Nov
30
Posted under
Uncategorized by Sarah
Casting their nets wider, the Renaissance thinkers concluded that the ancients had given worthwhile responses to many of the same issues as Christians and that they should not be dismissed simply because they were non-Christian.*
For a course I’m taking called Comparative Literature - From Homer to Picasso: Western Culture Across the Ages, I’m currently reading about the period in history known as the Renaissance. My textbook is dry reading, but when I apply my brain, with the help of some note-taking, music, coffee, and candles, I do usually learn something.
It just occurred to me, while reading a section titled “Thought and Philosophy” of the Early Renaissance, that I am in the Renaissance period of my life.
As most of my readers know, I was raised in a conservative Christian home, which later became less conservative, but never quite liberal, and definitely not secular. As foundational as it is to have solid moral values, I feel that I missed out on the chance to understand the moral code that I was expected to follow, or its importance. I was ignorant of the alternative, other than a sort of sense of fear of what was other than our lifestyle.
“The world” was generally condemned as inherently and uniformly evil, because it wouldn’t fit inside the doors of the church. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the ignorant like I was, there were many dark, seeping cracks in the would-be fortress walls, letting in all varieties of secret sin and evil, that were in reality the uglier for their secret nature.
I couldn’t help believing that there must be a better way of establishing and reinforcing a moral code than with fear and secrecy. So much was this opinion reinforced through almost every interaction with the institution called church that I had to leave it! And so began my personal renaissance.
Renaissance: rebirth, revival
None of this is new to those who have followed this site for a few years, but I guess when I came across the passage I quoted above, I realized that this thing I’m doing with my life is not a new concept, but rather an ancient one. I’m finding that people have questioned philosophy and religion and humanity since the beginning of time, and I believe that it is only through doubting and asking and searching that truth can hit home.
Also, I wonder if there can ever be a universal belief system, or if we all must go through our own periods of renaissance and learn to love and respect and accept each other despite our differences. Certainly I was not taught that in the church, though “love your neighbour” was a much-repeated motto.
I am finding that the world is teaching me some valuable lessons that I didn’t have the capacity to learn while in the Christian bubble of my former life, though I am eternally grateful for the moral foundation it gave me. Now to continue sifting through all of the fragments of beliefs and ideas to see which are necessary and which aren’t. For me, that is.
And I continue to cast my nets wider!
*Matthews, Roy T., and F. Dewitt Platt. The Western Humanities. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Nov
25
Posted under
Uncategorized by Sarah
A Transparent Life caught up with Sarah today, and begged and pleaded with her to pretty please give our readers an update about the impressive Mystery Man she told us about five weeks ago. Here’s how our chat went:
ATL: Wow, Sarah, we hardly see you these days! Life must be keeping you busy!
Sarah: Busy enough that we had to do this interview at 12:30 AM, so, yeah!
ATL: Thanks for taking the time!
Sarah: You know me–for a good story, anytime!
ATL: So. We know that there are lots of things happening in your life; between starting university this fall while supporting yourself at the same time; not to mention performing with your very talented band, Fourth Avenue; life is packed. But there’s one particular scoop we’re all hoping for: what’s going on with the mystery guy you went out with last month? Is there anything going on, I guess I should ask, first of all?
Sarah: (laughs) Yes, yes, there IS something going on!
ATL: Oooh, that’s exciting! So you’ve gone out again since then, I assume.
Sarah: Hmm. Yes. Definitely yes. (smiles)
ATL: (laughs) Such certainty! So you’ve gone out one more time? More than once?
Sarah: More than once. In fact, a definite several times, ATL.
ATL: Not once, not twice, but several, eh?
Sarah: It’s true: there are witnesses.
ATL: I’m not going to ask where you’ve gone with this guy, but have you done some fun stuff?
Sarah: If movies and dinner and stargazing and Cirque du Soleil count, then yeah, it’s been fun stuff!
ATL: Wow! Very fun!
Sarah: I know, right? We have no lack of ideas of fun things to do.
ATL: So it’s “we” then, is it?
Sarah: Very clever, ATL. Is your boss reading this? You should get a raise! But, your journalistic prowess won’t work on me. Not today, anyway.
ATL: Thanks for the professional nod, Sarah, but apparently you’ve underestimated me if you think A Transparent Life is gonna let you get off with kissing up and dodging the question! I’ve got my readers to think about, after all, and they are nothing short of nosy, even sometimes downright clamorous for story details. I can’t call this a scoop if there’s nothing juicy about it, now, can I?
Sarah: (laughs) I will agree that the more juicy the story, the better, but I’m honestly not quite ready to hop into the cider press for the public just yet.
ATL: That’s it, then? That’s all you’ve got?
Sarah: Okay, fine, I’ll give you something. One little tidbit.
ATL: Bated breath, Sarah. Bated breath!
Sarah: Here it is, the tidbit: things are going really well!
ATL: Break it down for us. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being very unlikely to continue to go well, and 10 being highly likely to continue to go well, where does your “really well” fall?
Sarah: Man, you don’t give an inch, do you? On that scale, I’d say my “really well” would appear at…. Hmm. Nope, I just can’t do it. But I will say that I’m really happy with the way things are going, and that I don’t see any reason why I’d be unhappy.
ATL: How about his name? Will you make me beg for that, too?
Sarah: All in due time, ATL, all in due time. I told him I was doing this interview, though, and he said that there was a detail I left off of the original post, which isn’t technically true because I didn’t know this about him until I got to meet her a few days later, but he has a sweet blue 1969 Chevrolet Corvair (that’s a car, ladies), that he fixed up and made shine.
ATL: Um…. alrighty then! Not exactly the juice we were wishing for, but cool! We’ll take it! If–! If you promise me another interview when you feel like making cider. (laughs) Are you up for it?
Sarah: Definitely yes, ATL. With certainty.
