Gilding the lily.

Un-needed gilding to Twain's lilies.

It’s highly presumptuous to add to the wisdom of our greatest American philosopher and political satirist, but our contemporary times could use a little humor, honesty and indiscriminate blistering. As challenging as the mid to late 19th century must have been, we begin the 21st century with common sense in short supply. 

Mark Twain began his work with a presumption expressed in his own words: “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” He exercised no restraint in offering up the critique that we’re all pretending to be something greater than we are, and that included himself. Acerbic deprecation was his imprimatur for himself and others. 

No one escaped his caustic wit and scolding, from President Theodore Roosevelt down to the common man. Having met TR, he commented that, “We are insane, each in our own way, and with insanity goes irresponsibility. Theodore the man is sane; in fairness we ought to keep in mind that Theodore, as statesman and politician, is insane and irresponsible.” He had a general disdain for politicians and did not suffer fools lightly. He called them as he saw them without an ounce of concern for the slings and arrows resulting from his barbs.

He displayed a much needed quality of unabashed honesty in his time and just maybe we might relearn to display a bit more moral courage by revisiting the wisdom of the man. It’s my intention, from time to time, to fit his words to today’s conditions with some gilding of my own on his lilies.