~a column by Colleen O’Brien
“ . . . I find that nothing in life counts more than the happiness we can give others, the good that we can do. This is what we must teach our children, to think of others more than they think of themselves for it is in this way they will find the most satisfaction of all.” Maurice Drouhin, French vintner, quoted in Wine and War by Don and Petie Klandstrap
I was thinking about this quote while watching the first of the Presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
I wasn’t sure of the entirety of the quote, so I looked it up. It is a heartening sentiment and I wish a practiced one. However much he was struggling to be good and to think of others more than himself, Trump seemed not to be able to get there.
He looked unhappy, frowning and fidgeting as he did; I doubt he was thinking of others at all. Hillary talked about the people – middle class, poor, African American, Hispanic, young, old – as if she had thought about them and what needs to be done. She has been working for children since she was a teen, working for women her entire adult life. The country is, after all about the people. She looked at ease and prepared. She remained calmly intent on her message — I don’t know how exactly — so that Donald did not get under her skin. He was certainly getting under mine. Was it his interrupting? He interrupted Hillary 25 times in the first 26 minutes.
When she remarked that he hasn’t paid any federal taxes in several years he cut in with, “That makes me smart.”
I have been told by all media that his base is angry people who dislike those who get away with paying no taxes. Maybe the media was wrong and his supporters like that about him. He did say that he was going to cut taxes “bigly.”
Hillary did get under his skin; not a difficult thing to do. As she said, “A man who can be provoked by a tweet should not get near nuclear weapons.” I’ve noticed over the past months that many folks and many situations annoy him, leave him scowling and sniffing. He appears to lack a steady self-control, but perhaps that’s his famous showmanship showing up, maybe his behavior is all a role he plays when the cameras roll. It’s been hard for me to figure him out.
Either Hill annoyed him to the point of putting him in a state of incoherence or he just lives in a state of unfinished sentences and repeated phrases. When talking about inner city violence, for example, his quotable quote was “Bad things, really bad things.” Many times I didn’t know what he was talking about. And often he just flat refused to answer the question. You think he didn’t hear it because he wasn’t listening? He did like to talk over the moderator and go on about one thing or another.
This morning a friend sent more quality words: “Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. –George Sand
I am trying to be kind enough to give the benefit of the doubt about a fellow who really wants to be our President and who I think is way below the qualifications, not only intellectually but by his character. So I can only hope that Donald has read this above quote or something like it sometime in his life or on Monday afternoon and was trying to act on it but just couldn’t quite get it out. Maybe by the next debate he’ll have it all down pat – a little kindness, a proof of charity, at least a show of how one gets rich without meanness, and how to lose without regret.
