It's been a brutal period at the office: worked until 8:00 Friday night, worked a few hours Saturday morning, brought work home with me, worked 90 minutes Sunday morning (a formerly-strict prohibition due to my desire to keep the Sabbath holy) and thirty minutes Sunday afternoon. On top of that, I had the kids all afternoon Friday and all day Saturday (my wife keeps going out of town), and I had to attend a party/meeting Saturday night. Remember Bobby Knight's advice about what to do when rape is inevitable? Well, that's kind of the way I felt.
So I just turned off. All the things I like to do (primarily, reading and writing) were tossed aside. And you know what? It wasn't bad. Someone once said it adds greatly to the leisure of life not to pick up a book every time you sit down. He's right. My ongoing study of political philosophy? Phsaw, I have to clean the house. That book about the saints? Screw it, I have to drink beer. B16's Jesus of Nazareth? Not when the kids are sleeping: that's my sleeping time.
Quite frankly, it was liberating. Mind damaging, yes, but liberating. I don't know how happy I could be pursuing such a life all the time, but it makes me wonder if my time spent with books (which is seriously about 1/4th of what it used to be) is poorly spent. I suspect it's a question of balance, but the balance is always elusive. I probably need a dose of Zen: just accept, just do. Whatever life deals you, play it, with no thought of your own plans or ideas. It's not bad advice (it dovetails well with St. Therese's Little Way), but awfully hard to apply consistently in one's life.
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Another weigh station on the way to the Strange Island of Dr. Moreau: Controversial legislation due to be debated by politicians this week sets out ways to allow test-tube babies to be created from the biological material from three parents.
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The end of email? Probably not, but this writer says (i) kids don't use email, and (ii) it'll have an impact on the work place, which will adapt to suit instant messaging and Face Book communication habits. Fortunately, new technology will meld all this stuff: email, IM, Face Book, etc.
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Mark Gauvreau Judge offers a beautiful Advent-themed reflection on Father Ed Dowling, S.J., who was a literal friend of Bill W. during the early years of Alcoholics Anonymous. I wish I knew the background. It's an odd little video.
