...Just recently I received an e-mail from a cousin in England. Actually, she's a cousin in my ex's family, not mine--but we do have similar interests and so have "adopted" each other in cousinship. Her message relates to a couple of the recent postings to my blog, and since I do not have my own message today, I'll share hers"
Subject: Your fascinating blogs
Hi Cuz Norm the Philosopher-King Elect
Just been reading your recent blogs - fantastically interesting. Yes, you do have an ego - but on the other hand, you do have quite a lot about which to feel superior. Your learning. Your teaching abilities. Your distinguished war-service. The sacrifice of health you made in WW 2.
Which brings me on to my next subject: can a war, even a just war (see most political philosophy) ever be good? No, absolutely not. Look at the mental infirmity of which you have been a victim since your wartime experience. On the other hand, here in Britain, people did use to speak of having "had a good war." A lot of people did. The spirit of community flourished. Women, having to carry out men's work in their absence, gained in ability and confidence and social standing. Suicide rates went down because of high morale. The country pulled together. Additonally, many people benefited in ways unforeseeable to them. Take my father, for instance. He fought under Montgomery in north Africa (was at El-Alamein) and always said that Montgomery was very careful with the lives of his men, and respected him accordingly. What could have been better for my father than to prove himself in battle under a military leader whom he respected? All he had hitherto been was a rootless orphan (almost) and a despised "Jew-boy" and a hat-machinist in the Jewish "ghetto" of East London. The war enlarged his social purview, as he met and worked with men of the English middle classes, whose work he saw he could do, and who respected him as a person. When he came out of the army, he trained as a teacher and ended up as a headmaster.
I repeat that if you came out of WW 2 with your body and mind intact, you were a winner - in this country at least. And may I lastly make the very obvious point that since our people were threatened with annihilation, every Jew who fought against the Germans was doing the absolutely right and indeed essential thing. I do not take the loss of your mental health lightly (I am a chronic depressive myself as you know) but I see it as a sacrifice you made in the cause of our people.
God only knows what we can do about Islam. I only hope it's a temporary phase and that the religion is going through its "Spanish Inquisition" phase and will calm down eventually. Otherwise, it's eternal vigilance against the bastards. Have you seen what's happening in Afghanistan to girls who only want to learn to read and write? Words fail me - and that doesn't happen very often. Btw, Mr Rushdie's forename is "Salman" not "Simon." I suppose it is a variant of Solomon/Suleiman, etc.
Sorry old age is setting in. Much sympathy. None of it's funny, is it?
Hi Cuz Norm the Philosopher-King Elect
Just been reading your recent blogs - fantastically interesting. Yes, you do have an ego - but on the other hand, you do have quite a lot about which to feel superior. Your learning. Your teaching abilities. Your distinguished war-service. The sacrifice of health you made in WW 2.
Which brings me on to my next subject: can a war, even a just war (see most political philosophy) ever be good? No, absolutely not. Look at the mental infirmity of which you have been a victim since your wartime experience. On the other hand, here in Britain, people did use to speak of having "had a good war." A lot of people did. The spirit of community flourished. Women, having to carry out men's work in their absence, gained in ability and confidence and social standing. Suicide rates went down because of high morale. The country pulled together. Additonally, many people benefited in ways unforeseeable to them. Take my father, for instance. He fought under Montgomery in north Africa (was at El-Alamein) and always said that Montgomery was very careful with the lives of his men, and respected him accordingly. What could have been better for my father than to prove himself in battle under a military leader whom he respected? All he had hitherto been was a rootless orphan (almost) and a despised "Jew-boy" and a hat-machinist in the Jewish "ghetto" of East London. The war enlarged his social purview, as he met and worked with men of the English middle classes, whose work he saw he could do, and who respected him as a person. When he came out of the army, he trained as a teacher and ended up as a headmaster.
I repeat that if you came out of WW 2 with your body and mind intact, you were a winner - in this country at least. And may I lastly make the very obvious point that since our people were threatened with annihilation, every Jew who fought against the Germans was doing the absolutely right and indeed essential thing. I do not take the loss of your mental health lightly (I am a chronic depressive myself as you know) but I see it as a sacrifice you made in the cause of our people.
God only knows what we can do about Islam. I only hope it's a temporary phase and that the religion is going through its "Spanish Inquisition" phase and will calm down eventually. Otherwise, it's eternal vigilance against the bastards. Have you seen what's happening in Afghanistan to girls who only want to learn to read and write? Words fail me - and that doesn't happen very often. Btw, Mr Rushdie's forename is "Salman" not "Simon." I suppose it is a variant of Solomon/Suleiman, etc.
Sorry old age is setting in. Much sympathy. None of it's funny, is it?
...I think it's an excellent message, except I'm not so sure I like her reference to PTSD as a "mental infirmity"! My ears tend to reject the pejorative implication of "infirmity". Perhaps she might have referred to my "brain disability" instead. Of course, I mention in one post that I've had a cat-scan of my brain and it didn't show any kind of injury. So, I'm in the clear on that score. (Incidentally, I found one mention of Rushdie's forename as "Simon" on Google. And you really can't dispute Google. Google knows.
No comments:
Post a Comment