Thomas Paine Discussion

I enjoyed our class discussion of the Thomas Paine quotes very much, especially the discussion surrounding "Time makes more converts than reason." Another quote which I liked, but we didn't get to talk about is: "Suspicion is the companion of mean souls and the bane of all good society." This is just as true today as when it was written over 200 years ago. Suspicion, generally speaking, is a negative emotion or way of looking at things. Suspicion goes hand-in-hand with insecurity. I know people who are convinced that when they walk into a room, everyone is judging them, or trash-talking them. Other people I know see plots and intrigue brewing everywhere they go. My mother was a big fan of conspiracy theories, and managed to get herself upset time and time again by obsessing over all of the things she *suspected* could be going on in government, business, and other circles of power. Suspicion, like jealousy and envy, is one of those ugly feelings that gets in peoples' heads and under their skin. It is an irritant. Suspicious-minded people seem to me to always be looking for the negative, expecting the worst from every situation. Suspicion breeds suspicion, and takes energy away from other, more useful feelings, like empathy and generosity. Suspicion is also a huge part of American politics. Negative campaign adds breed suspicion of opposing candidates and sets up senseless debates, like the one over President Obama's birth certificate. Casting suspicion on the administration or party in power is a key tactic of the party not currently in power, because the people who run campaigns know that it is something that grows and takes on a life of its own, with very little effort. It doesn't matter if the whisperings are true. If enough people are whispering, talking, or tweeting about something, it takes on a certain air of truth, just as Thomas Paine said in one of the other quotes we read: "a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right". Another spin on that is a saying I've heard many times: if people say something enough times, they start to believe it. There's a lot of truth in that.