That’s wonderful news. Looking forward to joining you on this trek! I only found your writing recently and I felt instantly connected to you by the spirit that all Christians share. I’m not Orthodox , I’m Christian. Some of your theology seems strange but it makes me want to investigate why you believe those things , such as Mary being so special. In my tradition, she’s just a woman. Anyway, I’ll be sticking around. Cheers!
Greetings Christian sister. If you read some of the late Orthodox teacher, Alex Schmemann, you might find wonderful depth and no "heresy". I did in 2020 .
Sounds like a plan Paul; looking forward to picking up the journey again in the autumn. Enjoy the summer and time with family and the outdoors - you’ll be rejuvenated by it. Thanks for the last two years, does come at a personal cost, but so important a contribution to the zeitgeist.
Is this going be like "The Way of the Pilgrim?" I really liked that book when I read it a long time ago; time for a reread. It is a good idea to start getting out into the light.
As a small Paul Kingsnorth joke, I used an AI art generator to create an image of an Orthodox Monastery; make the machine support the spirit. Well, the image was pretty good but one of the crosses on an onion dome was shaped like a weather vane.
I have always been struck by this statement by C.H. Spurgeon:
"Whenever God means to make a man great, he always breaks him in pieces first."
- although one could read "fruitful*" instead of "great" (as I think our modern conception of what is "great" is so warped and contorted by the modern machine and celebrity age of vanity that we live in).
We see God doing this time and time again in Scripture, breaking Joseph's pride, breaking Peter's rashness and faux-boldness, making Moses shepherd in the wilderness for decades, and blinding Paul on the Damascus Road.
I wonder if God does the same with cultures that have become too big and lost their bearings. He breaks them and lets them dissolve before he raises men and women up to chart a different course out from the smouldering ruins. Perhaps a collapse in the west would provide the ruins and fresh fertile ground from which the three Ps prayer, place and people take precedence again in the lives of many, where local needs and local cares are the sum of man's greatness and fame, and where God's creation is cherished once more as the beautiful masterpiece that it is - one can hope.
Edited 'fruitful' to replace 'useful' as see comments below.
I was talking more about 'useful' in relation to God not society. It makes me cringe when people say I want to be great for God - as He calls us to be lowly and humble, not great. However, He does want us to be useful ('fruitful' is a better word that I should have used in hindsight) in his service - and this can be in the little things as much as the great things.
I agree though that 'useful' is a concept that has been commandeered by the machine age.
I read recently that Confucius believed that naming things with the right name was very important. (Did I read it here ? Maybe, maybe not.)
I tend to believe that we create our worlds by naming things with the words, and that is why it is so important to pay attention to them.
As far as being lowly and humble, I think that you have to be careful on that one. Maybe sometimes He calls us to be lowly and humble, but other times, He could call us to be great. To assume our power in the world, for example, if/when we have it. Not assuming power could be dangerous for everybody involved, and not be serving God the way He wants. Was David lowly and humble all the time ? I think not. And Jesus wasn't either.
Agreed - humble and lowly can sometimes be a cover for cowardice. I think 'servant-hearted' leading/greatness is the right way.
And very much agree with the need to be careful with our words - they matter so much, especially in the act of naming. I think of the example of naming something a weed. Calling it a weed rather than a wildflower greatly influences how we act towards it (pulling it up rather than admiring it).
"Useful" and"fruitful" both have meaning in the context of the Gospels. So does "great" as when Jesus chastised the disciples as they argued about who would be great in His Kingdom. First shall be last, the one who humbles himself will be exalted... etc
[Not directly replying to you, a bit of a general rant…] We’d better hope the West doesn’t break up. Do we want China running the world? Or Russia pushing into western Europe? We tend to be most parochial when we think we are being universal. Eschaton, end times, collapse - only for the West? As long as the break-up also includes the collapse of the CCP and China’s rabidly expansionist nationalism, plus Putin’s corrupt, rotten kleptocracy, and Iran’s foul mullahs, then ok… otherwise I tend to sense just more Western self-hatred, a longing for all those fat white men in suits on Wall St to get their comeuppance, forgetting there are many fat brown men in Shanghai and Mumbai just waiting for that to happen to profit from it... Well, no thanks… I wonder how many people there are in China or India writing the way Paul does, or some of the commenters here? Sometimes I feel we need to get a grip, get out more, and see how the world is - especially the big majority that isn’t Euro-American.
I think that in general, the way we live, the way the world of humans is structured into big power blocks, with huge populations to look after, and military wars to create and fight , for reasons of profit, is simply unsustainable in the long term. How long has any huge empire or huge social structure lasted? Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia? So I'm thinking that it will all go once an ecological collapse happens and I'm thinking that that is not so far away. Me. I won't be in a city. I will be growing spuds and fishing. If there's any fish left!
Thank goodness for the light! Feeling the same in my life - too focused on the problem and things getting very dark. Thanks for your work, Paul, and enjoy your well earned break.
My prayers will be with you, Paul, as you enter the new phase of your journey.
I've found that, when separated from the world — what you call the Machine, and I bloodthirsty Babylon riding the beast — and one is alone with God and His word, there is a great darkness within the fallen human heart — ALL humans, as it is the basic human condition, saint or not — to be plumbed and exposed.
As a Poet it is my calling to plumb and sing what I know, the horror and the glory. There is as much to bewail within as without — that is, the evil and death-dealing of the Machine, AND the abyss within. That trek for me is finished, but not the telling of it.
You're young, and burning with vision, and my prayer for you is that you reveal the Light of the world, and His house, to those who love the truth. Me, my days are numbered, which is just as well, as it might be better for my heart that my story be known after I'm gone.
I will follow you on this journey, Paul... sitting in front of the computer.
As I keep reminding you, and perhaps wrongly, there is a lot that separates us, but a lot that brings us together, too.
I am glad that you are taking off time to be with your family, and I am glad that you are backpeddling a bit on looking into the black hole. You and the others are right : too much of that sends you right into the black hole, and often there is no way back out when you have gone too far.
As far as being a Christian is concerned, I don't know what I am any more. Just curious listening to all the cacophony ? in the civilisation right now. Trying to find my way.
I like listening to "Jesu meine Freude" every once in a while to hear that in the midst of the cacophony there is a still, silent place to be found. That sounds good.
Paul, this sounds exciting, and even though I'm not Orthodox (but am a Christian!) I'll be delighted to tag along and see where you go! You're quite right to take a break from everything (including us), and it's thoughtful to suspend subscriptions for that period, but I really don't think it's necessary. Ice creams don't grow on trees, you know ...
Early Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit the “wild goose” in Gaelic. I’ve always found that, when you follow His lead, that’s a pretty accurate name.
I’ve enjoyed your writing and will be here when you get back. Enjoy your much needed sabbatical, refresher, vacation!
I may not share your faith, but I think this sounds like exactly the right direction for your writing. There comes a point where even to look at the Machine is to feed it.
How exciting, I'm looking forward to September. Have a wonderful break 🐚
That’s wonderful news. Looking forward to joining you on this trek! I only found your writing recently and I felt instantly connected to you by the spirit that all Christians share. I’m not Orthodox , I’m Christian. Some of your theology seems strange but it makes me want to investigate why you believe those things , such as Mary being so special. In my tradition, she’s just a woman. Anyway, I’ll be sticking around. Cheers!
Greetings Christian sister. If you read some of the late Orthodox teacher, Alex Schmemann, you might find wonderful depth and no "heresy". I did in 2020 .
Thank you for the recommendation.
Sounds like a plan Paul; looking forward to picking up the journey again in the autumn. Enjoy the summer and time with family and the outdoors - you’ll be rejuvenated by it. Thanks for the last two years, does come at a personal cost, but so important a contribution to the zeitgeist.
Sounds great, looking forward to it.
Thank you Paul. Your journey is a compelling one and this traveller is happy to tag along, even if he's not exactly sure why.
I'll bring plenty of water for the desert part.
Is this going be like "The Way of the Pilgrim?" I really liked that book when I read it a long time ago; time for a reread. It is a good idea to start getting out into the light.
As a small Paul Kingsnorth joke, I used an AI art generator to create an image of an Orthodox Monastery; make the machine support the spirit. Well, the image was pretty good but one of the crosses on an onion dome was shaped like a weather vane.
I have always been struck by this statement by C.H. Spurgeon:
"Whenever God means to make a man great, he always breaks him in pieces first."
- although one could read "fruitful*" instead of "great" (as I think our modern conception of what is "great" is so warped and contorted by the modern machine and celebrity age of vanity that we live in).
We see God doing this time and time again in Scripture, breaking Joseph's pride, breaking Peter's rashness and faux-boldness, making Moses shepherd in the wilderness for decades, and blinding Paul on the Damascus Road.
I wonder if God does the same with cultures that have become too big and lost their bearings. He breaks them and lets them dissolve before he raises men and women up to chart a different course out from the smouldering ruins. Perhaps a collapse in the west would provide the ruins and fresh fertile ground from which the three Ps prayer, place and people take precedence again in the lives of many, where local needs and local cares are the sum of man's greatness and fame, and where God's creation is cherished once more as the beautiful masterpiece that it is - one can hope.
Edited 'fruitful' to replace 'useful' as see comments below.
No, not "useful", "great". As far as I am concerned.
I believe that the very idea of making us "useful" is behind a lot of the Machine mentality.
Why not... "great" ? Because it sounds like "proud" ?
If you trade "great" for "useful", are you a better person ?
I think not.
I was talking more about 'useful' in relation to God not society. It makes me cringe when people say I want to be great for God - as He calls us to be lowly and humble, not great. However, He does want us to be useful ('fruitful' is a better word that I should have used in hindsight) in his service - and this can be in the little things as much as the great things.
I agree though that 'useful' is a concept that has been commandeered by the machine age.
Yes, for "fruitful".
I read recently that Confucius believed that naming things with the right name was very important. (Did I read it here ? Maybe, maybe not.)
I tend to believe that we create our worlds by naming things with the words, and that is why it is so important to pay attention to them.
As far as being lowly and humble, I think that you have to be careful on that one. Maybe sometimes He calls us to be lowly and humble, but other times, He could call us to be great. To assume our power in the world, for example, if/when we have it. Not assuming power could be dangerous for everybody involved, and not be serving God the way He wants. Was David lowly and humble all the time ? I think not. And Jesus wasn't either.
Agreed - humble and lowly can sometimes be a cover for cowardice. I think 'servant-hearted' leading/greatness is the right way.
And very much agree with the need to be careful with our words - they matter so much, especially in the act of naming. I think of the example of naming something a weed. Calling it a weed rather than a wildflower greatly influences how we act towards it (pulling it up rather than admiring it).
"Useful" and"fruitful" both have meaning in the context of the Gospels. So does "great" as when Jesus chastised the disciples as they argued about who would be great in His Kingdom. First shall be last, the one who humbles himself will be exalted... etc
Yes, the chastising of Jesus towards his disciples is why I am hesitant when someone mentions greatness.
Yes, I know that the Old Testament is chock full of sayings like these. I read them all the time.
Sometimes I think that too much of any good thing is an evil...
That's the way the (fallen) world works. As long as we are living in the fallen world, should we behave all the time as though it were not fallen ?
[Not directly replying to you, a bit of a general rant…] We’d better hope the West doesn’t break up. Do we want China running the world? Or Russia pushing into western Europe? We tend to be most parochial when we think we are being universal. Eschaton, end times, collapse - only for the West? As long as the break-up also includes the collapse of the CCP and China’s rabidly expansionist nationalism, plus Putin’s corrupt, rotten kleptocracy, and Iran’s foul mullahs, then ok… otherwise I tend to sense just more Western self-hatred, a longing for all those fat white men in suits on Wall St to get their comeuppance, forgetting there are many fat brown men in Shanghai and Mumbai just waiting for that to happen to profit from it... Well, no thanks… I wonder how many people there are in China or India writing the way Paul does, or some of the commenters here? Sometimes I feel we need to get a grip, get out more, and see how the world is - especially the big majority that isn’t Euro-American.
I think that in general, the way we live, the way the world of humans is structured into big power blocks, with huge populations to look after, and military wars to create and fight , for reasons of profit, is simply unsustainable in the long term. How long has any huge empire or huge social structure lasted? Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia? So I'm thinking that it will all go once an ecological collapse happens and I'm thinking that that is not so far away. Me. I won't be in a city. I will be growing spuds and fishing. If there's any fish left!
Your reply came! :)
Wonderful writing, wonderful hope-you and your writing are such a gift that I and the world sorely need at the moment. Thank you!
And have a wonderful break over the summer-I hope it’s truly restorative
Thank goodness for the light! Feeling the same in my life - too focused on the problem and things getting very dark. Thanks for your work, Paul, and enjoy your well earned break.
My prayers will be with you, Paul, as you enter the new phase of your journey.
I've found that, when separated from the world — what you call the Machine, and I bloodthirsty Babylon riding the beast — and one is alone with God and His word, there is a great darkness within the fallen human heart — ALL humans, as it is the basic human condition, saint or not — to be plumbed and exposed.
As a Poet it is my calling to plumb and sing what I know, the horror and the glory. There is as much to bewail within as without — that is, the evil and death-dealing of the Machine, AND the abyss within. That trek for me is finished, but not the telling of it.
You're young, and burning with vision, and my prayer for you is that you reveal the Light of the world, and His house, to those who love the truth. Me, my days are numbered, which is just as well, as it might be better for my heart that my story be known after I'm gone.
Beautifully said. Thank you.
I will follow you on this journey, Paul... sitting in front of the computer.
As I keep reminding you, and perhaps wrongly, there is a lot that separates us, but a lot that brings us together, too.
I am glad that you are taking off time to be with your family, and I am glad that you are backpeddling a bit on looking into the black hole. You and the others are right : too much of that sends you right into the black hole, and often there is no way back out when you have gone too far.
As far as being a Christian is concerned, I don't know what I am any more. Just curious listening to all the cacophony ? in the civilisation right now. Trying to find my way.
I like listening to "Jesu meine Freude" every once in a while to hear that in the midst of the cacophony there is a still, silent place to be found. That sounds good.
Have a good summer.
Cheers.
Paul, this sounds exciting, and even though I'm not Orthodox (but am a Christian!) I'll be delighted to tag along and see where you go! You're quite right to take a break from everything (including us), and it's thoughtful to suspend subscriptions for that period, but I really don't think it's necessary. Ice creams don't grow on trees, you know ...
Have a fantastic break Paul. I may even have made it through the Machine series by the time you resume. Looking forward to what comes next!
Looking forward to reading what comes next, Paul. Enjoy your summer.
Early Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit the “wild goose” in Gaelic. I’ve always found that, when you follow His lead, that’s a pretty accurate name.
I’ve enjoyed your writing and will be here when you get back. Enjoy your much needed sabbatical, refresher, vacation!
I may not share your faith, but I think this sounds like exactly the right direction for your writing. There comes a point where even to look at the Machine is to feed it.