Beautiful piece, Steve. I have walked past the Ghetto monument and sat in Warsaw’s grand square many times, thinking about the fighting spirit of the Polish nation and the rebirth it brought. I have shaken the hand of Polish veterans who fought with the Allies in Europe during WW2, only to be persecuted and ostracized by the communist toadies that held their country in thrall. I watched the Solidarity movement take hold under Lech Walensa with awe. Even today, when it comes to dealing with Putin’s aggression next door, the Poles are showing us the way. As a Canadian, I will not stand by as Trumpian rhetoric seeks to diminish my country. It is good to know that people like you are on the side of what is worth fighting for. Thank you.
Today, what you wrote is both inspiring and cleansing. We need to hear voices speaking with clarity but not inciting fear. This is a tricky and narrow path in times like these. I felt both the power of your truth and the sense of hope, we need that desperately. Having had cancer last year and still recovering from the treatment then last month stepping into a large hole in the pavement getting out of my SUV and breaking both my feet seemed like a lot! On top of that the anticipation of the orange evil monster and his enablers regaining control for years to come has been worse than stifling. Then this week the fires all around me and taking down the towns that represent my youth, my history and my present comfortable familiarity and it’s all gone. I know others have endured all of these things in the past and some days we just need to remember that This Too Shall Pass.
Sarah, four years ago I was diagnosed as having metastatic cancer and told that I had no more than three months to live. But after two months of radiation therapy and six months of chemotherapy, here I am today well and alive!
So never ever give up on hope my friend.
And as a Canadian 🇨🇦 I can only hope and pray that the orange monster never ever dares to make my beautiful country America’s 51st state. Because we Canadians are, as our national anthem says, strong and free! 🇨🇦
CONGRATS, Patricia!!! Fantastic that you did SO well!! We loathe the orange monster and still can't fathom how this happened. He's pure evil...........and a total embarrassment to our country. I know you will stay Strong and Free!!
Sarah: you're inspiring. Still reading and commenting and engaging and being an intelligent resistor to American fascism, despite the terrors and pains of cancer, and two broken feet - that is a hard hard row to hoe. Great compassion for you and a salute to your bravery. We need you.
That is beautiful Steve. Why some people have evil natures remains a mystery on some level, yet it is psychologically born from trauma: present, past or ancestral. As James Baldwin sublimely states, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
Beautiful essay, Steve, and touching. On a lighter note,
“Together, they are a twisted version of Franklin and Eleanor, our new first couple, the front seat of the Cybertruck on a four-year double date with Jeff Bezos, Princess Sanchez and Mark Zuckerberg riding in the back.”
I thought the most significant sentence in Steve's beautiful commentary today was, "They (Poles) are menaced by Russian aggression from the east, and American abandonment from the west."
We must work to prevent Trump from abandoning Ukraine and leaving the Polish border open to the next attack by Trump's pal, his fellow megalomaniac, Putin.
Agree,Ron. The vision of a literal “clown car” zapped my imagination ! The “torch and accelerant” are about to set a firestorm of evil. A sobering essay but much needed.
This is a beautiful and powerful essay about Poland’s past and future with great lessons for the rest of Europe and the United States. We face cataclysmic danger as Trump and his arsonists try to burn down all that is good, holy, and worthy of praise. It will be hard, but we must resist. Resistance is never futile, despite the hardships. We will persevere in the midst of being tried by fire.
Steve, you were born for this moment. You are the new voice of America, what freedom really is about: wisdom, compassion, community, truth telling, intelligence, heart. You are not afraid to stand firm as a sentinel in the darkness. You speak truth but give us hope— not false hope based on dreams and fantasies, but the kind of hope that faces down fear and says, we SEE. And once we see, we can act more wisely. We don’t know what will happen, but fires DO run out of fuel. We have to keep ensuring that truth and compassion and community, fearlessness and forbearance, are what finally extinguish this mad rush to extinction of all that makes us human, and life worthwhile. Bless this community.
As a Technical Recruiter in Silicon Valley I am well aware of the career the South African blazed in burning his slaves into ashes. At first like Hitler he seemed to be a good man inventing the future for good. Now his roots of apartheid have been awakened and he seeks to suppress the world in his image. His enemies are many and by joining with the orange clown he thinks he is invincible. Soon there will rise up the counter attack on these evil twins where Truth, Justice and the American way established by our Founders will crush them into the ground and send them into the pit of hell from which they came.
I’ve been to Warsaw and Krakow but it has been a little over ten years ago. I had the good fortune to sit on the train from Warsaw to Krakow with a Polish Mathematics professor who was just returning from London. We talked about the Polish resistance during WWII and our conversation inspired me to read books about the resistance once I returned home. I was blown away by the bravery and the commitment of the Polish people to resistance, despite all they had to suffer in the process. Because the Warsaw Poles held down the Nazis for so long, refusing to give up, the allies were able to gain more ground and ultimately win the war. The Poles are indeed an example of what it takes to fight the good fight and never to give in to tyranny. Thank you for this beautiful post and for providing the historical context.
Thank you for reminding us that the fire that will be set by the orange blob and his minions, will one day run out of fuel. A photograph of my Polish great-grandparents is framed on my wall. I have always felt they were speaking to me and now I know they were warning me. May we rise someday like the beautiful city of Warsaw. Thank you.
Beautiful piece, Steve. I have walked past the Ghetto monument and sat in Warsaw’s grand square many times, thinking about the fighting spirit of the Polish nation and the rebirth it brought. I have shaken the hand of Polish veterans who fought with the Allies in Europe during WW2, only to be persecuted and ostracized by the communist toadies that held their country in thrall. I watched the Solidarity movement take hold under Lech Walensa with awe. Even today, when it comes to dealing with Putin’s aggression next door, the Poles are showing us the way. As a Canadian, I will not stand by as Trumpian rhetoric seeks to diminish my country. It is good to know that people like you are on the side of what is worth fighting for. Thank you.
Thanks for having our back, Canada. So many Americans are with YOU!
remember me??? all my love to you!
Please keep writing.
You’re a voice leading us out of the darkness of what’s coming in just a few days.
Today, what you wrote is both inspiring and cleansing. We need to hear voices speaking with clarity but not inciting fear. This is a tricky and narrow path in times like these. I felt both the power of your truth and the sense of hope, we need that desperately. Having had cancer last year and still recovering from the treatment then last month stepping into a large hole in the pavement getting out of my SUV and breaking both my feet seemed like a lot! On top of that the anticipation of the orange evil monster and his enablers regaining control for years to come has been worse than stifling. Then this week the fires all around me and taking down the towns that represent my youth, my history and my present comfortable familiarity and it’s all gone. I know others have endured all of these things in the past and some days we just need to remember that This Too Shall Pass.
Sarah,
Wishing you all the best and a healthy new year.
Steve
Thank you for taking the time to wish me well. I’m praying the same for you and all your loved ones.
Sarah, four years ago I was diagnosed as having metastatic cancer and told that I had no more than three months to live. But after two months of radiation therapy and six months of chemotherapy, here I am today well and alive!
So never ever give up on hope my friend.
And as a Canadian 🇨🇦 I can only hope and pray that the orange monster never ever dares to make my beautiful country America’s 51st state. Because we Canadians are, as our national anthem says, strong and free! 🇨🇦
CONGRATS, Patricia!!! Fantastic that you did SO well!! We loathe the orange monster and still can't fathom how this happened. He's pure evil...........and a total embarrassment to our country. I know you will stay Strong and Free!!
Thank you very very much for your words of encouragement and hope. It means more to me than you’ll ever know. 💕
Good luck, Sarah. I wish you the best. I'm a ca. survivor of many years. You can overcome, too!!
It’s so generous and thoughtful of you to respond to me and offer hope! Thank you 💖
Sarah, I am SO glad I can offer you hope!!! I know of MANY survivors! as well as YOU and me!! XOX
Sarah: you're inspiring. Still reading and commenting and engaging and being an intelligent resistor to American fascism, despite the terrors and pains of cancer, and two broken feet - that is a hard hard row to hoe. Great compassion for you and a salute to your bravery. We need you.
I deeply appreciate your kind and helpful words. Thank you so much ♥️
Dear Sarah , I wish you healing. I wish us all strength and peace.
We are all grateful for your loving wishes. We need it!
Steve you are a Master Class. Thank you for confirming, "I will never forget."
You started an inspiring thread, Sarah. The last four words are the most important. Let's hope that "This" passes before we do. Best wishes.
That is beautiful Steve. Why some people have evil natures remains a mystery on some level, yet it is psychologically born from trauma: present, past or ancestral. As James Baldwin sublimely states, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
Beautiful essay, Steve, and touching. On a lighter note,
“Together, they are a twisted version of Franklin and Eleanor, our new first couple, the front seat of the Cybertruck on a four-year double date with Jeff Bezos, Princess Sanchez and Mark Zuckerberg riding in the back.”
Just priceless, Steve!
I thought the most significant sentence in Steve's beautiful commentary today was, "They (Poles) are menaced by Russian aggression from the east, and American abandonment from the west."
We must work to prevent Trump from abandoning Ukraine and leaving the Polish border open to the next attack by Trump's pal, his fellow megalomaniac, Putin.
Agree,Ron. The vision of a literal “clown car” zapped my imagination ! The “torch and accelerant” are about to set a firestorm of evil. A sobering essay but much needed.
Beautifully written sermon today. Thank you.
Steve,
This is a beautiful and powerful essay about Poland’s past and future with great lessons for the rest of Europe and the United States. We face cataclysmic danger as Trump and his arsonists try to burn down all that is good, holy, and worthy of praise. It will be hard, but we must resist. Resistance is never futile, despite the hardships. We will persevere in the midst of being tried by fire.
All the best, stay safe, and watch your six.
Steve Dundas
Steve, you were born for this moment. You are the new voice of America, what freedom really is about: wisdom, compassion, community, truth telling, intelligence, heart. You are not afraid to stand firm as a sentinel in the darkness. You speak truth but give us hope— not false hope based on dreams and fantasies, but the kind of hope that faces down fear and says, we SEE. And once we see, we can act more wisely. We don’t know what will happen, but fires DO run out of fuel. We have to keep ensuring that truth and compassion and community, fearlessness and forbearance, are what finally extinguish this mad rush to extinction of all that makes us human, and life worthwhile. Bless this community.
As a Technical Recruiter in Silicon Valley I am well aware of the career the South African blazed in burning his slaves into ashes. At first like Hitler he seemed to be a good man inventing the future for good. Now his roots of apartheid have been awakened and he seeks to suppress the world in his image. His enemies are many and by joining with the orange clown he thinks he is invincible. Soon there will rise up the counter attack on these evil twins where Truth, Justice and the American way established by our Founders will crush them into the ground and send them into the pit of hell from which they came.
Thank you Steve, you are one of the few helping us thru this nightmare and giving historical context for us! Thx!!
I’ve been to Warsaw and Krakow but it has been a little over ten years ago. I had the good fortune to sit on the train from Warsaw to Krakow with a Polish Mathematics professor who was just returning from London. We talked about the Polish resistance during WWII and our conversation inspired me to read books about the resistance once I returned home. I was blown away by the bravery and the commitment of the Polish people to resistance, despite all they had to suffer in the process. Because the Warsaw Poles held down the Nazis for so long, refusing to give up, the allies were able to gain more ground and ultimately win the war. The Poles are indeed an example of what it takes to fight the good fight and never to give in to tyranny. Thank you for this beautiful post and for providing the historical context.
Thank you for reminding us that the fire that will be set by the orange blob and his minions, will one day run out of fuel. A photograph of my Polish great-grandparents is framed on my wall. I have always felt they were speaking to me and now I know they were warning me. May we rise someday like the beautiful city of Warsaw. Thank you.
I'm out of words with reading this other than thank you.
Thank you for this poignant essay, Steve.
I needed this. Thank you.
Bless you
Evangelicals don't seem to mind his multiple infidelities. How is that?
Because they are phonies not Christians
“Imperfect vessel”. It covers every contradiction.
Irony abounds.