You said it, Charlie Brown.
Though all we get is grief,
They only knock us down
To topple our belief
That one day ”one day soon”
The meek will all inherit
And Lucy change her tune.
I don’t think they could bear it
The way we do, to rise
Knowing we’ll fall again,
To think it somehow wise
To lose, to fail . . . to grin,
And in our darkest mood
To still allow for Good.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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