Michael Marcel

“The universe is incredibly vast and mysterious. It will take hundreds of generations to fathom its workings. Each answer will generate thousands of questions. We are the microbes of the universe looking out from our drop of existence trying to grasp the enormity of what surrounds us.”
― Michael J. Marcel, Sr.

“As we look back in time with our marvelous telescopes, we are not viewing our current reality, we are viewing what was. As we sit in our local gravity pit, we are swimming within what is, wondering as to what will be.”
― Michael J. Marcel, Sr.

“We can’t let these people take our country away from us.” It has been said.
“...these people"...? Let that sink in for a minute. I am one of those "these people".
The use of "these people" is exclusionary and does contribute to an "us versus them" mentality.
I think that the title we give ourselves "human race" is appropriate, however, I think that we are not judged by who finishes first, but how many can we bring with us to the finish line. This is a collective journey, not judged by individual speed or entitlements. The importance of unity, cooperation, and supporting one another is our shared task in this journey of life and the means are judged to produce the end. All things we do on this journey matter.”
― Michael J. Marcel, Sr.

“Some version of this story has repeated itself throughout the world over the last century. A cast of political outsiders, including Adolf Hitler, Getulio Vargas in Brazil, Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, came to power on the same path: from the inside, via elections or alliances with powerful political figures. In each instance, elites believed the invitation to power would contain the outsider, leading to a restoration of control by mainstream politicians. But their plans backfired. A lethal mix of ambition, fear, and miscalculation conspired to lead them to the same fateful mistake: willingly handing over the keys of power to an autocrat-in-the-making.
…
If a charismatic outsider emerges on the scene, gaining popularity as he challenges the old order, it is tempting for establishment politicians who feel their control is unraveling to try to co-opt him. … And then, establishment politicians hope, the insurgent can be redirected to support their own program. This sort of devil’s bargain often mutates to the benefit of the insurgent …”
― Steven Levitsky, How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future