness. With wisdom. With compassion. With perfect love.

🌿 Final Blessing

If you come from a Christian background—you are welcome. If you come from a Muslim background—you are welcome. If you come from no faith at all—you are welcome.

Jesus meets you with open arms, not closed doors. With gentle truth, not harsh judgment. With deep love, not fearful separation.

May His voice bring peace to your heart today. May His mercy ease your fears. May His compassion open your eyes. May His love gather us all closer to Him—and closer to one another.

Amen.

✍

— Douglas Vandergraph

👉 Watch Douglas Vandergraph’s inspiring faith-based videos on YouTube

👉 Support this ministry by buying Douglas a coffee

#Jesus #ShariaLaw #ChristianMotivation #FaithAndHope #ChristianTeaching #FaithBasedBlog #Inspiration #MercyAndGrace #UnityAndLove #SpiritualGrowth #HopeAndHealing #GentleFaith

 
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from Hidden Flair

En estos momentos puedo decir que he compuesto ya seis o siete canciones. Puedo concluir algunas cosas. La primera, que la letra me cuesta mĂĄs que la mĂșsica, la segunda que estoy uniendo de formas que no esperaba cosas que he aprendido durante años. Puedo imaginar algo y tengo una forma de llevarlo a la realidad, usando habilidades para tocar instrumentos, grabar, cantar, producir, mezclar
 y cacharros que he ido comprando a lo largo de años y el lĂ­mite es el tiempo y mi voz, que da para lo que da.

Me cuesta escribir letras y de hecho me importan poco frente a la mĂșsica. En España no todo el mundo entiende el inglĂ©s y hace poco comentaba con unos amigos que de pequeño te emocionabas con mĂșsica que no entendĂ­as, pero entendĂ­as la melodĂ­a, la harmonĂ­a y las inflexiones emocionales de la voz. Sabias si ahĂ­ habĂ­a rabia, tristeza, felicidad
 y la letra era una lectura secundaria.

Mi esfuerzo en estas semanas estĂĄ en darle mĂĄs peso a las letras, en buscar sonoridad, prosodia, subtexto, referencialidad y diferentes capas de significado. De hecho me voy mucho a lo abstracto, demasiado.

La canción que estoy escribiendo esta semana es sobre Leaving Las Vegas. ¿qué pasaría si Ben no hubiera decidido destruirse? ¿Como sería un domingo por la mañana en una nueva vida-refugio para Ben y Sera?

 
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from Dallineation

I like to sit in the living room every morning while eating breakfast and looking east out the window. Weekday mornings this time of year I don't see much. It's still dark. But on weekends, when I can stay in bed and eat breakfast later, I see more.

Breakfast is almost always a bowl of cereal. The cereal is almost always high-fiber – I'm so middle-age. Cracklin' Oat Bran, Raisin Bran, anything bran. And unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I actually like the taste better than cow's milk but my wife can't stand it.

My cat, Oreo, jumps up on the sectional sofa next to me and lays on or next to my lap. She always hopes I have the kind of milk she likes and that I'll share.

Depending where I sit on the sofa I see different houses. But I'm usually more interested in the trees and mountains behind them.

The houses are boring. We're in a modest neighborhood of homes with vinyl siding and half-brick facades in front, built in the 1990s. They all look similar and are not extravagant or very large, but nice. Yet so...artificial. Our 1,600 square foot house is the smallest on our street – probably the smallest single family home in our neighborhood, as I haven't seen another like it. We wanted it that way. Our family is small, and we don't need anything larger. I'm very thankful to have a place to live and to be in a nice, safe neighborhood in a good location. But the way we build things here just seems out of place.

Today the trees are way past Autumn peak colors. But most of them still have leaves. Muted dark orange and brown now, but still a bit of yellow. I should have raked the yard yesterday when it was unseasonably warm, but I read somewhere that leaving the leaves can actually be good for your lawn and for the environment as long as they aren't completely covering it. Yeah, that sounds like a good excuse.

And then there are the mountains. So majestic. So dependable. So unmovable.

This morning is cloudy. Sunshine illuminates the edges of breaks in the canopy accented by light blue sky.

The mountains quietly observe the march of human “progress” here. The sprawl of strip malls and parking lots and schools and churches and subdivisions full of houses and town homes and apartments in the valley below them. To them, a couple hundred years is the blink of an eye.

The mountains were here first. They'll be here long after we're gone.

The clouds are clearing a bit. Occasional rays of sunshine stream through the window. I feel the warmth on my skin. I can see our windows are dirty and need a good cleaning.

I should take a shower and get ready for church. But I'll wait a bit longer and enjoy my Sunday morning window.

#100DaysToOffload (No. 105) #gratitude #life #Utah

 
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from The Beacon Press

A Fault Line Investigation — Published by The Beacon Press
Published: November 16, 2025
https://thebeaconpress.org/kash-patels-government-gangsters-the-60-person-enemies-list-and-emerging

Executive Breath

Kash Patel, Trump's 2025 FBI Director, has spotlighted a list of 60 “government gangsters” from his 2023 book Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy, framing them as “deep state” actors undermining democracy. The appendix names current and former officials across parties, including former FBI Directors James Comey and Christopher Wray, ex-Attorney General Bill Barr, and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Patel's rhetoric – “these people need to go to prison” (Bannon interview, 2023) – has fueled investigations, with at least five on the list (Comey, Brennan, Taylor, Vindman, Bolton) facing probes since Patel's February confirmation.

The truth under scrutiny: Amid this scrutiny, 2025 mortgage fraud referrals targeting Democrats like Rep. Eric Swalwell and AG Letitia James (four cases total) raise questions of scope – from “deep state” purges to potential financial leverage, with Patel's book serving as a “roadmap” for Trump allies (Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2025).

What Is the “Deep State”?

The “deep state” refers to a supposed hidden network of unelected government officials, military personnel, and private entities (like intelligence agencies and defense contractors) that secretly influence or control national policy, often bypassing elected leaders like the president. It's not a formal organization but a theory of shadowy power operating behind the scenes to maintain the status quo or advance hidden agendas. The term originated in Turkey in the 1990s to describe military and bureaucratic coalitions resisting elected governments, and in the U.S., it gained traction during the Trump era as a way to explain resistance to his policies, such as leaks from intelligence officials or investigations into his campaign (Merriam-Webster, 2025; Wikipedia, November 15, 2025). Critics call it a conspiracy theory used to deflect blame for policy failures, while supporters see it as a real threat to democracy from entrenched elites (EBSCO Research Starters, 2025).

The “Government Gangsters” List: Who and Why

Patel's appendix labels 60 individuals as “Executive Branch Deep State” members, accusing them of “weaponizing” government against Trump (e.g., Russia probe, January 6). The list spans parties and roles, with Patel vowing to “find the conspirators” (Bannon podcast, 2023). Key examples:
– FBI/Intelligence: Comey, Wray, Brennan, Clapper, Strzok, Page (Russia “hoax”).
– DOJ/Trump Admin: Barr, Rosenstein, Garland, Haspel, Esper, Hill, Sullivan.
– Others: Clinton, Bolton, Esper, Hutchinson, Meadows (January 6 “betrayal”).

Patel clarified during January 30 confirmation hearings: “The list is documentation of weaponization, not a hit list” (New York Times, January 30, 2025), but critics (Durbin, Blumenthal) call it “Stasi-like” (Senate Judiciary letter, January 16, 2025). Since confirmation, five have faced investigations (Comey indictment, Brennan hacking probe, Taylor/Bolton raids, Vindman scrutiny, MSNBC September 26, 2025).

For the full list (not from Patel's book), see Newsweek's 2024 compilation of 80 names from the appendix, updated with 2025 developments: Kash Patel's “government gangsters” who could be targeted: full list – Newsweek, December 2, 2024 (80 names, including Biden, Harris, and 50+ officials).

Mortgage Fraud Connections: The Emerging Scope

Patel's FBI has launched four mortgage fraud referrals in 2025, targeting Democrats on or linked to his list, raising “retribution” concerns (CNN, November 13, 2025). Key cases:
– Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): FHFA Director Bill Pulte referred Swalwell for claiming multiple primary addresses on mortgages (power of attorney “mistake,” Swalwell defense, November 13, 2025). Patel confronted Swalwell in September hearing, calling his career “bull****” (The Hill, November 13, 2025).
– AG Letitia James (NY): Pulte referred James for similar address claims; DOJ standstill due to insufficient evidence (NBC, November 13, 2025).
– Fed Board Lisa Cook: Probe for “mortgage fraud” (Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2025).
– Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA): Under DOJ investigation for alleged mortgage irregularities (Politico, November 13, 2025).

The truth under scrutiny: These referrals (FHFA-led, FBI-executed) coincide with Patel's list, with Pulte (Trump ally) driving them amid shutdown chaos (Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2025). No direct Patel link, but critics (Schumer) call it “retaliation” (The Guardian, August 23, 2025).

Mortgage Fraud: The Practice and Historical Prevalence Among Politicians

Claiming multiple homes as “primary residences” – known as occupancy fraud – allows borrowers to secure lower interest rates (0.25–0.5% reduction, ~$50K lifetime savings on $400K loan) and tax exemptions (homestead, $7K–$20K/year). Lenders favor primary residences (lower default risk, 1.5% vs. 2.5%, Federal Reserve 2025). It's illegal if intentional (18 U.S.C. § 1001 false statements, up to 5 years prison), but prosecutions are rare (412 cases 2017–2024, <0.1% of loans; 22K potential from 580K loans 2005–2017). Politicians' cases often involve D.C. homes (tax/loan benefits).

Historical examples (2005–2025, 20+ cases):
– Ken Paxton (TX AG, R): Claimed 3 Texas homes as primary (2005–2025 mortgages; Associated Press review). No charges; defended as “family needs.”
– Adam Schiff (D-CA): 2 homes (Maryland D.C. condo + CA, 2003–2023; ProPublica). No charges; lawyer: “Lenders aware.”
– Letitia James (NY AG, D): 2 homes (NY + VA, 2023; CNN). Charged (2025, Pulte referral); defense: “Insignificant errors.”
– Lisa Cook (Fed Gov, D): 2 homes (MI + GA, 2021; Wall Street Journal). Fired (2025, Pulte referral); lawsuit: “Pretextual.”
– Sean Duffy (Trump Cabinet, R): 2 homes (NJ + D.C., 2025; ProPublica). No probe.
– Lee Zeldin (EPA Admin, R): 2 homes (Long Island + D.C., 2025; ProPublica). No probe.
– Scott Bessent (Treasury Sec, R): 2 homes (Bedford Hills + Provincetown, 2025; Bloomberg). No probe.
– Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Labor Sec, R): 2 homes (AZ country club + D.C., 2025; ProPublica). No probe.

Historical prevalence: ~20% politicians (2005–2025, ProPublica/Wall Street Journal reviews); prosecutions rare (412 federal 2017–2024, <0.1% loans). No deep state link (preliminary, no indictments).

Additional Corruption Allegations Tied to the List

Beyond mortgage fraud, several on Patel's list face 2025 corruption probes, often tied to “deep state” narratives (Russia hoax, January 6), but evidence is preliminary and partisan-leaning (Politico, November 13, 2025). Key examples:
– James Comey (former FBI Director): Indicted for “perjury” in Russia probe testimony (DOJ, September 2025). Allegation: Misled on Steele dossier.
– John Brennan (former CIA Director): Hacking probe for “leaking classified info” on Trump (DOJ, August 2025). Allegation: Russia collusion role.
– Miles Taylor (former DHS official): Raided for “document destruction” in anonymous op-ed case (DOJ, July 2025). Allegation: Leaks.
– Alexander Vindman (former NSC): Scrutiny for “Ukraine call” testimony (DOJ, October 2025). Allegation: Impeachment bias.
– John Bolton (former NSA): Raid for “classified docs” on book (DOJ, August 2025). Allegation: Unauthorized disclosure.

The truth under scrutiny: These probes (5+ since February 2025) target list members, but no convictions (DOJ standstill). Broader U.S. politicians (beyond Patel list) face similar allegations (e.g., 20% prevalence, ProPublica 2025); e.g., Ken Paxton (R, 3 homes, no charges); Sean Duffy (R, 2 homes, no probe). No deep state nexus (preliminary).

Sources (Full Attribution — Pillar 3: Truth Only)

  1. Kash Patel's “government gangsters” who could be targeted: full list – Newsweek, December 2, 2024
  2. Kash Patel’s Enemies List Is Expected to Be a Flashpoint – The New York Times, January 30, 2025
  3. Kash Patel's List of ‘Government Gangsters’ To Be Targeted Includes a Fair Number Of LaRouche-Haters – EIR, January 10, 2025
  4. People on Kash Patel’s so-called ‘enemies list’ taking drastic steps for protection before his potential FBI takeover – CNN, January 30, 2025
  5. MAGA diehard Kash Patel's list of 'Government Gangsters' who could be targeted under Trump 2.0 govt – Hindustan Times, December 3, 2024
  6. Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy – Amazon, 2023
  7. Kash Patel’s Enemies List Is Expected to Be a Flashpoint – The New York Times, January 30, 2025
  8. The Who’s Who on Kash Patel’s Crazy Enemies List – Yahoo, December 3, 2024
  9. Kash Patel's 'Government Gangsters' Documentary Teases FBI Priorities – Rolling Stone, January 27, 2025
  10. Trump’s pick to lead FBI identified ‘Government Gangsters’ – Roll Call, December 9, 2024
  11. [John Bolton raid shows weaponization of FBI against Patel’s ‘gangsters’ list](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/22/john-bolton-kash-patel-book

Action Demand (Pillar 7)

File FOIA for Epstein grand jury materials — demand redacted release.
→ FOIA.gov
→ Reference: Section 712, CR November 13, 2025

Support The Beacon's Breath

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The Beacon Press | thebeaconpress.org

 
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from Conjure Utopia

Rodrigo Nunes, in his article From the Organizational Point of View: Bogdanov and the Augustinian Left, introduces a fundamental concept stemming from his long work of weaving together political theory and system theories such as tektology and cybernetics. He calls it: the Augustinian Left.

Let's try to understand what he means. The core argument goes something like this: there are two approaches to understand social and political change; the first approach sees the forces of progress opposed to the forces of reaction, and we call them “Manichean”; the second approach, the Augustinian approach, sees a shared struggle of social forces trying to construct a liberating order in a world of chaos, with the forces of reaction and the forms of oppressive power being simply a symptom of chaos.

The Manicheans understand themselves as a force actively constructing liberation pitted against a force actively constructing oppression: who wins determines the social structure. Good vs Evil.

The Augustinians, instead, see their work as an endless endeavour of organizing chaos into order, with chaos here being a cosmic force akin to entropy, which is an intrinsic and ineliminable trait of the universe we live in that is also reflected in social, productive, political, and cultural structures. Good within Evil.

Obviously, Nunes is Augustinian and provides compelling arguments throughout his work for the necessity of an Augustinian approach. The Manicheans are portrayed as wojaks, and the Augustinians are the chads. I'm an Augustinian too, so I won't pretend my description of the two sides is unbiased. I'm also portraying myself as a chad in the process.

Nunes is very demure, so he tries to connect and appeal to his crowd of Manicheans, raised by a Manichean world, with only that perspective as part of their political toolbox. The change to align with this new grammar of politics, though, is very radical and has the potential to invalidate the vast majority of the political strategies and practices of the Western Left. Not only that, but the very identity of the Left is incompatible with the new frame.

If there are no sides, what does it mean to be “Left”?

As somebody who has employed this system-oriented perspective on politics for several years now, first naively and then more consciously after reading Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal by Nunes, I lived this problem of identity, language, and perspective for a long time, trying to translate and adapt Augustinian ideas and practices for a mostly Manichean crowd, without soliciting a hostile reaction.

Over the years, I came to realize one of the hinges on which this difference is built is a criminally underscrutinized mind-virus. I'm talking about Geometry.

The language of Manichean politics is haunted by Geometry, inheriting concepts, words, and metaphors from the vocabulary of 16th/17th/18th-century war strategy, which was all about geometry. For the Enlightenment generals, the map was the battlefield, and armies were just machines executing orders described by position, orientation, distance, or frequency. You had fronts and sides. You had flanks. You had parties, taking part in a conflict. You had battles, which led to either victory or defeat.

On top of that, in politics, we also inherit the Latin vocabulary of state diplomacy, often articulating military agreements: federations, coalitions, allies. Even the term “society” derives from socius, which was used to describe, among other things, military allies. We are defined by whom we fight against.

Going back to Geometry, we can easily see how we relate to other political entities by imagining and implying a two-dimensional space of politics: “we are distant on this issue”, or “we should build a common front against them”. We try to be the “radical flank”, or “align with others”.

Also, the terminology of “Left” and “Right” is famously derived from the seating arrangements of aristocrats and republicans in the French Revolutionary Parliaments and Assemblies. Those people, imbued with a specific idea of politics, were part of a long tradition of aisle-based (like the Curia Julia) or semi-circular seating arrangements dating back at least to the Roman Senate and Greek citizen assemblies. The French Revolution gave a long-lasting identity to the idea, already present in the British parliament, of grouping together like-minded parties and factions by arranging them to face each other. Exactly like an 18th-century unit of fusiliers would align to shoot a volley at an enemy unit.

Your relationship to progress within modernity defined your position relative to the president (the one who sits in front), the locus of liberal social compromise, the middle ground.

These days, the epitome of such logic has entered popular culture through the infamous political compass, which shows the limit of this reductionist way of thinking through an endless barrage of contradictions laid out on the four quadrants. Many educated, terminally opinionated Leftists will tell you how the Political Compass is part of the problem because it reduces the complexity of politics to a two-dimensional space when, in reality, it is much more complex.

Probably, in their minds, the solution is to keep politics discursive rather than systematic, and yet, they employ plenty of geometrical jargon without realizing the intrinsic contradiction. If you want to handle complexity through geometric tools, you need to learn how to do math in n-dimensional spaces, and you will realize that's very tedious. In addition, it eerily resembles the underlying logic of word embeddings, which are a foundation of the same LLMs currently disorganizing the infosphere. I'm not sure that's the way to go. We can exempt JREG because he's funny. Keep going, bro.

This restriction of thought and possibilities dictated by geometric and military language is a core factor serving the Manichean status quo. It follows that a transition to Augustian politics must come with reflection on the categories we employ to perceive ourselves in relation to others. Geometry does have a place in Augustinian politics, because sometimes, some systemic relations are easy to articulate on a flat surface, but it cannot be the primary and dominant language.

What's the alternative then? Following the Nunensian principle of “politics must be played with the full deck of cards”, a plurality of languages must be employed depending on the needs. In my personal experience, a useful starting point is to perceive yourself, your organization, and other entities in your political ecosystem, not in terms of “where” they are, but in terms of the change they can produce. The focus is neither on the actor nor on its position, which is fundamental in Manichean politics, but on the action, the force for or against change that they embody.

The outcome is what matters, regardless of the identity, ideas, practices, and narratives of the actors, which are relevant only insofar as they provide information to estimate the likelihood of our desired outcome and what role such actors might play in this dynamic or what decisions they are going to take.

More often than not, people we perceive as allies do not have the power or intent to create the change they say they want to create. Sometimes, people we perceive as enemies can be nudged into creating the same change we want. Napoleon, despite being a very geometrypilled dude, supposedly said: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Such a shift of frame opens up an array of possibilities inconceivable under Manichean politics, where you had to endlessly make sure to align identity, values, analysis, and actions among all the parties involved in an intentional and explicit collaboration, to make sure the morally good front was compact against the morally evil front.

Within the Augustinian frame, the vocabulary then moves towards the semantic space of systems, arguably a process already ongoing for almost a century. Tensions, tendencies, feedback, signals, noise, dependencies, domains, functions, diversification, variance, infrastructure, affordances, protocols: these are all terms we will have to master in our journey away from the geometric monoculture.

I want to point to another aspect of rupture between traditional Manichean politics and the Augustinian frame. Nunes presents the construction of social order as an endless endeavor because chaos will always try to seep in and disorganize society. The best we can do is to create an order that lasts long enough, is liberating enough, and feeds on an energy source that is abundant and exploitable without consequence for living beings (the Sun?). The result is a rejection of narratives revolving around any utopian conclusion of political struggle and an open-ended, always-demanding struggle against chaos. Coherent with this idea of politics without closure, this article won't have a conclusion.

 
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from Prdeush

Kuna Nora a jezevec Baflík: Den, kdy si stačilo jen sednout

Kdo jsou Nora a BaflĂ­k?

Nora je bytost klidu. UmĂ­ sedět v tichu tak hlubokĂ©m, aĆŸ to rozechvĂ­vĂĄ čas. MluvĂ­ mĂĄlo, ale kdyĆŸ uĆŸ, kaĆŸdĂ© jejĂ­ slovo hladĂ­. JejĂ­ pƙítomnost uklidƈuje prdele i duĆĄe. KdyĆŸ se posadĂ­, svět zpomalĂ­. Je to mistryně prdeloklidu.

BaflĂ­k je jezevec citlivĂ©ho druhu. V hlavě mĂĄ často ĆĄum – proud myĆĄlenek, obav i radostĂ­, kterĂ© se derou na povrch. MĂĄ rĂĄd klid, ale ne vĆŸdy ho umĂ­ najĂ­t. Zato umĂ­ bĂœt vděčnĂœ. UmĂ­ se omluvit. A umĂ­ se smĂĄt, i kdyĆŸ se bojĂ­.

Jejich vztah je tichĂœ a hlubokĂœ. NenĂ­ to ĆŸĂĄdnĂœ ohƈostroj, ale spĂ­ĆĄ teplĂœ prd v dece.

Den, kdy si stačilo jen sednout

Byl to jeden z těch dnĂ­, kdy svět kolem hučí, ale ty bys nejraději jen seděl a nehĂœbal se. A prĂĄvě v ten den se Nora rozhodla nic neƙeĆĄit. Vzala hrnek s čajem, pƙisedla si k BaflĂ­kovi na gauč a jen tiĆĄe dĂœchala. Prdět nechtěla. ZatĂ­m.

BaflĂ­k měl uvnitƙ takovĂœ ten mĂ­rnĂœ vnitƙnĂ­ ĆĄum, co někdy pƙipomĂ­nĂĄ nĂĄběh Ășzkosti – nebo jen to, ĆŸe byl svět trochu moc. Ale kdyĆŸ se Nora posadila, kdyĆŸ se jejĂ­ prdel dotkla pohovky a zĆŻstala tam... vĆĄechno se začalo zklidƈovat.

„Nepotƙebuju dneska ĆŸĂĄdnĂĄ slova,“ zamumlal BaflĂ­k. „JĂĄ taky ne,“ ƙekla Nora, a jejĂ­ prdel lehce zasyčela v dotyku s dekou.

Seděli. A čas pƙestal utĂ­kat. Jen pƙítomnost. JemnĂ© ztělesněnĂ­ dĆŻvěry mezi dvěma tvory, kteƙí si dovolili nebĂœt dokonalĂ­.

V jednu chvĂ­li se BaflĂ­k tiĆĄe uchechtl.

„Víơ... tvoje klidná prdel je pro mě jako kotva.“ „A tvoje je jako jezevčí nora,“ odpověděla Nora a pohladila ho po zádech.

Nikdo nikam nespěchal. Nikdo nikoho netlačil. A svět na chvĂ­li pƙestal hučet. ProtoĆŸe někdy si stačí jen sednout. A prdel vĂ­.

Rozhostil se BaflĂ­kĆŻv jemnĂœ prd, kterĂœ znamenal opravdovou pohodu.

 
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from 💚

Zelenskyy

Under this apple tree Four stars in harrowing work Abandoning the three Earths- Of Russia, Ron, and Ukraine It was a take to many, But Zelenskyy had courage And winding up this hero Were tall men, Barely looking forward, And they stole his grace The avoidant act of high esteem And his kindness and grace revealed Superheterodyne On repeat with power Holy Wine to him And the Great Estate of water Sending columns of heaven On the guest way out Between brothers, an honest man And giving seats to maidens There is no war of nothing But not his; a full star In the Heavens And it is his

đŸ‡ȘđŸ‡ș

This flag is yours.

đŸȘœ

 
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from Rippple's Blog

Stay entertained thanks to our Weekly Tracker giving you next week's Anticipated Movies & Shows, Most Watched & Returning Favorites, and Shows Changes & Popular Trailers.

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Hi, I'm Kevin 👋. I make apps and I love watching movies and TV shows. If you like what I'm doing, you can buy one of my apps, download and subscribe to Rippple for Trakt or just buy me a ko-fi ☕.

 
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from CrystalComet

~vengeance~

Perry was standing over the bathroom mirror, hands gripping the cracked porcelain as his breathing faltered.

Deep breaths, Percy. Deep breaths.

He stood upright, smoothing his hair back and loosening his necktie. Almost immediately, he felt the swell of bile in the back of his throat. He doubled over, throwing up chunks of last night’s dinner into the sink. His suit survived, miraculously, and he turned to the toilet bowl for the next wave. As the nausea faded, he turned the tap on with a shaky hand, washing the upchuck down the sink and bringing some water to his lips, swishing it around in his mouth to rinse out the last dregs before spitting into the sink.

“Get it together man
” he muttered to himself.

“He has your son
” he speaks through gritted teeth, hands clenching as he remembers what all this is for. He feels his body tense, flooded with barely restrained rage.

His hands wrap around the glossy wood of the pistol grip, the gun stashed in his suit jacket. His father’s .44 revolver, 1 round in the chamber, hammer cocked. He could hear his father scolding him for such improper gun safety. Sorry, dad.

He stepped out of the bathroom, composing himself as he steps slowly through the abandoned warehouse. His phone pings. It’s the gps tracker. His phone finally triangulated his son’s position. 50 paces east.

He rushed over, seeing his boy restrained in a metal chair, bloodied and beaten. His heart sank as he slowly panned up to his captor – Thomas, his ow business partner.

“I
 trusted you. I loved you. Like a brother. You were in my home. You ate at my table
” Perry said, with a seething, slow tone.

“It’s business, Perry. Someone in your corner is just another back to stab a knife through.” He replied in a starkly cold demeanour. He steps closer, swirling whiskey around the tumbler in his hands.

“You had every chance to join me. You going to reconsi-“

bang

Smoke emanates from the barrel. A high pitched shrill whines in Perry’s ears. And blood drips from the chest of Thomas. The glass slips from his hands, and he drops to the ground.

Perry rushes forward, hugging his son close.

 
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from Olhar Convexo

Quantas vezes hoje vocĂȘ jĂĄ foi ofertado a fazer uma assinatura mensal para sua maior conveniĂȘncia e para deixar de ver anĂșncios? Se jĂĄ acessou algum aplicativo hoje, provavelmente jĂĄ foi ofertado.

O fenĂŽmeno que trago neste texto Ă© o que chamo de SĂ­ndrome de Estocolmo Digital. – Neste estĂĄgio, vocĂȘ jĂĄ aceitou o sequestro financeiro por esses aplicativos – e jĂĄ estĂĄ acostumado.

A SĂ­ndrome de Estocolmo Digital Ă© um instrumento psicolĂłgico cruel porque ela Ă© baseada em ameaçar remover um serviço que vocĂȘ considera essencial (mesmo que nĂŁo seja) e estĂĄ assinando e pagando por ele — mesmo que nĂŁo possa pagar por ele.

Vivemos um momento estarrecedor na economia cotidiana: tudo o que antes era gesto simples — baixar um app, ouvir uma mĂșsica — agora exige uma assinatura mensal.

A normalização desse modelo aconteceu sem debate pĂșblico, sem regulação, sem questionamentos.

A promessa era sedutora: pagar R$ 1,99 e ter acesso ilimitado. Mas o acesso ilimitado rapidamente se transformou em dependĂȘncia psicolĂłgica. – Sim, como um medicamento controlado.

Hoje, parte significativa da nossa vida existe sob o risco de expiração: não pagou, não acessa. Todos viramos Reféns.

O mais intrigante Ă© o aspecto emocional que se formou em torno dessas cobranças. NĂŁo compramos apenas um app — compramos a sensação de segurança que ele entrega.

A nuvem que guarda fotos que nunca acessamos. O editor que usamos duas vezes no mĂȘs, mas que Ă© importante estar sempre pronto para uso – afinal, vai que tiro uma foto legal?!

A ausĂȘncia do acesso garantido causa a sensação de desamparo e desespero.

Pagamos muito pouco por utilidade real – e muito mais por conforto psicológico.

O medo de perder Ă© muito mais rentĂĄvel do que o prazer de ganhar.

VocĂȘ nĂŁo paga para receber algo novo. VocĂȘ paga para continuar tendo aquilo que sempre foi seu.

E essa dinñmica cria um paradoxo importante: quanto mais dependentes das ferramentas digitais nos tornamos, mais caro fica para apenas “funcionar” no mundo contemporñneo. Onde vamos parar?!

A vida, antes era dividida entre despesas essenciais e supĂ©rfluos. Agora inclui uma terceira categoria: as assinaturas que vocĂȘ nem lembra de ter, mas tem medo e sente aflição sĂł de pensar em cancelar.

O foco nĂŁo Ă© mais o preço, e tambĂ©m deixou de ser conquistar o usuĂĄrio e virou fazer ele iniciar uma assinatura e permanecer sendo assinante, mĂȘs apĂłs mĂȘs. Hoje, eles nĂŁo tentam mais ser melhores que os concorrentes como antigamente – a assinatura tem o mesmo preço do concorrente, falando nisso


Estamos lidando com verdadeiros cartéis!

E assim seguimos, pagando mensalidades para acessar versÔes premium. Estamos começando a avançar, mas seguimos aceitando pagar continuamente pelo direito de continuar avançando.

Somos nós que escolhemos nossas ferramentas — ou as ferramentas que nos escolhem como fonte de renda?!

Para ter acesso ao prĂłximo artigo de opiniĂŁo, vocĂȘ consegue pagando apenas R$ 29,99! Vai perder essa mega promoção???*

*Informação falsa

Rio de Janeiro, 16 de novembro de 2025, Ă s 08:04.

Atualizado Ă s 08:07.

 
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from Bloc de notas

buenos días / dijo la inteligencia artificial pero él entendió que se lo decía y aunque notó algo extraño con el tiempo le pareció normal

 
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from Rob Galpin

I am, these days, more at home here.

Though perhaps more forgetful.

Beyond the walls, the winds blow cold in the treeless baileys.

I sit as still as I am able. The badger rootles

through the rotting, fallen books.

 
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from An Open Letter

It's been hard to get back into the gym recently. I’ve had a lot of off days recently and the lack of endorphin rush makes it really difficult. I feel like I'm consistently low on energy and especially with it getting dark so fast it's hard to find motivation.

 
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from wystswolf

A thousand butterflies swarm the blooming lavender. The swish of wings little more than a hush of silence. Flitting to and fro supping from the waning nectar and Gleefully bounding away in to the sunset to Find a perch whereupon to spend the coming night.

Wolfinwool · Lavender and Little Women-esv2-90p-bg-10p

The Beginning

The day began brilliant, as most days do here in Dust Meridian. Fall and winter are fine times of the year with cool, dry weather most days that is inspired and close to perfect. I launched into the day by trundling around in the ankle deep dried mulberry leaves the two trees in the hard so lovingly dropped. Ankle deep, and still is seems the trees are full. There will be good crunching for long, long days to come.

As we do traditionally, my wife and I set out in to the ministry to find those who might wish to hear the word of God. Though most were out, and the doors barred. We would go on to discover that the whole town, it seemed, was occupied with the Christmas tchotchkes festival at the city's events center. A fact we discovered when stopping for coffee at the hotel next door.

On our rounds, we made a point to check on my parents who were doing much of nothing, as folk In their seventies are sometimes known to do. I encouraged my father to get out into the day in spite of his feeling tired. To walk in the leaves at least. And maybe brighten someone else's day in addition to his own.

Funeral Rites

About 11:30, we moved into funerary mode, and attended a memorial program for a longtime friend who passed way after falling in the bathtub and breaking his neck. It's never easy to experience that, but hardly survivable in our eighties. The function was well-supported and the program, while a tad wordy, was kind and honorable. No doubt, the family was greatly comforted by the showing and the words.

While the condition of the dead is as sleep, I am confident my friend would be proud of us all. We will not get over it, but as the speaker said, with God's help, we can get through it.

To the Theater

Heading out at 12:35, we drove to Seymour, a small town in West Texas. Our goal, a local theater production of Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. We are both fans of the tale, and though must admit having only read portions of the book can at least claim valid fandom in the fact that I have visited Miss Alcott's home where the story was written. It was a cold, wet winter day when we experienced the author's abode, once adjacent to an orchard of some kind and filled with items of her storied life.

Since this was a tiny town, and the cast mostly very young, I wasn't sure what to expect when the curtain rose. However what we experienced for just over two hours was a delightful and earnest effort by the director and the actors. I was dismayed at Jo's appearance, simply because I have long been enamored with Winona Ryder as Jo March in the 1994 film adaptation. But the young woman playing Jo, Savannah Sturgeon, did a lovely job of embodying the wild personality brimming with joy, imagination, and love. She was bright and big and had the range to give us an enjoyable, convincing character.

The whole cast was, in fact thoroughly enjoyable and the script was clearly based on the book (which I have not read in it's entirety) and so BRAVO for memorizing so much material written in a voice rarely seen in modern works. They had worked very hard to meet a standard that was far beyond the small-town theater we visited.

Reese Warren's Amy March was another highlight. She has the natural rhythm and grace to truly engage the audience. I found her moments on stage to be particularly captivating.

Nathaniel Rogers' Professor Bhaer was hilarious with a big, and assuming, fake German accent. But he completely owned the role and played it straight which only made him more endearing. It was quite the opposite of what I love of Louis Garrel's performance in the earlier adaptation. But still VERY entertaining. Just different than I expected. I will assume Rogers' performance is closer to as written by Alcott.

While I won't go on to list the entire cast, I will say outstanding was Jeb Stacey's Laurie. Jeb is very clearly a cowboy. A good ol' boy and while his performance was strong and entertaining, his mannerisms tended to overwhelm what is to me, a refined, but inexperienced personality. Having said that, I LOVED Jeb. He is the spitting image/personality of a lifelong friend. Terse, loud and a bit stiff. Ray, I you're out there and you happen to read this, your doppelgÀnger lives in Seymour. Any love-children I do not know of?

I found several parts of the play quite moving: 1. Reading father's first letter/telegram to the girls. 2. Father's outpouring of love for the girls after coming home 3. Laurie's expression of love for Jo 4. Amy's burning of Jo's manuscript (this one always shocks me, but today, it drew tears)

It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I recommend you go see some local community theater. The smaller, the better. It promotes goodwill and it is a joy to see the production value of big budget stuff stripped away and just enjoy acting. Some good, some needing improving. But ALL entertainment!

The day was all lavender and each of us from the smallest to the star of the show were the flitting creatures, sucking up the nectar of life. Proving that even places like Dust Meridian can provide the sweet joy that we need to thrive.

Seymour Community Theater's Production of Little Women

Epilogue

Since one of my more heart-rending moments was the father's dotting on his daughters, I decided to re-read Chapter 22, and found that in fact this production is almost a 1:1.

As someone who struggles with self-esteem and self-worth, I found his attention to be just overwhelming. Parent's, your children 'know' you love them. But, take the time to tell them regularly, in detail. Not a throwaway I love you, but look for moments like Jo March's Father and genuinely tell them what you love about them. The goodwill you build in them will pay dividends throughout their life.

Wolfinwool · Little Women – Chp 22 – Pleasant Meadows

Little Women by Loiusa May Alcott – excerpt:

Chapter 22 – Pleasant Meadows

Like sunshine after a storm were the peaceful weeks which followed. The invalids improved rapidly, and Mr. March began to talk of returning early in the new year. Beth was soon able to lie on the study sofa all day, amusing herself with the well-beloved cats at first, and in time with doll’s sewing, which had fallen sadly behind-hand. Her once active limbs were so stiff and feeble that Jo took her for a daily airing about the house in her strong arms. Meg cheerfully blackened and burned her white hands cooking delicate messes for ‘the dear’, while Amy, a loyal slave of the ring, celebrated her return by giving away as many of her treasures as she could prevail on her sisters to accept.

As Christmas approached, the usual mysteries began to haunt the house, and Jo frequently convulsed the family by proposing utterly impossible or magnificently absurd ceremonies, in honor of this unusually merry Christmas. Laurie was equally impracticable, and would have had bonfires, skyrockets, and triumphal arches, if he had had his own way. After many skirmishes and snubbings, the ambitious pair were considered effectually quenched and went about with forlorn faces, which were rather belied by explosions of laughter when the two got together.

Several days of unusually mild weather fitly ushered in a splendid Christmas Day. Hannah ‘felt in her bones’ that it was going to be an unusually fine day, and she proved herself a true prophetess, for everybody and everything seemed bound to produce a grand success. To begin with, Mr. March wrote that he should soon be with them, then Beth felt uncommonly well that morning, and, being dressed in her mother’s gift, a soft crimson merino wrapper, was borne in high triumph to the window to behold the offering of Jo and Laurie. The Unquenchables had done their best to be worthy of the name, for like elves they had worked by night and conjured up a comical surprise. Out in the garden stood a stately snow maiden, crowned with holly, bearing a basket of fruit and flowers in one hand, a great roll of music in the other, a perfect rainbow of an Afghan round her chilly shoulders, and a Christmas carol issuing from her lips on a pink paper streamer.

THE JUNGFRAU TO BETH

God bless you, dear Queen Bess! May nothing you dismay, But health and peace and happiness Be yours, this Christmas day.

Here’s fruit to feed our busy bee, And flowers for her nose. Here’s music for her pianee, An afghan for her toes,

A portrait of Joanna, see, By Raphael No. 2, Who laboured with great industry To make it fair and true.

Accept a ribbon red, I beg, For Madam Purrer’s tail, And ice cream made by lovely Peg, A Mont Blanc in a pail.

Their dearest love my makers laid Within my breast of snow. Accept it, and the Alpine maid, From Laurie and from Jo.

How Beth laughed when she saw it, how Laurie ran up and down to bring in the gifts, and what ridiculous speeches Jo made as she presented them.

“I’m so full of happiness, that if Father was only here, I couldn’t hold one drop more,” said Beth, quite sighing with contentment as Jo carried her off to the study to rest after the excitement, and to refresh herself with some of the delicious grapes the ‘Jungfrau’ had sent her.

“So am I,” added Jo, slapping the pocket wherein reposed the long-desired Undine and Sintram.

“I’m sure I am,” echoed Amy, poring over the engraved copy of the Madonna and Child, which her mother had given her in a pretty frame.

“Of course I am!” cried Meg, smoothing the silvery folds of her first silk dress, for Mr. Laurence had insisted on giving it. “How can I be otherwise?” said Mrs. March gratefully, as her eyes went from her husband’s letter to Beth’s smiling face, and her hand caressed the brooch made of gray and golden, chestnut and dark brown hair, which the girls had just fastened on her breast.

Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort it is. Half an hour after everyone had said they were so happy they could only hold one drop more, the drop came. Laurie opened the parlor door and popped his head in very quietly. He might just as well have turned a somersault and uttered an Indian war whoop, for his face was so full of suppressed excitement and his voice so treacherously joyful that everyone jumped up, though he only said, in a queer, breathless voice, “Here’s another Christmas present for the March family.”

Before the words were well out of his mouth, he was whisked away somehow, and in his place appeared a tall man, muffled up to the eyes, leaning on the arm of another tall man, who tried to say something and couldn’t. Of course there was a general stampede, and for several minutes everybody seemed to lose their wits, for the strangest things were done, and no one said a word.

Mr. March became invisible in the embrace of four pairs of loving arms. Jo disgraced herself by nearly fainting away, and had to be doctored by Laurie in the china closet. Mr. Brooke kissed Meg entirely by mistake, as he somewhat incoherently explained. And Amy, the dignified, tumbled over a stool, and never stopping to get up, hugged and cried over her father’s boots in the most touching manner. Mrs. March was the first to recover herself, and held up her hand with a warning, “Hush! Remember Beth.”

But it was too late. The study door flew open, the little red wrapper appeared on the threshold, joy put strength into the feeble limbs, and Beth ran straight into her father’s arms. Never mind what happened just after that, for the full hearts overflowed, washing away the bitterness of the past and leaving only the sweetness of the present.

It was not at all romantic, but a hearty laugh set everybody straight again, for Hannah was discovered behind the door, sobbing over the fat turkey, which she had forgotten to put down when she rushed up from the kitchen. As the laugh subsided, Mrs. March began to thank Mr. Brooke for his faithful care of her husband, at which Mr. Brooke suddenly remembered that Mr. March needed rest, and seizing Laurie, he precipitately retired. Then the two invalids were ordered to repose, which they did, by both sitting in one big chair and talking hard. Mr. March told how he had longed to surprise them, and how, when the fine weather came, he had been allowed by his doctor to take advantage of it, how devoted Brooke had been, and how he was altogether a most estimable and upright young man. Why Mr. March paused a minute just there, and after a glance at Meg, who was violently poking the fire, looked at his wife with an inquiring lift of the eyebrows, I leave you to imagine. Also why Mrs. March gently nodded her head and asked, rather abruptly, if he wouldn’t like to have something to eat. Jo saw and understood the look, and she stalked grimly away to get wine and beef tea, muttering to herself as she slammed the door, “I hate estimable young men with brown eyes!”

There never was such a Christmas dinner as they had that day. The fat turkey was a sight to behold, when Hannah sent him up, stuffed, browned, and decorated. So was the plum pudding, which melted in one’s mouth, likewise the jellies, in which Amy reveled like a fly in a honeypot. Everything turned out well, which was a mercy, Hannah said, “For my mind was that flustered, Mum, that it’s a merrycle I didn’t roast the pudding, and stuff the turkey with raisins, let alone bilin’ of it in a cloth.”

Mr. Laurence and his grandson dined with them, also Mr. Brooke, at whom Jo glowered darkly, to Laurie’s infinite amusement. Two easy chairs stood side by side at the head of the table, in which sat Beth and her father, feasting modestly on chicken and a little fruit. They drank healths, told stories, sang songs, ‘reminisced’, as the old folks say, and had a thoroughly good time. A sleigh ride had been planned, but the girls would not leave their father, so the guests departed early, and as twilight gathered, the happy family sat together round the fire.

“Just a year ago we were groaning over the dismal Christmas we expected to have. Do you remember?” asked Jo, breaking a short pause which had followed a long conversation about many things.

“Rather a pleasant year on the whole!” said Meg, smiling at the fire, and congratulating herself on having treated Mr. Brooke with dignity. “I think it’s been a pretty hard one,” observed Amy, watching the light shine on her ring with thoughtful eyes.

“I’m glad it’s over, because we’ve got you back,” whispered Beth, who sat on her father’s knee.

“Rather a rough road for you to travel, my little pilgrims, especially the latter part of it. But you have got on bravely, and I think the burdens are in a fair way to tumble off very soon,” said Mr. March, looking with fatherly satisfaction at the four young faces gathered round him.

“How do you know? Did Mother tell you?” asked Jo.

“Not much. Straws show which way the wind blows, and I’ve made several discoveries today.”

“Oh, tell us what they are!” cried Meg, who sat beside him.

“Here is one.” And taking up the hand which lay on the arm of his chair, he pointed to the roughened forefinger, a burn on the back, and two or three little hard spots on the palm. “I remember a time when this hand was white and smooth, and your first care was to keep it so. It was very pretty then, but to me it is much prettier now, for in this seeming blemishes I read a little history. A burnt offering has been made to vanity, this hardened palm has earned something better than blisters, and I’m sure the sewing done by these pricked fingers will last a long time, so much good will went into the stitches. Meg, my dear, I value the womanly skill which keeps home happy more than white hands or fashionable accomplishments. I’m proud to shake this good, industrious little hand, and hope I shall not soon be asked to give it away.”

If Meg had wanted a reward for hours of patient labor, she received it in the hearty pressure of her father’s hand and the approving smile he gave her. “What about Jo? Please say something nice, for she has tried so hard and been so very, very good to me,” said Beth in her father’s ear.

He laughed and looked across at the tall girl who sat opposite, with an unusually mild expression in her face.

“In spite of the curly crop, I don’t see the ‘son Jo’ whom I left a year ago,” said Mr. March. “I see a young lady who pins her collar straight, laces her boots neatly, and neither whistles, talks slang, nor lies on the rug as she used to do. Her face is rather thin and pale just now, with watching and anxiety, but I like to look at it, for it has grown gentler, and her voice is lower. She doesn’t bounce, but moves quietly, and takes care of a certain little person in a motherly way which delights me. I rather miss my wild girl, but if I get a strong, helpful, tenderhearted woman in her place, I shall feel quite satisfied. I don’t know whether the shearing sobered our black sheep, but I do know that in all Washington I couldn’t find anything beautiful enough to be bought with the five-and-twenty dollars my good girl sent me.”

Jo’s keen eyes were rather dim for a minute, and her thin face grew rosy in the firelight as she received her father’s praise, feeling that she did deserve a portion of it.

“Now, Beth,” said Amy, longing for her turn, but ready to wait.

“There’s so little of her, I’m afraid to say much, for fear she will slip away altogether, though she is not so shy as she used to be,” began their father cheerfully. But recollecting how nearly he had lost her, he held her close, saying tenderly, with her cheek against his own, “I’ve got you safe, my Beth, and I’ll keep you so, please God.”

After a minute’s silence, he looked down at Amy, who sat on the cricket at his feet, and said, with a caress of the shining hair...

“I observed that Amy took drumsticks at dinner, ran errands for her mother all the afternoon, gave Meg her place tonight, and has waited on every one with patience and good humor. I also observe that she does not fret much nor look in the glass, and has not even mentioned a very pretty ring which she wears, so I conclude that she has learned to think of other people more and of herself less, and has decided to try and mold her character as carefully as she molds her little clay figures. I am glad of this, for though I should be very proud of a graceful statue made by her, I shall be infinitely prouder of a lovable daughter with a talent for making life beautiful to herself and others.”

“What are you thinking of, Beth?” asked Jo, when Amy had thanked her father and told about her ring.

“I read in Pilgrim’s Progress today how, after many troubles, Christian and Hopeful came to a pleasant green meadow where lilies bloomed all year round, and there they rested happily, as we do now, before they went on to their journey’s end,” answered Beth, adding, as she slipped out of her father’s arms and went to the instrument, “It’s singing time now, and I want to be in my old place. I’ll try to sing the song of the shepherd boy which the Pilgrims heard. I made the music for Father, because he likes the verses.”

So, sitting at the dear little piano, Beth softly touched the keys, and in the sweet voice they had never thought to hear again, sang to her own accompaniment the quaint hymn, which was a singularly fitting song for her.

He that is down need fear no fall, He that is low no pride. He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide.

I am content with what I have, Little be it, or much. And, Lord! Contentment still I crave, Because Thou savest such.

Fulness to them a burden is, That go on pilgrimage. Here little, and hereafter bliss, Is best from age to age!

#story # journal #poetry #wyst #poetry #100daystooffset #writing #story #osxs #travel

 
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from John Karahalis

Some of the best healthcare is free: fresh air, sunshine, exercise, clean water, good sleep, meaningful relationships, and real foods from the Earth. (Well, whole foods like these are not free, but they're often less expensive than the big, bright, fantastical confections that dominate grocery store shelves.)

Of course, none of this is enough, or our ancestors would have lived much longer than they did. Vaccines, medicine, and medical treatments obviously extend life and improve outcomes in profound ways. But to a large extent, what we're lacking—what I'm lacking, at least—is not the big business of medical technology. It's healthier habits and deeper engagement with the real world.

I'm just beginning to really understand this, and I want to be better, so I'm writing this partly as a reminder to myself.

#Business #PersonalDevelopment #Philosophy #Technology #Wellbeing

 
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