THE WORLD

IMPORTANT NEWS

The most honest and important news in a newspaper are the news on crime.  Crime is a serious subject; no one is interested in politics.  And so to make the readers read on politics, newspapers surround it with crime stories in the hope that, when one reads the crime stories, one may inadvertently read about the politician posing for a picture.

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Oh how insinuating and imperceptible is the passion of pleasing men; it possesses even the wise! For the effects of other passions are easily seen by those who obey them and so bring those they possess to humility and mourning. But the effort to please men clothes itself in the words and appearance of piety, so that men whom it beguiles find it hard to detect its various aspects.

St. Mark the Ascetic

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What men call fame is, after all, but a very windy thing. A man thinks that many are praising him, and talking of him alone, and yet they spend but a very small part of the day thinking of him, being occupied with things of their own. 

St. Thomas More

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WORLDLY HONOR

Christ tells us that if we want to join Him ". . .we shall travel the way He took." It is surely not right that the Son of God should go His way on the path of shame while the sons of men walk the way of worldly honor.

St. John of Avila

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TYRANNY

Tyranny consists in the desire to dominate everything, everywhere. It is forcing to get in one way what is had another way. Ordinarily, we love charm and fear strength; but the tyrant says, "I am strong, love me." It is also tyranny to say, "He is not strong, so I will not fear him."

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(10-06-10)