Author Topic: There, but for the grace of God... (Read 3984 times)

Perd Hapley · « **on:** June 25, 2015, 06:16:36 PM »

I was wondering how many are familiar with the phrase, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I used a slight variation of it in an online conversation today, and some people didn't seem to understand what it meant. I must sometimes check to see just how out of touch ~~I am~~ people are.

dogmush · « **Reply #1 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:22:47 PM »

I am familiar with it.

Don't use it that much, but I've heard it.

bedlamite · « **Reply #2 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:23:17 PM »

Quote from: fistful on June 25, 2015, 06:16:36 PM

I must sometimes check to see just how out of touch ~~I am~~ people are.

We really don't want you touching anything anyway.

Ben · « **Reply #3 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:30:44 PM »

Familiar with and and use it. Frequently, actually.

BlueStarLizzard · « **Reply #4 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:31:04 PM »

I thought that was a common phrase...

Maybe I just read too much.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradford

vaskidmark · « **Reply #5 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:43:06 PM »

Being associated with the people I used to be associated with, the phrase was a daily utterance.

It's now down to somewhere between weekly and bi-monthly.

My guess is that folks fistful says are unfamiliar with it are also unfamiliar with the concepts of personal responsibility and personal accountability.

stay safe.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #6 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:44:11 PM »

Quote from: vaskidmark on June 25, 2015, 06:43:06 PM

My guess is that folks fistful says are unfamiliar with it are also unfamiliar with the concepts of personal responsibility and personal accountability.

I should hope not. It was a gun blog. I said "there but for the grace of God go we all" in relation to the Charleston wack-a-do, and some seemed to think I was saying that any of them might up and go on a killing spree.

I'm still not sure if folks weren't used to the phrase, or just didn't think it applied in the case of someone who committed such heinous deeds. That I would understand.

Scout26 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:02:10 PM »

So I'm confused. Are you TBFTGOGGI, as to you becoming a whack-a-doodle mass murderer or the victim of one?

SADShooter · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:09:49 PM »

What we understand as cultural literacy is dying faster than actual literacy. Idiocracy is rapidly transitioning from fictional comedy to anticipatory documentary.

Tallpine · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:30:00 PM »

"There but for fortune ..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwXO0sbN4pc

lee n. field · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:31:59 PM »

Quote from: bluestarlizzard on June 25, 2015, 06:31:04 PM

I thought that was a common phrase...

Maybe I just read too much.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bradford

likewise

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #11 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:35:24 PM »

Quote from: scout26 on June 25, 2015, 07:02:10 PM

So I'm confused. Are you TBFTGOGGI, as to you becoming a whack-a-doodle mass murderer or the victim of one?

I was responding to this with the following:

Quote

You say that Roof is not human. Then you tell us that his actions are endemic to human nature. Then you tell us (again) that people like Roof aren’t human.

The best way to resolve this is just to admit that Roof is human; and there, but for the grace of God, go we all.

freakazoid · « **Reply #12 on:** June 25, 2015, 07:52:11 PM »

I'm familiar with it. Didn't know who it was attributed to though.

MillCreek · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:09:46 PM »

Quote from: Ben on June 25, 2015, 06:30:44 PM

Familiar with and and use it. Frequently, actually.

Ditto.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #14 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:19:50 PM »

Quote from: freakazoid on June 25, 2015, 07:52:11 PM

I'm familiar with it. Didn't know who it was attributed to though.

Yeah, I had to double-check, and make sure it wasn't just one of my Dad's pet phrases. I ended up at the same Wiki page as BSL.

griz · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:20:07 PM »

Certainly a common expression, but I got the impression that the posters were only disputing that any of us could be a mass murderer.

dogmush · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:54:02 PM »

Quote from: griz on June 25, 2015, 08:20:07 PM

Certainly a common expression, but I got the impression that the posters were only disputing that any of us could be a mass murderer.

There, however, I think Fisty's right. Whether it's Fistful's God, one's own commitment to an internal rule set, or some other external factor the veneer of what we consider "civilized" is remarkably thin and brittle.

Time and Time again throughout the world, history has shown it doesn't take all that much to get most of us to cry havoc and loose the dogs. We are pretty much all not that far from violence.

That's why men like MLK and Ghandi are revered so much. We all know, deep down, that we probably wouldn't have stayed peaceful.

230RN · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:56:13 PM »

Quote from: Tallpine on June 25, 2015, 07:30:00 PM

"There but for fortune ..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwXO0sbN4pc

I used to use it frequently, but like Tallpine, I modified it to "There, but for a couple of lucky breaks, go I."

I also use "unlucky breaks" for the opposite sense, like when someone drives by in a Ferrari. Or whatever.

Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.... O, Fortuna, velut Luna, and all like that there.

230RN · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2015, 08:57:31 PM »

Double post.

Hawkmoon · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:15:20 PM »

Quote from: fistful on June 25, 2015, 06:16:36 PM

I was wondering how many are familiar with the phrase, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I used a slight variation of it in an online conversation today, and some people didn't seem to understand what it meant. I must sometimes check to see just how out of touch ~~I am~~ people are.

I use it often. Not daily, but often.

Jamisjockey · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:25:50 PM »

Have heard that phrase plenty. I too thought it was common.

Ben · « **Reply #21 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:32:22 PM »

Quote from: dogmush on June 25, 2015, 08:54:02 PM

There, however, I think Fisty's right. Whether it's Fistful's God, one's own commitment to an internal rule set, or some other external factor the veneer of what we consider "civilized" is remarkably thin and brittle.

Time and Time again throughout the world, history has shown it doesn't take all that much to get most of us to cry havoc and loose the dogs. We are pretty much all not that far from violence.

That's why men like MLK and Ghandi are revered so much. We all know, deep down, that we probably wouldn't have stayed peaceful.

Not all that much removed from violence and many other not so nice things. The veneer is thin.

I don't know who said it (probably several different historical figures), but, something about, "it's what you do when there's no one watching that is the true test of character."

vaskidmark · « **Reply #22 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:32:52 PM »

I'm beginning to think that once again the external locus of control people are running scared that they, too, might turn into raging psychopaths - especially if exposed to the merest of provocation of the "right" kind.

As opposed to the internal locus of control folks who know for certain that they could turn, but that it would be in response to a deliberate decision and know the precise level of provocation that would be needed.

stay safe.

zxcvbob · « **Reply #23 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:35:59 PM »

Quote from: scout26 on June 25, 2015, 07:02:10 PM

So I'm confused. Are you TBFTGOGGI, as to you becoming a whack-a-doodle mass murderer or the victim of one?

Veering the topic a big (isn't that what we're supposed to do here?) Last Sunday a 50-ish YO man came into our little church (only 9 people there last week) by himself halfway thru the service and sat on the back row. Dressed "casual-respectful" but unshaven. I didn't get a chance to talk to him before he ducked out at the end, but the pastor did.

When we got home, Wife said when he came in she wondered to herself "what if he's a murderer?" I told her I was sitting behind him and to the left, at the sound mixer, and had him covered. "You had your gun with you?" Of course I did, and that's one reason I DON'T have to think "what if he's a murderer" when someone new walks in. (also the pastor has a carry permit but I don't know if he carries, and we have a retired police officer who can carry w/o a permit but I don't know if he does. I always assume one of 'em might be)

RoadKingLarry · « **Reply #24 on:** June 25, 2015, 09:38:40 PM »

Quote from: fistful on June 25, 2015, 06:44:11 PM

I should hope not. It was a gun blog. I said "there but for the grace of God go we all" in relation to the Charleston wack-a-do, and some seemed to think I was saying that any of them might up and go on a killing spree.

I'm still not sure if folks weren't used to the phrase, or just didn't think it applied in the case of someone who committed such heinous deeds. That I would understand.

What you essentially said was that barring divine intervention you would all be mass-murdering wack-a-dos.

News:

Author Topic: There, but for the grace of God... (Read 3984 times)