Her angel's will
I was particularly touched today when one of my literature tutors gave me her own copy of C.S. Lewis: Heroes of the Faith. She said it’s to inspire me to continue pursuing my dream, and I must commend her choice: C.S Lewis was himself an atheist for the first half of his life, and a professor/scholar in literature for much of both halves.
I guess it’s high time I found myself a more personal role model. Wilde couldn’t be because, with all due respect, he was a dandy-gay, and even if he wasn’t his impact on me is not revolutionary in nature: with or without him I would still be someone who lives quite for pleasure and aesthetics. He merely reinforced my values, not introduce new ones. To be fair though, he has my utmost respect for being a tremendously funny guy. I couldn’t take any of the romantic poets either because I prefer seeing them as a collective whole, and I just don’t know larkin, hughes or auden, or any others, well enough to establish a personal connection with them. So I guess, Mr Lewis, it’s just you and me. (I will never fraternize with Christianity though!)
Well anyway, I flipped through the book on my trip home (the book is actually quite short and accessible, and 5 bus trips should do the job. Im not very given to reading on the bus though; daydreaming is more productive), and caught a particular stanza which I would, for some particular reason, now modify.
Yet what are endless times we share
If still my narrow self be there
And hope and fail and struggle still,
And break my will against her angel’s will?
--Adapted from C.S Lewis
Elsewhere, I just got this off a forwarded email. It’s by C.S Lewis too:
Our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind)which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite ofwhich we love the sinner - no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.
I like this fellow already.
And we will go a long, long way together.
I guess it’s high time I found myself a more personal role model. Wilde couldn’t be because, with all due respect, he was a dandy-gay, and even if he wasn’t his impact on me is not revolutionary in nature: with or without him I would still be someone who lives quite for pleasure and aesthetics. He merely reinforced my values, not introduce new ones. To be fair though, he has my utmost respect for being a tremendously funny guy. I couldn’t take any of the romantic poets either because I prefer seeing them as a collective whole, and I just don’t know larkin, hughes or auden, or any others, well enough to establish a personal connection with them. So I guess, Mr Lewis, it’s just you and me. (I will never fraternize with Christianity though!)
Well anyway, I flipped through the book on my trip home (the book is actually quite short and accessible, and 5 bus trips should do the job. Im not very given to reading on the bus though; daydreaming is more productive), and caught a particular stanza which I would, for some particular reason, now modify.
Yet what are endless times we share
If still my narrow self be there
And hope and fail and struggle still,
And break my will against her angel’s will?
--Adapted from C.S Lewis
Elsewhere, I just got this off a forwarded email. It’s by C.S Lewis too:
Our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind)which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite ofwhich we love the sinner - no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.
I like this fellow already.
And we will go a long, long way together.
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