Aphorisms by Church and State
Posted on March 18, 2009
Filed Under Aphorisms | 5 Comments
A fascinating congruence of aphorisms described in this New York Times piece about the aphorism by Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff, “Never let a crisis go to waste” appearing on the signboard outside the Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan. I blogged about this aphorism in November (Aphorisms in Emergencies) and now, to see it featured in a church signboard, recalls an even earlier series of blogs about this very public display of affection for the aphoristic form (More of God’s Aphorisms, Make Your Own God’s Aphorisms). The original post in this series, God’s Aphorisms, seems to have gone missing in last year’s catastrophic crash of this site, so I’m still waiting for God’s Aphorisms to rise again… Anyway, I thought the appearance of Emanuel’s aphorism in this context is a neat demonstration of the way aphorisms cross church-state boundaries, and how sayings evolve, change, and gain unrelated accretions as they become introduced more widely. Interestingly, the name Immanuel means, “God with us.”
This just in: God’s Aphorisms have risen again, here. Sadly, all the comments are well and truly gone…
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Warning: trying to save other people can be hazardous to their health.
The next God that comes along will have to do a better job.
Jesus returned, but was disappointed. We were still here.
Solomon, I assume, was just venting when he said we’d be better off dead.
Solomon,I assume, was just venting when he said we’d be better off dead.
What if God really exists? That’d be the funniest joke of all.
(Brief) Words of Wisdom…
(Credit: James Geary)
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