"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Readers have already noted I have used (agreed with) quotes from famous opponents of Conservative or Christian thinkers. Bertrand Russell was the last, and you can add John Stuart Mill to the list. Mill had lots of interesting things to say about man, morals, faith and politics. Some good, some bad. Mostly bad. Unless you are a hedonist, and your moral code comes down to whatever makes you happiest.
Naturally, what makes you happy can cause great distress to others, so Mill convinced himself that certain refined people, such as himself, could best determine the greatest amount of happiness that could be delivered to the greatest number of people. In today's society we call it liberalism [pokes with a stick]
Still, I started talking about war so I will end speaking of war. Deciding when to fight must be one of the hardest decisions to make. It's one of the occasions where waiting to see what will happen is often far worse than acting promptly, and one of the hardest things ever to prove unless we wait too long.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke
"Never turn your back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!"
-- Winston Churchill
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they have resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they suppress."
-- Frederick Douglas
-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Readers have already noted I have used (agreed with) quotes from famous opponents of Conservative or Christian thinkers. Bertrand Russell was the last, and you can add John Stuart Mill to the list. Mill had lots of interesting things to say about man, morals, faith and politics. Some good, some bad. Mostly bad. Unless you are a hedonist, and your moral code comes down to whatever makes you happiest.
Naturally, what makes you happy can cause great distress to others, so Mill convinced himself that certain refined people, such as himself, could best determine the greatest amount of happiness that could be delivered to the greatest number of people. In today's society we call it liberalism [pokes with a stick]
Still, I started talking about war so I will end speaking of war. Deciding when to fight must be one of the hardest decisions to make. It's one of the occasions where waiting to see what will happen is often far worse than acting promptly, and one of the hardest things ever to prove unless we wait too long.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke
"Never turn your back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!"
-- Winston Churchill
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they have resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they suppress."
-- Frederick Douglas