Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00259)

Friends, 
 
 
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) had a good deal of common sense.  When once a cabinet minister asked him why he was reading a book of humour, he answered: 
 
“With all the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.”  
 
Yet  humour and respect can go together, and  Lincoln did not mock that in which he did not believe: 
 
“That I am not a member of any Christian church is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect  of  religion in general , or of any denomination of Christians in particular.”
 
Referring to the USA, he once told a British journalist:
 
“It is very common in this country to find great facility of expression and less common to find great lucidity of thought”.  
 
I guess this is not exclusive to the USA. 
 
As to Ethics,  Lincoln said something with  a flavour of  Zen wisdom: 
 
“A man who denies to other men equality of rights is hardly worthy of freedom; but I would give him all the rights I claim for myself.” (1)
 
That is the golden rule, and the golden rule creates good karma. 
 
Regards,    Carlos. 
 
 
 
NOTE:
 
(1) “The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, Edited by Bob Blaisdell,  Dover Thrift Editions, Dover Publications, N. York, USA, 2005, 90 pp., see pp.  44, 50, iii,  and 23,  respectively. 


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