In the words of Christ, "It is finished." I irreverently quote the Saviour, not becuase I have conquered death and sin for all of humanity, I believe that has been done, but on account of the end of yet another semester. That's right, last night was the Milton final, and I am officially on summer vacation. I was going to take a May-mester, but I'm a coward. I don't have the stamina to do it right now, and so I am going to, instead, actively pursue the leisurely lifestyle of a true philosopher. I shall spend my remaining weeks in the States going to work, reading, playing and watching basketball (paging Chad and Dustin), making beer, and enjoying the freedom associated with not studying every free minute.
This brings me to my summer-long experiment in leisure. From the time of Socrates, philosophers have held to the notion of leisure as a prerequisite for fruitful philosophy. In their estimation, the greatest minds are not those who are concerned with the things of daily life, such as marriage and family, or extended labor and toil. It is no surprise, then, that the Pauline notion of it being most fruitful in ministry when unencumbered by the trappings of marriage is prosribed by an obvious scholar of Greek thought.
Be not alarmed, I am not leaving my wife, nor abandoning my job, but I am going to do my best at living in a leisurely manner. The Greek conception of leisure has been modified in modernity, but originally it entailed both study and gymnastics (exercise). We have since discarded both in favor of television and mindlessness, and I believe our leisure to have become less fruitful.
Perhaps this distortion of the natural order of things has led to our unproductivity as a culture. In writing my essay on Paradise Lost last night for my final I was reminded of Milton's portrayal of Adam and Eve in the garden both before and after the Fall. They were originally naturally inclined to toil in joy during the daylight hours, and in the evenings they relaxed and refreshed their minds and bodies. Only after the Fall are they shown to be selfish with their time and energies. They neglect work to pursue unchaste lusts, ravaging one another sexually until exhausted, and their leisure becomes an all-consuming enterprise, based upon passion. The sex act before and after sin is a picture of their change of state. Lust accompanied laziness, and this self-indulgence replaced the time normally devoted to God honoring tasks. So too did the time that was set aside for leisure and rest, namely sleep, become less restful and refreshing.
Perhaps I will be no more than a barfly in a German BierGarten, but my hope is that I will live in leisure, the way the Greeks intended it, feeding both mind and body.
This brings me to my summer-long experiment in leisure. From the time of Socrates, philosophers have held to the notion of leisure as a prerequisite for fruitful philosophy. In their estimation, the greatest minds are not those who are concerned with the things of daily life, such as marriage and family, or extended labor and toil. It is no surprise, then, that the Pauline notion of it being most fruitful in ministry when unencumbered by the trappings of marriage is prosribed by an obvious scholar of Greek thought.
Be not alarmed, I am not leaving my wife, nor abandoning my job, but I am going to do my best at living in a leisurely manner. The Greek conception of leisure has been modified in modernity, but originally it entailed both study and gymnastics (exercise). We have since discarded both in favor of television and mindlessness, and I believe our leisure to have become less fruitful.
Perhaps this distortion of the natural order of things has led to our unproductivity as a culture. In writing my essay on Paradise Lost last night for my final I was reminded of Milton's portrayal of Adam and Eve in the garden both before and after the Fall. They were originally naturally inclined to toil in joy during the daylight hours, and in the evenings they relaxed and refreshed their minds and bodies. Only after the Fall are they shown to be selfish with their time and energies. They neglect work to pursue unchaste lusts, ravaging one another sexually until exhausted, and their leisure becomes an all-consuming enterprise, based upon passion. The sex act before and after sin is a picture of their change of state. Lust accompanied laziness, and this self-indulgence replaced the time normally devoted to God honoring tasks. So too did the time that was set aside for leisure and rest, namely sleep, become less restful and refreshing.
Perhaps I will be no more than a barfly in a German BierGarten, but my hope is that I will live in leisure, the way the Greeks intended it, feeding both mind and body.
about mom's house...I'm not real sure what can be done. There will be trees that need to be cut and stuff cleaned up, but I think Ernie is taking care of things. He was supposed to call the insurance adjuster to come see the damage and then go from there. You might call mom. See if she has anything for you to do.