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I came across a recent article with Camille Paglia that affirms the same conclusion as Jonah Goldberg did in his stellar book: we need to feel our way back to go forward! Paglia says, “From my perspective as an atheist as well as a career college teacher, secular humanism has been a disastrous failure. Too many young people raised in affluent liberal homes are arriving at elite colleges and universities with skittish, unformed personalities and shockingly narrow views of human existence, confined to inflammatory and divisive identity politics. … I contend that every educated person should be conversant with the sacred texts, rituals, and symbol systems of the great world religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Judeo-Christianity, and Islam — and that true global understanding is impossible without such knowledge. Not least, the juxtaposition of historically evolving spiritual codes tutors the young in ethical reasoning and the creation of meaning. Right now, the campus religion remains nihilist, meaning-destroying post-structuralism, whose pilfering god, the one-note Foucault, had near-zero scholarly knowledge of anything before or beyond the European Enlightenment. (His sparse writing on classical antiquity is risible.) Out with the false idols and in with the true!” (emphasis mine)
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I would add that comparative religious study would not go far enough. It does nothing in regards to Godlessness and decadence. We need to go deep, along with the breadth. And that means honing in on a path with intellectual rigor and open hearted imagination. As well as augmenting it with spiritual practices that would align one’s disposition with one’s belief. Good Metaphysics + Deep Mysticism = Reason + Faith = Truth + Beauty => Virtue + Love.
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As the year ends, I also want to note some favorite cultural artifacts. I really like these songs from Middle Kids, Mitski, Beirut, and Wye Oak. They are delightful to my ears.I have also been augmenting my interest in indie music with an attempt to cultivate more knowledge around classical music. This podcast from Dacia Clay has been quite helpful.
In regards to film, this year has been less stellar than prior ones. First Reformed sticks with me because I got to see it at the Boston IFFB with director Paul Schrader in-house. It's also a compelling meditation on the roads that faith can make us rise and fall.
Roma is a masterpiece! It is a beautiful experience to see in a theater despite the Netflix release. My favorite film in quite some time.
I finally saw the classic It's a Wonderful Life. Shame on me.
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On the matter of gratitude, I have many things that come to heart: some of the thoughtful people on the “intellectual dark web”, the eternal presence of Joe and Bobo, David Thomas, the friends in my life that endure with their passions, the mistakes I make, the God-man that still affects us 2,000+ years later, Gagdad Bob, the online Bishop, my landlord, the lady who laughs and loves, Journey Home, the people who I see on the streets who God loves through me, the comedy of it all and those who nail it, film buffs, Jonesy Jukebox, Fulton Sheen, Ric Drasin, Brother David, meditations with Amy, Jeff, and John, the stars away from the city, the books that continue to inspire me, what remains when I go.