Firmage EdGravity and Grace
Red Dog suggests that gravitas sounds like a thyroid disease. While the quotation that always stays in my mind and my heart doesn’t directly deal with our discussion of presidential candidates with gravitas, allow me to suggest for your reading a brilliant book by a brilliant and courageous woman who wrote on the topic.
Simone Weil is a major figure in mid-twentieth century theology, politics, and non-violent protest to the giving of her life. In her work, Gravity and Grace, she says: “God has provided that when his grace penetrates to the very center of a person, and from there illuminates all his being, he is able to walk on water without violating any of the laws of nature. When, however, a person turns away from God, he simply gives himself up to the laws of gravity. Then, he thinks that he can decide and choose, but he is only a thing, a stone that falls. And if we examine human society and souls closely enough and with real attention, we see that wherever the virtue of supernatural light is absent, everything is obedient to the mechanical laws as blind and as exact as the laws of gravitation.” (Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1972)
I can’t think of a damned thing I’ve been reading and writing on this blog to link this to. But I love her writing so much that I can’t think of any word, e.g., gravitas, that has as it’s base the concept of gravity and the necessity of gravitas in ourselves and those we support for high office, without thinking of this patriot and disciple of iron-minded truth, wherever found. As many of you know, she was a leading atheist for much of her short life.
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah past, and may we all have a ray of peace in this sad world of war. For those of us believing in this or that religious persuasion, or for the huge number that prefer the Marlboro Man to God, nevertheless, my god’s grace go with all the human race. Pace e bene, shalom, salaam, and my god be with you, this day, and always.
ed firmage
December 18th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Merry Christmas to you too, Ed.
December 18th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Happy Holidays as the PC have perverted it to, unless you live in hollady, then you can can pretty much do what you want cuz ya got cash.
Then if there is no god, and even if there is, we can wonder upon its curious absence these days. So to those of us who are not counting on faith, physics defines us in this material plane. Nice to know that you would really rely on such a quaint “unreliable”. Perhaps God hath gone on a drinking bender, I know I might after looking upon what man hath wrought.
Haven’t seen anyone walk on water and Ms. Weil, bless her fantastic atheist thought, we are gravimetric beings, and electric, some of us understand that manifest thought does burn tyrants down, just be ready if the the misunderstood physics of that are not working that day. Very much like having an off game…, the physical is where the rubber meets the road in this plane.
Meanwhile the rest of us in Realityland are getting busy building a backstop for the “just in case” possibility that what you all believe in is TOTAL NONSENSE. That god doesn’t intervene.., wouldn’t be the first time evil won the day cuz good was dreaming on fantasy!!
We all have to grow up someday, some of us later than others. Then there is the possibility that you don’t ever grow up. It is a luxury afforded to nations with Marines, guns and ammo, B-52s and nuclear Bombs. Sad, but do you think fr’ instance Canada would maintain herself if her neighbor wasn’t such a baaad MFer?
I doubt it. My friend in Quebec has pictures she sent me of nazi U boats in the St. Lawrence, 1940, not 130 miles from Montreal. Weakness is no virtue, all you need do faithful peaceniks, is back the spineful up. Do your thing, they will prepare theirs.It’s called “insurance” The price of peace is eternal vigilance.
As for Gods’ grace let us please dispose of it in public parlance, he ‘aint payin attention, and has other fish to fry.
December 18th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Poor Simone. She should have eaten her dinner, and given thanks to god that he made it available to her.
She must have lost faith as she fell in the midst of her water walk. Interesting life, sad ending, extremely subjective reality based person by the description of her Ed. I suppose we all are to a greater or lesser degree. Thank god for her madness, it makes interesting reading.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Ed, yer shakin’ my faith! I was led to believe that the Easter Bunny and Sanity Clause were essentially the same thing. That would make Huckleberry what? Not JFK by any means. I babble. Merry Christmas, or whatever.