Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) was a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Strictly Personal” was carried by the Des Moines Register (which I, by the way, carried to homes in my town on Iowa mornings).
I remember “Strictly Personal,” though I do not remember reading it very often. I see now that Harris was considered a “liberal,” so perhaps vibes from my conservative parents caused me to believe I shouldn’t read him. They never told me not to.
I recently came across three quotes by Harris that struck me as worth recalling today. I offer them to my readers just as they are. I will save you any commentary.
”Superior people are only those who let it be discovered by others; the need to make it evident forfeits the very virtue they aspire to.” (1982)
"Terrorism is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; war is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.” (1986)
“Patriotism is proud of a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, ‘the greatest’, but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.”
Sydney J. Harris may have been a liberal. But these observations of his are little more than common sense. He might be surprised someone thinks them worth resurrecting in 2018’s America.
No comments:
Post a Comment