The Tao of Walt

It's my 53rd birthday today and my gift to my readers is this passage from Leaves of Grass:

There was never more inception than there is now,
Nor any more youth or age than there is now;
And will never be any more perfection than there is now,
Nor any more heaven and hell than there is now.

This reminds me more of Eastern philosophy or spirituality (a la the Tao te Ching than the Psalms. Walt was a natural mystic as well as poet.

Post-July 4 Reflection

"'My country right or wrong' is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying 'My mother, drunk or sober'." —G.K. Chesterton

I found this trenchant quotation in a column by, of all people, Cal Thomas, not generally known for his liberal sentiments. To read the whole excellent piece, go here:
Nonpartisan Patriotism