Re: The Ultimate Prescription

[Bertil Haggman <bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se>]

> "Like vapour, the titanic scheme
> is dissipated,
> everything grows rusty now
> that they created."
> 
> (FGJs poem "Ultima Ratio")
> 
> The words of FGJ could stand as a metaphor
> for the utopian schemes of the totalitarian
> systems of the 20th century: marxism-leninism,
> fascism and national socialism, all three
> basically socialist ideologies.
> 
> But if there is no utopia what kind of systems
> do we need. No system, we need to see things
> as they really are.
> 
> Austrian born Peter F. Drucker, maybe the
> clearest observer of America since Alexis de
> Tocqueville, claims the important thing is
> "to see things as they really are". That is
> exactly what political realism and Realpolitik
> is. And Drucker holds forward Harry Truman,
> the long deceased 33rd U.S. President, effective
> in foreign policy, less so in internal politics.
> Truman came back from Potsdam understanding that
> foreign policy had priority. Churchill and Stalin
> knew so much more than Truman. Thus Harry Truman organized
> his education. He had what Drucker claims is
> "intellectual integrity".
> 
> Drucker, of course, has intellectual integrity himself,
> and sees things as they really are. He left Austria in 1937
> because he was one who read Mein Kampf and took the
> author of that book at his word.
> 
> Going back to FGJ the commen of EJ when he read the
> translation into English of the FGJ poem was "Geduld!"
> (Be patient). The question is however: be patient
> waiting for what?
> 
> With this somewhat disorganised message best New Years Wishes
> 1999 to all listmembers.
> 
> Bertil Haggman