Phyllis, Jon, Edwina, John, List, *O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!* *Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,* *und freudenvollere.*
*Oh friends, not these sounds!* *Let us instead strike up more pleasing **and more joyful ones!* *Choral Symphony: The words above are Beethoven's; they introduce Schiller's' 'Ode to Joy' which Beethoven sets in the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. GR* We are skin and bones *and* the life of God within us. Even lives that feel relentlessly ordinary or hopelessly broken are vessels of divine purpose. We are embraced, elevated and dignified by God’s astounding humility. This should be a source of hope. I am not speaking here of optimism, which is more like a genetic gift than the foundation of a life. Some of us, in contrast, have the genetic affliction of depression, which can bathe life’s wonders in dirty dishwater, making our days appear gray and two-dimensional. Depression tries to convince us that hope itself is a fiction. Sometimes the only comfort lies in knowing your mind is a vicious liar and in managing to endure another day. But when we are thinking clearly, most of us can recall glimpses of purpose, beauty and glory in our lives. In the overwhelming calm and joy of holding our child close. In the majesty and marvelous internal order of nature. In art or music that touches our deepest being. In the undeserved, sacrificial love of a friend. And maybe, if we are silent and open, in the sense that a benign God is speaking to us in the seemingly random events of our lives. Michael Gerson <https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/michael-gerson/> (an excerpt from his essay in The Washington Post, December 24, 2020 Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost <https://www.writersalmanac.org/index.html%3Fp=209.html> O Star (the fairest one in sight), We grant your loftiness the right To some obscurity of cloud— It will not do to say of night, Since dark is what brings out your light. Some mystery becomes the proud. But to be wholly taciturn In your reserve is not allowed. Say something to us we can learn By heart and when alone repeat. Say something! And it says, ‘I burn.’ But say with what degree of heat. Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade. Use language we can comprehend. Tell us what elements you blend. It gives us strangely little aid, But does tell something in the end. And steadfast as Keats’ Eremite, Not even stooping from its sphere, It asks a little of us here. It asks of us a certain height, So when at times the mob is swayed To carry praise or blame too far, We may choose something like a star To stay our minds on and be staid “Choose Something Like a Star” by Robert Frost from *Collected Poems, Prose & Plays*. © The Library of America, 1995 For Randall Thompson's moving choral setting of this poem see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dg2iE2ixeE With best wishes for all, Gary R “Let everything happen to you Beauty and terror Just keep going No feeling is final” ― Rainer Maria Rilke *Gary Richmond* *Philosophy and Critical Thinking* *Communication Studies* *LaGuardia College of the City University of New York* On Sat, Sep 11, 2021 at 12:53 AM sowa @bestweb.net <s...@bestweb.net> wrote: > Jon AS,List, > > The "musings" in the NA are so vague that they don't imply anything more > than the existence of something that affects the ways of thinking of all or > nearly all populations around the world. Whatever they call it, it's a > very important Ens necessarium,. Beyond that, the NA doesn't say anything > specific. Whatever commonalities may occur among the beliefs of the > nations along the Silk Road can be attributed to wandering gurus. > > JFS: In the beginning (en arche) was the Logos, and the Logos was with > God, and God was the Logos. That is the only definition of God in the New > Testament. > > JAS: On the contrary, it is by no means the only definition of God in the > New Testament, or even in the writings of John the Evangelist. For example, > "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24); "God is light" (1 John 1:5); "God is love" > (1 John 4:8&16).I > > Since the words 'spirit', 'light', and 'love' have very different > definitions in Greek and other languages, the word 'is' cannot be > interpreted as equality. It' s unclear how John intended those sentences > to be interpreted. The fact that Peirce happened to mention his fondness > for John's gospel does not provide any evidence for how he interpreted any > parts of it. > > For any claims about what Peirce believed, please give exact quotations. > > John > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > ► PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON > PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to > peirce-L@list.iupui.edu . > ► To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message NOT to PEIRCE-L but to > l...@list.iupui.edu with UNSUBSCRIBE PEIRCE-L in the SUBJECT LINE of the > message and nothing in the body. More at > https://list.iupui.edu/sympa/help/user-signoff.html . > ► PEIRCE-L is owned by THE PEIRCE GROUP; moderated by Gary Richmond; and > co-managed by him and Ben Udell. >
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ► PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to peirce-L@list.iupui.edu . ► To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message NOT to PEIRCE-L but to l...@list.iupui.edu with UNSUBSCRIBE PEIRCE-L in the SUBJECT LINE of the message and nothing in the body. More at https://list.iupui.edu/sympa/help/user-signoff.html . ► PEIRCE-L is owned by THE PEIRCE GROUP; moderated by Gary Richmond; and co-managed by him and Ben Udell.
