Strike up the Ode to Joy!

Freude! Freude!
Some months ago I received word from an old friend that he was about to face his second battle with cancer. Early this week he wrote to tell me that his chemo treatments had come to an end and according to his doctor they had done the work. I congratulated him, though admitting that I could not imagine what he had gone through. In response to that he sent me the following email: Thanks, Dan.You hit the nail on the head.Unless a person has been diagnosed with cancer, it's impossible to know what it's like.This one was much rougher than prostate cancer in '05.I wouldn't wish a cancer diagnosis on my worst enemy — even Rush Limbaugh!Every time I go to Moores, I see people who are in much worse shape than I am.That makes me count my blessings.The line that jumped out at me there was the one about Rush Limbaugh. This friend and I pretty much share the same politics, and I’m quite sure his contempt for Limbaugh is equal to mine. But there he was expressing sympathy for the devil…and it made quite an impression on me. I could not imagine feeling sympathy for Limbaugh, but if the agony of chemo drove my friend to do so that’s all I needed to hear to get just a vague sense of how bad it was.  This was a timely realization because ever since Donald Trump had perverted the Presidential Medal of Freedom by bestowing it upon renowned racist and misogynist, Limbaugh, social media had erupted in debate over whether it was appropriate in the light of his dire cancer diagnosis to bring up Limbaugh’s many sins. On the one hand, there was the compassionate Christian take to not to speak ill of the dead…or in this case, the suffering; on the other there was both the human and divine desire as documented in the Old Testament for exacting revenge. By nature and training, I generally lean to the New Testament approach but like so many of our better angels that tendency is taking a real beating these days.I steered clear of getting involved in the online debate because I’d already documented my feelings about Limbaugh for myself, my friends and my grandchildren if ever they have an interest knowing where their grandfather stood on the moral issues of day. I have nothing more to add…and nothing I could say would take away Limbaugh’s ill-gotten gains, preposterous Medal of Freedom, or toxic influence on such a broad swath of American democracy. I plan to greet his imminent death with a similar silence.My compassionate nature notwithstanding, I don’t expect to be similarly silent when--God willing--Donald Trump soon dies. No matter what personal calamities may befall me in the meantime, when that glorious moment comes I know I will not engage redundancy by speaking ill of that dark, dead soul. But I will be noisy that day in joyful celebration…honking my horn, popping balloons, uncorking champagne, firing red rockets into the air and singing at the top of my lungs:


Oh friends, not these sounds!Let us instead strike up more pleasingand more joyful ones!Joy! Joy!
Yes, and anyone who can call one soulhis own on this earth!Any who cannot, let them slink awayfrom this gathering in tears!