Tea at Trianon: Staying Sane

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Staying Sane

According to a recent study, women who practice their religion have fewer anxiety disorders. Is that ever true. If I did not go to church, I would be a lot crazier. Share

10 comments:

Terry Nelson said...: That is funny - my sister once said to me - "If religion is so great, why aren't you better?" and I answered - "If I didn't go to church, I would be so much worse!"; January 5, 2008 at 12:52:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Haha, I think that there are a lot of us who could say that!!; January 5, 2008 at 2:34:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: We all know that Karl Marx said it is the placebo of the masses, but I would rather take a placebo than hard drugs, alcohol, and whatever other addictions people have nowadays.; January 5, 2008 at 4:14:00 PM EST
Ann Murray said...: There is great truth in those words. My mother has had very much to contend with during the course of her 86 years and I know as she does that her faith in the good Lord has brought her through many a family crisis and out the other end of it!
Praise the Lord!; January 5, 2008 at 4:55:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: My personal opinion based on observation of family members, society in general and of myself, is that without a religious belief and practice....we cannot enjoy mental health.

In fact, being immersed in actively sinful behaviors seems to guarantee dis-ease...mental and often physical.; January 5, 2008 at 5:00:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Elena, my dear friend, so true! I converted to the Faith while having an anxiety disorder!

Now the disorder is over but I would have never recovered without faith.

The disorder made me really think about my life, actually.; January 5, 2008 at 6:39:00 PM EST
Dymphna said...: Amen to that! I can imagine what I'd be like without my Faith and it aint pretty.; January 6, 2008 at 10:12:00 AM EST
Benedicamus said...: I think of myself as a rough stone, with all kinds of bumpy edges. Religion helps me to be, well, more "well-rounded." It sands away these edges. I think I would be somewhat crackers if I didn't have my faith.; January 6, 2008 at 11:34:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I think that even on a purely natural level, the routine of going to Mass every Sunday (and during the week if possible) is a steadying thing, as well as having a parish family.; January 6, 2008 at 12:53:00 PM EST
SuzanneG said...: LOL! No kidding! I love that you say craziER!

Yep....."If I didn't go to church, I would be so much worse!"

What's true is true!; January 11, 2008 at 7:48:00 PM EST