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Rob Woller's avatar

Happy holidays and thank you for your always thoughtful essays. You are a treasure in these crazy days🙏

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Patrick Daniels aka Cromulent1's avatar

Loved this piece Nina, then again love most of everything I’ve read of yours!

Happiest of Holidays, Sla’inte!!

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Carol Moore's avatar

Tears. My father was fortunate enough to have been in Beirut before it was destroyed. He came home saying it was the most beautiful city he'd ever seen. Sigh.

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Kenneth Burchell's avatar

I think when he supposedly said "meek" he may have referred to fungus and slime-molds in which case the prophecy has come true in the case of the WH and could yet come true for the earth. I hope for and work for better, but not terribly optimitic. Wish you the best. I've got my pagan tree and lights up to celebrate the new risen Sun.

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Claudia Dowling's avatar

This story brings me to tears

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Joe Zias's avatar

Shalom, a few hrs from Beirut, yes it once was the Paris of the Middle East. Enjoy the holiday.

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peter's avatar

This is insane. Trump wants to/ buy Greenland, and the Panama Canal. He thinks that, like his 500 dollars an hour paramours, the whole world is his private whore house. Marine prevents mad man., on train, from either traumatizing or hurting other people. That is what a neighbor in 1876 would have done. Can you imagine next door house burglary, and you sit at your fucking window, text friends, and do nothing.?? Anyway..Marine is indicted for being a good caring citizen. An Immigrant burns up a women on train. What is result? Trump now wants public firing squads of masty little non white cretons. The world watches as woman burns, Nobody did a thing to help!! Well what the fuck do you expect. Get involved. go to jail. What a great Christmas message.

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Joe Zias's avatar

I agree, there's a impt. Hebrew saying here which is apropos, 'if theres no man around, be a man'

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Paul Carrigan Jr.'s avatar

We've all got these long-lost stories of Christmas, Nina.

Gracias.

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Helen Stajninger's avatar

What a sad and touching story. What year did you go to Beirut? I seemed to have missed that. Humanity as a whole is suffering. Many of us regular people are blessed in the US , but it seems the MAGAs and GOP led by Trump and now Musk just want more. Eye of the Camel, and Blessed are the meek, reminders for sure. What’s happened??

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Nina Burleigh's avatar

2010

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The_Unemployed_Economist's avatar

Meekness is a trait of the strong.

A meek person chooses non violence, even though they have the ability to inflict harm. They will inherit the earth by waiting out the fighting of others.

A weak person cannot be meek since they have no agency. A weak person or people will be led wherever the strong lead them due to fear.

The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must I feel is a more suitable quote.

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