HUMANITY

We must never permit the voice of humanity within us to be silenced.

It is man's sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man.

                Albert Schweitzer

I suppose today Schweitzer would insert the politically correct "human", but back in his day, the word "man" described the species as well as the gender -- two different menaings.

What is of great interest is the ways in which the humanity within us gets silenced.

Back in the 1950's, an overlay of very synthetic social codes was painting American society a strange color of artificial, a sort of antimacassar, post-Victorian way of being. I hated it. One reason was the very point Schweitzer makes here. One of the great redeeming traits of John Kennedy (see Peter T's recent thread about Kennedy speaking on Rober Frost) was that he seemed to be willing to make a clarion call out of this very truth, and refuse to let his voice be silenced in that regard. Unfortunately, the choice was taken from him, which taught us all a lesson about optimism, and human compassion. It has its enemies, obviously. But the truth of Schweitzer's remark is only strengthened thereby.

Regards,

A