Hymn to the Fallen

Their tall swords are at their waist, their bows are under their arm;
Though their heads were severed their spirit could not be subdued.
They that fought so well - in death are warriors still;
Stubborn and steadfast to the end, they could not be dishonoured.
Their bodies perished in the fight; but the magic of their sous is strong-
Captains among the ghosts, heroes among the Dead!

Anon
Translated from Chinese
4th Century BC

Amen.
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/201...pt=P1&iref=NS1

Amen.
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/201...pt=P1&iref=NS1 Originally Posted by Iaintliein

This is hilarious for one reason only....

I have been hearing mentions of Charlie Sheen a lot lately - as in people saying things like "all this Sheen stuff..." but never explaining the story (and I never ask).

This article makes me realize how completely isolated I am from pop culture - I have no clue Charlie Sheen has done anything, don't know anything about the story at all. I don't have cable, I don't listen to radio, I don't watch the news. I read selected newsites that gather information from various resources, and have lots of stuff sent to me by people who know my interests. I may read an article about the earthquake in Japan, without having to come into contact with whatever they're writing about regarding actors. I listen to music based on random exploration, suggestions, research and live shows. So I miss that gossip line too.

I never understood why anyone cares about actors. I don't know where they live, how much they make, who they slept with, where they came from, who they're married to. I don't crave images of the ones I find attractive, I don't want pictures standing with them, I don't give a damn about their signatures, I would never go somewhere in hopes of running into someone famous. I haven't a clue what they wear. I really don't give a damn about what they have to say about current events, or anything else for that matter. I don't know anything about any of them. My interest in them ends the moment the credits run on at the end of the movie. I care about one thing, are they good actors, and are they consistently in movies I enjoy? That may be the only reason I note an individual actor at all.

I watched a movie once "Gia" with a young Angelina Jolie, and my friend said "I can't watch this movie, it's a great story line and great acting, but I can't get passed how much I dislike Angelina as a person."

And I don't have that problem, because aside from her name and the titles of other movies she's been in, I know nothing about her.

I really think we have the power to choose to tune out all that useless nonsense.

Their tall swords are at their waist, their bows are under their arm;
Though their heads were severed their spirit could not be subdued.
They that fought so well - in death are warriors still;
Stubborn and steadfast to the end, they could not be dishonoured.
Their bodies perished in the fight; but the magic of their sous is strong-
Captains among the ghosts, heroes among the Dead!

Anon
Translated from Chinese
4th Century BC Originally Posted by Lauren Summerhill

Thanks,

To all the heroes that did not come home and to their families who allowed them to make the great sacrifice and suffered through their loss.

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Their tall swords are at their waist, their bows are under their arm;
Though their heads were severed their spirit could not be subdued.
They that fought so well - in death are warriors still;
Stubborn and steadfast to the end, they could not be dishonoured.
Their bodies perished in the fight; but the magic of their sous is strong-
Captains among the ghosts, heroes among the Dead!

Anon
Translated from Chinese
4th Century BC Originally Posted by Lauren Summerhill

Thank you Lauren.

Have you read the WWI poetry of your countryman Robert Service? I find his poetry disturbingly touching. Service sees no romance in war: see @
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng...c/SerRhym.html

Here are a couple of other tributes. Canadian soldier-poet LTC John McCrae did not survive the Great War.


"In Flanders Fields"

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae at the battle Ypres 1915



“Hitch in Hell”

When the final taps is sounded and we lay aside life’s cares,
And we do the last and gloried parade on Heaven’s shining stairs,
And the angels bid us welcome and the harps begin to play
We can draw a million canteen checks and spend them in a day.
It is then we’ll hear St. Peter tell us loudly with a yell,
“Take a front seat, you soldier men, you’ve done your hitch in Hell.”

[1917] by Frank B. Camp
U.S. writer-poet, 1882-ca.- 1967

Here is a better known WWII variant:

“Hitch in Hell”

“And when he gets to Heaven,
To Saint Peter he will tell:
‘One more Marine reporting, sir—
I've served my time in Hell.’”

I share your feelings of the worthlessness of following celebrities lives. As to actors, they get an enormous amount of often false publicity geared to hyping the amount of money their show will earn. From that hype, many, if not most, acquire an over-developed sense of their own worth.