I always go back to the words of writers I’ve always depended . People smarter than I am express it better.

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

— W.H. Auden

Peace,

RK

Peace,

RK

Does it come from ego? Why do you aspire to play soccer at the highest level while others shrink away from competition? It comes down to what’s important to you and that usually is defined by your ethics and morality.

As to Ms Palin’s failures with her daughter. Moral absolutes are very hard to apply to squishy things like teenagers. There are a lot more factors to consider.

As an antidote to Machiavelli you might try reading Kant or Neibuhr, President Obama sights his book ,The Irony of American History, as a major influence.

Keep Up the Good Work.

Peace,

RK

“Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts…”

RK