Looking forwarded with baited breath to read your thoughts on the pandemic and where the machine is taking us with it. Find your spiritual journey writings encouraging, especially due to your eco activist background. It is my prayer that those in the those communities would be encouraged by your podcasts to understand that to know Christ is gain.
Paul, have you ever read Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins by Konrad Lorenz (written almost fifty years ago)? Lorenz was an expert in animal behavior and a Nobel Prize winner. That's one I might recommend for you.
Something that I read over the past month was the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, one of the best fantasy pieces I've ever stumbled across and it has a message that I think is extremely apt for this substack. Because Paksenarrion journeys as a paladin in complete dedication to the 'High Lord' of her world, but the parallel to God is easy to see. She fights a much needed conflict against nihilism, evil, and a bunch of other things and through redemption wins out in the end.
In winding down the time I spend on screens, I notice how grateful I am that it (technology) creates a pathway of connection to your thoughts, explorations and suggestions. Ever grateful for your sharing and the courage to do so in the face of such ceaseless roaring. My thanks, Paul.
In my mind the four horsemen of the apolalypse change with each near end. The first two have revealed themselves to be the Pandemic and the Climate System unleashing its fury on the world. What will the other two be?
Thanks for this reflection Paul! I've been reflecting on the idea of apocalypse as 'unveiling' for several years. This year I've been playing around with another layer to that meaning - 'unveiling' as the pulling away of the protective 'garments' of culture and nature that shelter the human psyche in more stable times. Now, with the 'unveiling', the human psyche is more raw and exposed. It helps me to understand why apocalyptic times are times of both increased fear (and potential psychosis), and of the potential for radical spiritual renewal....
I couldn't agree more about the need for a spiritual aspect of resistance to the Machine. Perhaps the only way to live well in the midst of a system so all-encompassing as the Machine is to have our awareness plugged into the vastly larger Reality of the spiritual world/the Kingdom of God.
Thanks for this! I share your sense of a quickening pace, and I'm eager to dig into those book recommendations. I was wondering if you might have any fiction to recommend for these times? I find that I can only take so much "state of the world today" work before I need narrative to ground and orient me. (By way of trade, "Father Elijah" by Michael D Obrien, "Redeployment" by Phil Klay, and "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K Leguin have been recent boons.)
I just finished reading Mark Boyle's "The Way Home"--which I discovered in one of your earlier posts--this week. This is a wonderful book, and I am grateful for the recommendation.
Now I feel guilty reading and writing this on my laptop.
Does Mark read your stuff on Abbey? I reckon you take him hard copies (printed or handwritten?) when you meet for chess at the pub?
How is ol' Mark? I wonder if he has even heard of the Pandemic. Reminds me of a story a Fr. at my parish told about talking to his friend, who is a monk on Mt. Athos. When they spoke late last spring, his friend was like "what pandemic?"
Tell him Neal from County Shelby, Alabama says hello. Lord willing, my wife and I may look up his town and drop in sometime to visit. Assuming I can figure out how to get from Alabama to Ireland on a sailboat.
Right now, I'm reading 'Life Is A Miracle' by Wendell Berry (after repetead mention of his name by Paul). It's a welcome antidote to another book I read recently by Carl Sagan, called 'The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark'. Sagan is a really nice person, and I felt I owed it to him to read the book. I had bought it years ago after watching the Cosmos series with my homeschooling daughter.
It was a hard read, partly because it's repetitive (science is the best thing we have, despite its flaws, and people are stupid) and a lot is about the misguided belief in UFOs. But I've also moved past this phase of being in awe of science and technology. In 'Life Is A Miracle', Wendell Berry does me the great service of putting my visceral reaction when reading Sagan's book, into words.
And there's this wonderful quote in the middle of the book that - to me- explains much of what is going on with the pandemic, both at the top and on the bottom:
"The next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines."
I felt like I'd read it before, maybe it's earlier in the book, or maybe Paul or someone else had already mentioned it somewhere. Either way, I might have to get that tattooed somewhere so I never forget it. ;-)
Going to check out At the End of the World, sounds good. I am finishing the book A Land So Strange, which is fitting as it describes a time pre Apocalypse for the native Americans. I personally dont think this time in the world is the Biblical apocalypse beginning, just the cyclical rise and fall of mans hubris. When God reveals His end everyones life and nature itself will be torn apart. Things are bad now but this is not the worst its ever been worldwide. Many positive changes are happening, for one there is a huge appetite now for people to know the truth about God, and an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate the power and Love of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the Millman recommendation, Paul. I finished it last week and loved it. He's got a great wit in his writing and I laughed out loud several times. I also watched some of the "Nanook of the North" documentary on Youtube. I am going to try and get my library to order, Hyperreality to read next.
I don't know if you are familiar with Ken Myers and Mars Hill Audio Journal, maybe Rod Dreher has mentioned it to you, but if not I came across this on his addenda page and immediately thought of you. I think you'd enjoy Mars Hill Audio Journal as well. It's wonderful and deep.
Paul, do you have events on zoom where topics can be discussed?
Looking forwarded with baited breath to read your thoughts on the pandemic and where the machine is taking us with it. Find your spiritual journey writings encouraging, especially due to your eco activist background. It is my prayer that those in the those communities would be encouraged by your podcasts to understand that to know Christ is gain.
Good to see Lawrence Millman mentioned, author of one of my all time favorites, Last Places.
Thanks for these great book recommendations, just in time for Christmas shopping!
Paul, have you ever read Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins by Konrad Lorenz (written almost fifty years ago)? Lorenz was an expert in animal behavior and a Nobel Prize winner. That's one I might recommend for you.
Thank Paul for these fantastic essays! I wish I had something more insightful to say but that's my lot...
Something that I read over the past month was the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, one of the best fantasy pieces I've ever stumbled across and it has a message that I think is extremely apt for this substack. Because Paksenarrion journeys as a paladin in complete dedication to the 'High Lord' of her world, but the parallel to God is easy to see. She fights a much needed conflict against nihilism, evil, and a bunch of other things and through redemption wins out in the end.
In winding down the time I spend on screens, I notice how grateful I am that it (technology) creates a pathway of connection to your thoughts, explorations and suggestions. Ever grateful for your sharing and the courage to do so in the face of such ceaseless roaring. My thanks, Paul.
In my mind the four horsemen of the apolalypse change with each near end. The first two have revealed themselves to be the Pandemic and the Climate System unleashing its fury on the world. What will the other two be?
Thanks for this reflection Paul! I've been reflecting on the idea of apocalypse as 'unveiling' for several years. This year I've been playing around with another layer to that meaning - 'unveiling' as the pulling away of the protective 'garments' of culture and nature that shelter the human psyche in more stable times. Now, with the 'unveiling', the human psyche is more raw and exposed. It helps me to understand why apocalyptic times are times of both increased fear (and potential psychosis), and of the potential for radical spiritual renewal....
I couldn't agree more about the need for a spiritual aspect of resistance to the Machine. Perhaps the only way to live well in the midst of a system so all-encompassing as the Machine is to have our awareness plugged into the vastly larger Reality of the spiritual world/the Kingdom of God.
Thanks for this! I share your sense of a quickening pace, and I'm eager to dig into those book recommendations. I was wondering if you might have any fiction to recommend for these times? I find that I can only take so much "state of the world today" work before I need narrative to ground and orient me. (By way of trade, "Father Elijah" by Michael D Obrien, "Redeployment" by Phil Klay, and "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K Leguin have been recent boons.)
I just finished reading Mark Boyle's "The Way Home"--which I discovered in one of your earlier posts--this week. This is a wonderful book, and I am grateful for the recommendation.
Now I feel guilty reading and writing this on my laptop.
Does Mark read your stuff on Abbey? I reckon you take him hard copies (printed or handwritten?) when you meet for chess at the pub?
How is ol' Mark? I wonder if he has even heard of the Pandemic. Reminds me of a story a Fr. at my parish told about talking to his friend, who is a monk on Mt. Athos. When they spoke late last spring, his friend was like "what pandemic?"
Tell him Neal from County Shelby, Alabama says hello. Lord willing, my wife and I may look up his town and drop in sometime to visit. Assuming I can figure out how to get from Alabama to Ireland on a sailboat.
Right now, I'm reading 'Life Is A Miracle' by Wendell Berry (after repetead mention of his name by Paul). It's a welcome antidote to another book I read recently by Carl Sagan, called 'The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark'. Sagan is a really nice person, and I felt I owed it to him to read the book. I had bought it years ago after watching the Cosmos series with my homeschooling daughter.
It was a hard read, partly because it's repetitive (science is the best thing we have, despite its flaws, and people are stupid) and a lot is about the misguided belief in UFOs. But I've also moved past this phase of being in awe of science and technology. In 'Life Is A Miracle', Wendell Berry does me the great service of putting my visceral reaction when reading Sagan's book, into words.
And there's this wonderful quote in the middle of the book that - to me- explains much of what is going on with the pandemic, both at the top and on the bottom:
"The next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines."
I felt like I'd read it before, maybe it's earlier in the book, or maybe Paul or someone else had already mentioned it somewhere. Either way, I might have to get that tattooed somewhere so I never forget it. ;-)
Going to check out At the End of the World, sounds good. I am finishing the book A Land So Strange, which is fitting as it describes a time pre Apocalypse for the native Americans. I personally dont think this time in the world is the Biblical apocalypse beginning, just the cyclical rise and fall of mans hubris. When God reveals His end everyones life and nature itself will be torn apart. Things are bad now but this is not the worst its ever been worldwide. Many positive changes are happening, for one there is a huge appetite now for people to know the truth about God, and an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate the power and Love of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the Millman recommendation, Paul. I finished it last week and loved it. He's got a great wit in his writing and I laughed out loud several times. I also watched some of the "Nanook of the North" documentary on Youtube. I am going to try and get my library to order, Hyperreality to read next.
I don't know if you are familiar with Ken Myers and Mars Hill Audio Journal, maybe Rod Dreher has mentioned it to you, but if not I came across this on his addenda page and immediately thought of you. I think you'd enjoy Mars Hill Audio Journal as well. It's wonderful and deep.
https://marshillaudio.org/addenda/what-happens-when-machine-stops