Words from Satanic Verses

Just finished reading Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, one of the most controversial novels to come out in the last 20 or so years. Rushdie has a death sentence on him from Islamic leaders and he's been banished from India because of it. Having read it, I'd say it's worth the controversy - he definitely has no problem throwing Mohammed under the bus. Ultimately, it's an interesting read if you've got some time and don't mind 4 separate plots and a schizophrenic main character who's dreams may or may not be dreams.


Either way, Rushdie certainly is a talented wordsmith who composes several memorable lines in this piece. I intend to share my thoughts regarding some of them in the next few posts. For this one, however, I'll just pull a few lines about human nature and let them speak for themselves:

• "The effect of all this box-watching was to put a severe dent in what remained of his idea of the normal, average quality of the real. . ."
• "The universe was a place of wonders, and only habituation, the anaesthesia of the everyday, dulled our sight."
• ‘Anybody ever tries to tell you how this most beautiful and most evil of planets is somehow homogeneous, composed only of reconcilable elements, that it all adds up, you get on the phone to the straitjacket tailor,’ he advised her, managing to give the impression of having visited more planets than one before coming to his conclusions. ‘The world is incompatible, just never forget it; gage. Ghosts, Nazis, saints, all alive at the same time; in one spot, blissful happiness, while down the road, the inferno. You can’t ask for a wilder place.’
• O, the dissociations of which the human mind is capable, marvelled Saladin gloomily. O, the conflicting selves jostling and joggling within these bags of skin. No wonder we are unable to remain focused on anything for very long; no wonder we invent remote-control channel-hopping devices. If we turned these instruments upon ourselves we’d discover more channels than a cable or satellite mogul ever dreamed of. . .

Let me know what you think. . .

Why Atticus Finch and the Apostle Paul Would Get Along

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee goes to great lengths to display the hero of the book, Atticus Finch, as uncommon. He doesn't do what other fathers do, he isn't like typical community members, and he doesn't even really fit in his family. Yet in every place, he's accepted and respected. He's found a way to be "uncommon" by rejecting immorality, racism, and struggles for power while still being part of the community and his family. This theme comes through further in that Atticus offers several pieces of advice to his children, demanding that they also be uncommon: Don't hold a grudge; fight with your head, not with your fists; fight a worthy battle, even if you know you'll lose; forgive your friends when they wrong you. He, and they, almost lose everything by the end of the text; and even though they don't, they never really win anything for their efforts either. The book ends with them simply going on about their business of quietly leading uncommon lives.

This theme of being "uncommon" is exactly what Paul is writing about in his letter to the Ephesians. I find this to be especially true in Ephesians 4 & 5, as Paul tells them "that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk" (4:17). One of the biggest areas of life he discusses in this section is that of speech.

In order to be uncommon in speech, though much happier/healthier/better than the "common" folk, Paul offers this advice:

• put away lying (4:25)
• be angry AND do not sin (4:26)
• speak only what is good and that which will impart grace on the hearers (4:29)
• replace bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, and malice (the roots of common speech) with tender-heartedness and the giving of thanks (4:31-2, 5:4)
• speak only what is fitting for saints, or in other words, for those who are also uncommon (5:3)
• speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (5:19)

While I know my audience on this blog is mixed, I think that all of these pieces of advice are relevant for non-Christians and Christians except for the last one. (I don't expect my atheist brethren to break into stirring rounds of "Amazing Grace" over coffee tomorrow morning.) These are worthwhile endeavors, ones that will improve one's attitude, outlook, and relationships. In short, it will allow you to be happier than the common people: those complaining and competing in most conversations they hold.

This isn't a call to only speak of puppies and rainbows and hugs. That's not real; and unfortunately, fake is much more common than genuine. No, to impart grace on hearers sometimes means telling them something they don't want to hear. To refrain from lying leads to some uncomfortable moments. It doesn't mean ignoring your anger; instead, it means only saying helpful words in that anger. Paul doesn't ask us to be perfect; he instead suggests to become like those (the saints) with whom we most like being in conversations.

I am as common as ever right now in my speech. Distance from God = distance from perspective = constant perception of getting screwed over = lots and lots of not helpful talk. I can't change this overnight; only habit can return my soul to a heavenly-minded state. I can, however, just shut up until I get there. That might be most uncommon of all.

The Detail Work

After a month-long absence from the blog, I return. What have I been up to? A week-long cruise to celebrate 10 years with my wife. A mountain of British Lit (see my Reading list on the right, if you're really interested). My first Kindle experience. Some really weird dreams. Lots of Doritos and Easter candy. What's most obvious, though, is a lack of writing. I've said before that when the pen (or keypad) is dead, the soul is dead too. Well, that pretty much says it all. Soul-less, I limp along to June 29, my last day of grad school.

While at an Easter celebration recently, one of my uncles asked me about school. I lamented that we're reading a ton right now and not really discussing any of it, not digging in and getting to the core of these texts. He exhibited great disdain for this as well, joining me in a diatribe about the futility about doing too much without paying careful attention to any of it. He said that he may not know a whole lot about a graduate school education; but as a concrete worker, he knew that without the detail work, nothing much came of what he did. He said they pour a ton of concrete, but if they forget the details, it's basically all for nothing.

I loved the analogy; and a couple days later, I furthered the comparison. Too much of anything without attention to the core details is, as I said, all for nothing. This is especially true about life. I've got a lot going on. We all do. Everyone is trying to accomplish a lot, whether it's diplomas, dollars, or dinners. But is there so much going on that we forget the detail work? Guilt-ridden, am I trying to cram more minutes in with my children without actually saying anything to them? Am I taking care of my house but not my heart? Am I helping my wife but not our relationship?

The little details matter. Ask your co-workers and friends how their weekend was, and make the answer important. Pray. A lot. Drink coffee slowly. Send notes. And cards. Or at the very least, send a Facebook greeting (thanks to those of you who remembered my birthday).

I offer this advice, but none better than the cautionary tale I'm living right now of life a mile wide and an inch deep. I can't take care of all the details. At then end of this journey I'll be able to say I covered a lot, but where will my soul be? How will I come out of a life half-lived, going too fast, going nowhere? What condition will I be in? Or my relationships?

Too close to the end to quit, I trudge along, trying to be as good as I can to the commitments I've made. Be patient with me. The concrete hasn't settled yet.