Monday

Miscellaneous Rambling

Ah, one of nature's great gifts is unfolding: the Indian Summer. We had a freeze Saturday night, followed with gorgeous weather on Sunday and a gorgeous forecast for the next ten days. It's definitely my favorite time of the year, weather-wise. * * * * * * * Interesting essay at the Imaginative Conservative: Irving Babbitt and the Buddha. I can't say I know much about Babbitt, other than that Sinclair Lewis hated him (hence the name of his anti-hero in Babbitt), and Lewis was a progressive and alcoholic and terrible husband/father, so that gives me reason enough to like Babbitt. I remember long ago, however, concluding that his New Humanism was a terrible idea since it was a secular attempt to instill virtue without God. * * * * * * * Fun little piece: Ayn Rand Really, Really Hated C.S. Lewis: "Rand was no fan of C.S. Lewis. She called the famous apologist an 'abysmal bastard,' a 'monstrosity,' a 'cheap, awful, miserable, touchy, social-meta­physical mediocrity,' a 'pickpocket of concepts,' and a 'God-damn, beaten mystic.' (I suspect Lewis would have particularly relished the last of these.)" * * * * * * * Even though I agree with most things Rand says about the role of the free market and the corruption wrought by big government, she is an embarrassment. I find her prose tiresome and her personality appalling. * * * * * * * Last year, I was working with a group of community leaders in the county. As part of the process, I had to talk with a German woman in Grand Rapids about economic development. I later told the community leads that, though she was a little bit helpful, it was somewhat painful and described her as "Ayn Rand without the charm." They immediately "got" the joke. * * * * * * * While surfing yesterday, I discovered a book by Russell Kirk that I didn't even know existed: America's British Culture. I thought that, not only did I know of every Russell Kirk book, I thought I owned them all. Apparently not.