skeptic Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 A "Pearl" from the past that reflects very much on today. "If any man consider the present aspects of what is called by distinction society, he will see the need of these ethics. The sinew and heart of man seem to be drawn out, and we are become timorous, desponding whimperers. We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. We want men and women who shall renovate life and our social state, but we see that most natures are insolvent, cannot satisfy their own wants, have an ambition out of all proportion to their practical force, and do lean and beg day and night continually. Our housekeeping is mendicant, our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. If our young men miscarry in their first enterprises, they lose all heart. If the young merchant fails, men say he is ruined. If the finest genius studies at one of our colleges, and is not installed in an office within one year afterwords in the cities or suburbs of Boston or New York, it seems to his friends and to himself that he is right in being disheartened, and in complaining the rest of his life. A sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions, who teams it, farms it, peddles, keeps a school, preaches, edits a newspaper, goes to Congress, buys a township, and so forth, in successive years, and always, like a cat, falls on his feet, is worth a hundred of these city dolls. He walks abreast with his days, and feels no shame in not 'studying a profession,' for he does not postpone his life, but lives already. He has not one chance, but a hundred chances." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoPenn Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 What's sad is that 170 years later, we still recognize how apt this is in our own society. So much for the forward march of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pchadbo Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Very discouraging on one hand but truly Heartening for a "sturdy lad from New Hampshire" an I know we have the types of people here that he speaks of . . .if we could just close the southern border. . . ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 One of the most ground breaking attitudes suggested by "Self-Reliance" when it was published was that a man could determine his station in life by his actions. A poorer man did not have to accept being poor, he could move up "IF" he applied himself, worked hard, etc. The concept of self reliance is you are what you make yourself to be, not handed the necessities of life by someone/something else. A Man takes care of himself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoPenn Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 By "Southern Border", you are, or course, referring to Massachussets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pchadbo Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 yes I am most definitely referring to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when I refer to "our Southern Border" It is the ONLY state to our south with which we share a border and according to the most recent census results I am in the minority in my own state. Less than 30% of our population over 25 is native. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghermanno Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Wow, PCHADBO what TRIBE are you from? I had previously been PROUD to say I am a YANKEE, living now in the south (Texas) but formerly from MA. We may joke of "Maine-iacs" and "Bean-brained" people but closing the boarder? There are a lot of things to dislike about MA (mostly political) but many things to love about it also (the countryside and people in the "burgs"). I still love the Northeast, although I'll never live there again. I hope that it never gets to where they two states really want to close the boarder like Oregon suggested to California when LA-LA land said they would pipe the water down from Oregon to LA without permission. Respectfully, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pchadbo Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 The "if we could just close the southern border. . . ;-)" line as indicated by the emoticon was a joke however, as someone who has watched my small hometown go from a quiet unassuming "prototypical" new england town to a bedroom community for Boston. The people moving from the cities and being surprised that when the moved into a rural town there is no town water, sewer, trash pick up or 24 hour local police and a volunteer fire dept. Having watched tax rates in this small town triple in 15 years as all the "new" residents insisted on all the "comforts of home" I just get fed up with the transplants moving for the quiet counrtyside then complaining that the countryside includes country living Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hmmm.. pchadbo.. I am a NH transplant.. But in a round about way. Grew up in upper-state NY. Went to college in Illinois and stayed for a few years after, moved to MA (and hated it, due to it being way too busy, the drivers being very discourtious to the point of maniac, and the people seemed to judge you for how much you made.. Then there was too many people..) Now that was close to the Boston area.. I thing western MA is laid back. Anyway, I pushed & shoved my husband a native MA person out of MA as far as I could push him.. So that's how I ended up in NH. After 20 years, I am fine with taking my garbage to the town dump, no sidewalks, no sewer etc. I absolutely love my well water (except miss the water pressure) The town police keep harping to up their numbers we vote no (how many speed traps can you set up on the dirt roads anyway?) But, I will admit to one thing.. With the gas crunch, I sure wish there was a grocery store closer the 45 minutes away, other then the Ma & Pa little shops.. But, I am a transplant in a round-about way.. I will support pchadbo with most of what he says, the transplants do come up here, to get away from the taxes, and to be able to buy a house at a reasonable price (as reasonable as todays market is).. But, then they are the ones driving up the cost of housing by increasing the population and the cost & Demand of housing, and the taxes by asking for the ammenities they had in MA.. So maybe I need to drive me out... ME.. Be Gone!(This message has been edited by moosetracker) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pchadbo Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Moose, If all "transplants" shared your views then there would be no need to be concered it's "them" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 That's OK PChadbo. You don't have to take your foot out of your mouth. I agree with you.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbolt Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 We have the same problem on this side of the continent but it's CA moving to north ID. You should see the fur fly when a tree-hugger tells a logger he can't make a living and feed his family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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