Tag: Third Way

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Cynicism and trust

While cynicism is no less reasonable than trust, the latter is much more enjoyable and life affirming.

Thus Jo Carruthers in a review of Javier Marías’s novel The Infatuations. While it seems obvious to me that trust is always the better option and is indeed more life-affirming than fear or cynicism, I love the idea that it is also more enjoyable. I had never looked at it from that angle, I suppose, but it’s true.

The review, which appeared in Third Way, June 2013, has also whetted my appetite for the novel, which is said to explore existential questions of life, death, love and morality. It looks a fascinating read.

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Nature deficit disorder

‘Nature deficit disorder’ – I rather liked that phrase, which I came across in an interesting article on Forest Church by Bruce Stanley in Third Way, June 2013 (see also http://www.mysticchrist.co.uk/forest_church). I was also struck by these words:

We’d rather be on the mountains thinking about God, than in Church thinking about the mountains.

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A poor life

A poor life is this, if full of care
we have no time to stand or stare.

W. H. Davies, ‘Leisure’, as quoted by Clare Bryden in Third Way, June 2013.

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Infallibility

In the wake of the Pope’s retirement, we have a brief interlude where no human being is claiming infallibility outside of North Korea and psychiatric institutions.

I saw this in Third Way’s regular ‘Agnostics Anonymous’ column. And yes, as the reference to the Pope indicates, I am still behind in my reading. This quote is from the April 2013 issue.

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The sixteen most scandalous charges

Another review from Third Way Jan./Feb. 2013. This time by Nick Spencer, who discusses Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began, which tells the story of a Renaissance bibliophile. I’m not sure that I’m that interested in the book, but the concluding lines of Spencer’s review really made me laugh. Here they are:

the book’s line on the charges read against Pope John XXIII at Council of Constance is worth its cover price alone: ‘Fearing their effect on public opinion, the council decided to suppress the sixteen most scandalous charges – never subsequently revealed – and accused the pontiff of simony, sodomy, rape, incest, torture, and murder.’

Now, what else could he have possibly done?

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How to think more about sex

A little while ago, I mentioned having come across the notion that men think about sex every seven seconds but couldn’t remember where I had read it. Now I know. I must have dipped into the Third Way issue of Jan./Feb. 2013. It’s Simon Jenkins who brings this up in a review of Alain de Botton’s How to Think More About Sex. Looks like de Botton’s book is set to address this lamentable shortfall, urging us to give a bit more thought to sex. I have to get hold of that book. Quickly!

Seriously, though, I do agree with Jenkins’ comment that we tend not to ‘give enough quality reflection to this fundamental human drive’. So, yes, I really will make sure to get a copy of How to Think More About Sex.