The National Distrust Of The Contemplative Temperament

Now That Mr. Carter Has Made A Book Of His Diary, An Adoring Memoir Entitled Keeping Faith, The Notes Read Like A Collection Of Letters Sent From Scout Camp.

Among All The Emotions, The Rich Have The Least Talent For Love. It Is Possible To Love One's Dog, Dress Or Duck-shooting Hat, But A Human Being Presents A More Difficult Problem. The Rich Might Wish To Experience Feelings Of Affection, But It Is Almost Impossible To Chip Away The Enamel Of Their Narcissism. They Take Up All The Space In All The Mirrors In The House. Their Children, Who Represent The Most Present And Therefore The Most Annoying Claim On Their Attention, Usually Receive The Brunt Of Their Irritation.

A Society That Presumes A Norm Of Violence And Celebrates Aggression, Whether In The Subway, On The Football Field, Or In The Conduct Of Its Business, Cannot Help Making Celebrities Of The People Who Would Destroy It.

Tardiness Is Next To Wickedness In A Society Relentless In Its Consumption Of Time As Both A Good And A Service--as Tweet And Instagram, Film Clip And Sound Bite, As Sporting Event, Investment Opportunity, Tinder Hookup, And Interest Rate--its Value Measured Not By Its Texture Or Its Substance But By The Speed Of Its Delivery, A Distinction Apparent To Andy Warhol When He Supposedly Said That Any Painting That Takes Longer Than Five Minutes To Make Is A Bad Painting.

Most American Cities Shop To Their Best Advantage When Seen From A Height Or From A Distance, At A Point Where The Ugliness Of The Buildings Dissolves Into The Beauty Of An Abstraction.