Yesterday's post was incredibly boring. I should have just stopped with the William James quote. I had nothing to add to it, but I did not know that I had nothing to add to it until I read again what I had written. More is not necessarily more.
With that in mind, today I'll share this one quick story:
John Buchan, the Scottish author, was hiking in the highlands. A big snow storm was in the offing. He watched sheep come up from a gorge, up onto the hillsides, and face into the increasingly bitter wind. He remarked to the shepherd what incredibly silly animals sheep were, to leave the shelter of the gorge. On the contrary, the shepherd said. If they stayed down in the gorge, the snow would get too high for them and they would founder and die there. Their only safety was up on the hillside, facing into the wind.
I have often found that to be true of life, but I was not always as smart as a silly sheep.
[The original meaning of "silly" was "blessed."]
I thought "Will & Imagination" thought provoking, although it lacked the "sword to the heart" sensation of "Keeping the Faith." Can't get the latter out of my mind. Reminds me of Buechner who, in Whistling in the Dark says something like, "Whether you believe there is a God or there is not a God, if you don't doubt, you're either kidding yourself or you're dead. Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith; it keeps it alive and moving."
ReplyDeleteI like "ants in the pants of faith." I think "Keeping the Faith" can be summarized as "Those who are trying to take your doubt away are those who are trying to take your faith away."
ReplyDeleteI disagree that "Will & Imagination" was boring. I thought you added a lot. I probably would not have interpreted that quote that way, and although I struggle with the conflict between intellect and emotion, I could not have made as much sense of the struggle as you have done. Thank you for that post ... and this one. *feeling sheepish*
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to you, kaypasa. You are very gracious.
ReplyDeleteThe quote is from "Wishful Thinking, A Theological A B C", not "Whistling in the Dark." Just to set the record straight!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suz, although I doubt that any of the five of us X In W folks would report you for wrong citing.
ReplyDelete