screwtape #1

“did the patient respond to some of your terror-pictures of the future? Did you work in some good self-pitiying glances at the happy past?- some fine thrills in the pit of his stomach were there?”

so, let me be a bit vulnerable here- these 3 questions asked by screwtape struck a chord with me because I am often guilty of wishing I didn’t know the truth. The desire to feel the thrill without the knowledge that the thrill robs me. The desire to forget (though i am known to rejoice in knowing). A desire to feel sorry for my loss as a christian rather than to be joyful with the insurmountable gain.

that you too?

i suspect that it is not that uncommon. like that guy in ‘the matrix’ who chose illusion over reality simply because the taste of steak was good enough. and yet, as common as it is, it is a highly dangerous thought because if we take the thought to it’s logical end, we arrive at the horrible conclusion that God has robbed us. He has robbed us of our illusion and this is disappointing. Of course, the perfect thing to think would be: He has gracefully exposed our minds to the brilliance of truth. But of course, being human, we tend to see it mostly from the other side.

the next time the “semi-innocent” thought: ‘i wish i didn’t know better, but unfortunately i do’ comes knocking on my brain, I will be more weary of it. I will choose to see that the real enjoyment of truth is in the absolute absence of illusion.

screwtape letters- intro

ok, so i am going to do something new and different- I am currently reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and rather than reviewing the book after I have read it, I want to write about what it says along the way. I am only 5 chapters in, but already I would put this book in the category of a christian ‘must-read’ for two reasons:
1. It is short
2. It gives key insights into the presence and working of spiritual forces which are so often overlooked in the Western world.

The book is a collection of letters that a senior demon writes to his nephew about the art of temptation and of leading christians astray. It takes awhile to get used to, but The Enemy then refers to God and ‘Our Father’ refers to Satan- keep that in mind as you read any of my screwtape blog entries...

Book Review - Charles Darwin by Cyril Aydon

Let me start of by mentioning that I am a real fan of books. I don’t need to ever remind myself that books hold a tremendous source of knowledge and wisdom upon their pages. For those familiar with my room, they will know the colossal bookshelf that sits only two feet away from my head when I sleep. Its position is half due to my theory of osmosis, half simply because I like having books close to me, and half because the shelf gives me a place to rest my tea cup. And that adds up to 150% which is me telling you that I like books more than the average guy. So keep that in mind when I review some of my favorites - that I tend to be very complimentary.

The book in question is a fantastic journey through the life of one of the most influential minds of modern thinking (especially on the subject of evolution, as many will know the name Darwin for). In my first year of university in 2003, I studied Psych 1 and Darwin had a whole subsection of his own within my file. I remember being fascinated with him back then already. Darwin was a compulsive recorder of his thoughts and activities and thus I would imagine that biographers would have a good time picking through what to include in their particular writing on is life- Cyril chose well.

Cyril Aydon’s biography is a very balanced read and gives much insight into the life and work of Darwin as well as his childhood. One area in which I did find the book lacking, is in the area of its insight into the life of Darwin’s marriage and home life. I suspect that this is due to the fact that Darwin’s work consumed so much of his time and energy and his home life simply went unrecorded. We do know however that he played backgammon with his wife every night for the better part of 47 years (and kept a running tally of wins and losses)... I wonder what the final tally was- google does not know.

Two things become very clear through the reading of this book (and I will try not to spoil anything for anyone wishing to read it after me):

1. Darwin was not successful because he had a brilliant mind. Yes, sure, he was more intelligent than most, but it was his passion for truth and other parts of his personality, like his ability to notice minute detail, that made him the inceptive propagator of a very new and groundbreaking theory. It seems to me that he was naturally selected to formulate the theory of natural selection. Ok, silly joke, but I was only half joking and therefore it is only half silly.

2. Darwin was not anti-religious. He simply really believed in his theories and could not come to doubt them because he saw them as being factual, and he lived in a time when there was middle ground between the islands of thinking like Darwin or having a literal understanding of the book of Genesis. If anything, he tried to stay away from controversy. It was more the people alongside him that used the logical out-workings of his theories to argue fiercely against the church.

I think the book to be well written and I enjoyed the balance it gave to narrative and scientific content. It did not lose itself in dates and places as many biographies do, and at the same time took you on a journey to a sunny destination. The book has a great summary chapter which charts the popularity of Darwin’s theory since his death. A nice addition I think.

“Anyone with intelligence can have an idea. Having an idea is hardly more praiseworthy than having hiccups. It is the labour and skill that go into developing and applying an idea that turns chance thought into great science.” - Aydon (2002)

the most beautiful eulogy

“...we have lost our poor little boy, our pet and our hope. You knew him well, and know his mother’s heart and mine were wrapped up in him, will understand how great is our affliction. He was attacked with a bad form of scarlet fever on Thursday night, and on Sunday night effusion of the brain set in suddenly and carried him off in a couple of hours... as the little fellow was our greatest joy, so is the recollection of him an enduring consolation. It is a heavy payment, but I would buy the four years of him again at the same price.”

(Thomas Huxley writing to philosopher Herbert Spencer on the death of his son in 1860... )

These men were both respected and very busy scientists who’s contribution to geology and evolutionary theory permeates the university lectures halls of today. Time was against them, yet out of the most hurried schedule came such beautiful words...

Strange isn’t it? To think that this is how friends would talk to each other only 140 years ago. Pen. Paper. Emotion. Intent.
Where would I ever find such an interchange between two friends (two male friends for that matter!) in today’s world of hurried correspondence and ‘deadline driven action’.

What a eulogy... Perhaps a symbol of the death of something more.

thought

the things that i most regret are things that i have done without thinking...

the things that i least regret are also things that i have done without thinking...

interesting.