I was watching a biography by Ken Burns on Samuel L Clemmons, better known as Mark Twain.  He was a fascinating humorist, wit, and world traveler, as well as the defining American author.  Mark Twain made wonderful observations of the human condition.  I wonder what he would be saying about our world today… here are some thoughts.  He would be 185 this year.

If the man wants to put his name on everything, including stimulus checks, then let this be known as the Trump virus.

With all this wonderful new technology, planes and such, we can travel so much faster today, but we cannot seem to travel faster than a virus.

I found that through paper I could get any fool idea to millions of people in a few months, now I can get any fool thought to billions of people in less time than I finished this thought.

In my day I, saw the ravages of slavery and racism, but also the willingness of Finn to go to hell to save Jim… Today he might be providing food and medicine to the deserts of poverty, and still willing to go to the hell prescribed by those still waving a flag for a war they lost when I was just 30 years old.

I’ve been watching our President now for a long time, tell me first not to worry, it’s all going to go away, that it is a hoax, that we will do better than any nation, that we are prepared, that anyone who wants a test will get a test, and they are beautiful… We loved to be entertained when the carnival barker came to town, now he’s here every day, and the only entertainment is that we now are willing to believe the huckster!

There is something about writing a book, something about telling a story, where lies can be woven together with truths so that we are moved toward a higher thought, or enjoy a laugh with each other.  Seems to me tweets are a poor substitute, and only purpose is to enjoy a laugh at each other instead of with each other.

If this virus gave us dysentery, I wonder if all the Kleenex would be off the shelves at the market?

There are 450 channels on TV and nothing to watch… It’s like being at a library and all the books have nothing in them.

You know shaking hands can tell you a lot about a man, now if you see it happen, it can tell you even more about both of them.

I saw a politician go into a hospital without a mask to meet with pandemic patients, doctors and nurses, and shake their hands, my gosh they don’t make them any smarter today than they did when I was young.

Mark Twain (imagined)