On Faith (1)

January 20, 2016

Dear Andrea,

I’m glad we have a restarting point. The last post was more than 1&1/2 years ago? Not to sound clichéd but, damn, where did the time go? As busy as you get, we can always make some time to keep this project going. I say you because I have much more time than you (since I am RETIRED). You juggle a job, actively compose, and create inroads in your writing. You and Christine are raising two boys who are absolute joys and add years to our lives. All at the same time packing up and moving to Minnesota. Don’t feel remiss if the entries are not as frequent as you might want. Let’s not add another responsibility on ourselves but rather just take the opportunity whenever it comes. Let’s take quality over quantity. (“What do you want, speed or accuracy?”)

You wrote in an earlier entry that you were on a news fast for months. I’ve been going through the same. I haven’t been watching or listening to news for many months. I am aware of what’s going on to a point but I have to admit I’ve gotten tired of all the noise. It’s always the same theme and variations. I now have found three local classical music radio stations that have good reception and they are what I listen to while driving. Two of them have no ads and do not broadcast news on the hour, half hour, on the eights or elevens or what have you. One of the stations has live streaming. No noise, just serenity. Mom says I’ve rediscovered my first love, classical music. In actuality I feel about classical music as I always have, but now I can listen to a Beethoven sonata without unknowingly going 20 miles over the speed limit at the allegro movement.

You said that faith to you is what we know without really knowing it. I believe it’s a gut feeling about something that you know or believe is true. You also said that we seek ways to confirm the ideas we have put our faith in. I agree with all of that but I would like to add one thing that has been important to me. Someone once said that in any group there will be someone that is as bright as or brighter than you equally well educated who has views that are 180 degrees opposite yours. Whatever I know to be true for me that comes from faith or opinion there is the possibility I might be wrong to some degree or totally wrong for that matter.

You stated some issues that set you on fire and we can certainly address those things. What I would like to share with you first is the overall feeling I get from your post. It saddens me to a degree in the sense that you are taking on more than one person can. When you say your sense of human greed, recklessness and shortsightedness there doesn’t seem to be any room for the good. Agreed there are greedy, reckless and shortsighted people. These are traits that are in many of us. That has always been and always will be. The burden of humanness does not rest on you alone. You are not responsible for the worlds’ ills because of birth.

I think for now I am going to listen to Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor. No noise, just serenity.