“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
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First Principles: Democracy and Socialism Have Nothing In Common But One Word: equality. But Notice the Difference… Socialism Seeks… Restraint and Servitude
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy, Difference, Equality, First Principles, Liberty, Nothing In Common, Notice, One Word, Restraint, Servitude, Socialism
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Thought For the Day: The Segregation of the Spiritual Life From the Practical Life Is A Curse That Falls Impartially Upon Both Sides of Our Existence
“The segregation of the spiritual life from the practical life is a curse that falls impartially upon both sides of our existence.” – Lewis Mumford, in Faith for the Living
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Tagged Both Sides, Curse, Existence, Fall, Lewis Mumford, Practical Lifee, Segregation, Spiritual Life, Thought For the Day
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The Clock Keeps Ticking
The Clock Keeps Ticking
by Michael Doyle
From that pristine sense of moment
When we come out of the womb
The clock starts ticking
With all its joy and torment
We become the life in the room
Making things happen through our kicking
It is in building the intimacy
That we find our true relevancy
Otherwise, all we have is nothing
Searching after that scrap of something
That we hope might make things better
Yet, here we are stuck in our stormy weather
We have to lead through honesty
Not just mouthing the words of integrity
But really feeling the feel
Of the emotions that keep it all real
Let's lead this life by our example
Living the love of life, full and ample
When my numbered days are finally done
I want my life to have been a full one
Something that brings the smile of celebration
Though the tears cried weren't exactly jubilation
It all comes down to a matter of choice
Let's lift up our glasses cheering in full voice
It's been the getting back up from falling down
The too many questions I've always chased around
That's taken me to the places, I would never be found
Yet, landing with my two feet solidly on the ground
It's the tale of the tricks that I once played
That often leads me to my knees for all that I've prayed
Let's lift up those glasses high, savoring the toast
To the dreams, dreamers, and people we've loved the most
Grateful for what has brought us to our final day
Thinking on all the moments, come and gone along the way
It would be my best moment if in the last moment my lips say
Here's to you and all your love that I have known along the way
(c) November 23, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged All Your Love, Along, Along the Way, Best Moment, Build, Celebration, Chased Around, Clock, Done, Dreamers, Dreams, Emotion, Example, Falling Down, Feel, Found, Full, Getting Back Up, Glass, Grateful, Ground, Here's To You, Honesty, Integrity, Intimacy, Joy, Jubilation, Kick, Knees, Known, Landing, Last Moment, Lead, Life, Love of Life, Loved the Most, Make Things Better, Matter of Choice, Moment, Moments, Mouth, Nothing, Number, Place, Play, Poetry and Poems, Prayed, Questions, Real, Relevancy, Room, Say, Scrap, Search, Smile, Something, Stormy Weather, Tale, Tears, Tick, Toast, Torment, Voice, Way, Womb
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First Principles: Keep Your Face Always Toward the Sunshine – and Shadows Will Fall Behind You
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
For something a little different in this month edging up on that day of Thanksgiving and gratitude…is a poetic thought that used to be a prevailing sort of commonsense that a person should keep positive.
Posted in First Principles
Tagged Behind, Face, Fall, First Principles, Keep, Shadow, Sunshine, Toward, Walt Whitman
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Thought For the Day: Children Have Never Been Good At Listening To Their Elders, But, They Have Never Failed To Imitate Them
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James Baldwin
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Tagged Children, Elders, Fail, Good, Imitate, James Baldwin, Listen, Thought For the Day
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Thought For the Day: If Violent Crime Is To Be Curbed… the Felon…Must Be Taught To Fear His Victim
Posted in Thought For the Day
Tagged Curb, Fear, Felon, Intended Victim, Judge, Jury, Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper, Police, Taught, Thought For the Day, Violent Crime
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First Principles: Government Is Instituted To Protect Property of Every Sort
“Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own.” – James Madison, Essay on Property, 1792
Discernment Revisited
Discernment Revisited
by Michael Doyle
I guess that's the deal
Letting Jesus take the wheel
Like the wisdom of Solomon's seal
It is what keeps it real
Going deep into the Scripture
We find the things of God
Surrendering in devotion to Scripture
We recommit to the ways of God
Living compels from time to time
Finding my truth by uneasy rhyme
Learning to serve for significance
Not allowing loss in wrong emphasis
Knowing that it is God in control
On the path to living my best soul
Don't let the words be an impediment
But stay on the path of right sentiment
Not allowing the meandering of deviation
To lose my footing, slipping into devastation
Taking up that dimension that brings grace
Undiminished but instead living by God's embrace
Sometimes, a man has to do the math
Doing his best to stay on the narrow path
Keeping mindful on all that I have prayed
And putting aside the tricks Satan has played
I won't be distracted by life's overestimations
Keeping my eyes set on my believed destination
Pushing through what seems like tragic devastation
I refuse to be a tool of my own worst elimination
I won't give into inclinations of insecurity
But strive to grow strong in my drive for maturity
I won't dwell on thoughts of personal inadequacy
But take in the discernment that allows buoyancy
That each of us might find our best path of understanding
However much the pressures of life feel overly demanding
Let's look for things that are in need of reconsideration
In this I know that I and we will find better decisions
(c) November 21, 2021 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
Posted in Poetry and Poems
Tagged Better Decisions, Buoyancy, Deep, Demanding, Destination, Devastation, Deviation, Devotion, Dimension, Discernment, Distracted, Do the Math, Drive, Dwell, Elimination, Eyes Set, Footing, God Is In Control, Grace, Grow Strong, Impediment, Inclination, Insecurity, Jesus, Know, Living, Lose, Loss, Maturity, Meander, Mindful, Narrow Path, Overestimation, Path, Personal Inadequcy, Played, Poetry and Poems, Prayed, Pressures of Life, Pushing Through, Put Aside, Real, Recommit, Reconsideration, Refuse, Revisited, Rhyme, Right Sentiment, Satan, Scripture, Serve, Significance, Slip, Solomon's Seal, Soul, Stay, Stay On the Path, Strive, Surrender, The Deal, Things of God, Thoughts, Time To Time, Tool, Tragic, Tricks, Truth, Understanding, Undiminished, Ways of God, Wheel, Wisdom, Words, Wrong Emphasis
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First Principles: Let Us Not Love With Words or Speech But With Actions and In Truth
“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. – 1 John 3:18
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Tagged 1 John 3:18, Actions, First Principles, In Truth, Love, Speech, Us, Words
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Thought For the Day: Love Truth, But Pardon Error
“Love truth, but pardon error.” – Voltaire, philosopher and writer (21 Nov 1694-1778)
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Tagged Error, Love, Pardon, Thought For the Day, Truth, Voltaire
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