Man lives, not directly or nakedly in nature like the animals, but within a mythological universe, a body of assumptions and beliefs developed from his existential concerns. Most of this is held unconsciously, which means that our imaginations may recognize elements of it, when presented in art or literature, without consciously understanding what it is that we recognize.— Northrop Frye, The Great Code
Brother Casey, with the political leadership we now have in
Washington, Alabama, Russia, etc,and with the threat of
war with North Korea, the words by P. F. Sloan-in the song
"Eve of Destruction” resonate today: “The eastern world it is explodin’ violence flarin’, bullets loadin’ You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’ You don’t believe in war, what’s that gun you’re totin’ And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’ But you tell me over and over and over again my friend Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction Don’t you understand, what I’m trying to say? Can’t you feel the fear that I’m feeling today? If the button is pushed, there’s no running away There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave Take a look around you, boy, it’s bound to scare you, boy”
Greetings Barry - you have eulogized well about the loss of memory, or rather the fear of that loss. And you are totally correct that it is something to fear more than blindness.
I’ve not read any of the authors you recall, nor heard little of the musicians, so perhaps my secluded upbringing and later exploration of things outside my homeland, has coloured my memory more. But memory is a wonderful thing, especially so when one’s heart could so easily be broken by tragedy. We remember the good about our parents, about our children, and as Augustine pictures so well, a warehouse (just like IKEA here in Oz) where one can be selective.
May we all dig a little deeper into what God would have us memorize, recall, digest, and share. In so doing, He will be glorified, and our vague, selective memories will one day be perfect - and there will be so much room for sharing our stories, and storing away the love of God, in the earth made new. Come the day!