Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Abolition of Man & My Book List

Eric & Jack reading 'Encyclopedia Brown'.


Reading. One of those pesky good habits I'm trying to instill in my children.
So I realized I've been reading, but not exactly what I had included in my intentional book list.
So while packing a rather inordinate amount of books collecting dust around my house, I pulled out some good reads.
The Abolition of Man is a truly insightful & relative book to what is consuming my world right now. Wow. I must say. Classical education supported in an essay 'Men without Chests.'
'We make men without chests and expect virtue & enterprise. We laugh at honour & are shocked to find a traitor in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.'
It took me forever to get through the first few pages, put it down several times, but can't wait to finish this book. Like most C.S. Lewis, I have to chew a bit before I can really digest his brilliance.
Working on our mortgage (french word for 'death note'). But I don't feel like that. I am so excited about our new home. The boys call it 'our house'. I've picked out some carpet. Actually the carpet I had in our previous home as a bound rug. And a great teal blue-ish color for the kitchen. I've counted 18 knobs & 7 drawer pulls to be replace in the kitchen (changing to black from brass, and that's that. No big re-do yet. Just fresh paint & carpet. And that's alot.
So. Excited.
I also ran across my copy of Tisha. Beautiful true, love & life story. A young girl goes to Alaska in the 20's and begins teaching in a small school in a town called Chicken. Beautiful.
I find it interesting in reading both of these books, I am more assured in our decision to direct our children to Truth, in our deliberate efforts to teach what we believe is worth learning. His essay 'Men without Chests' describes how we expect child who grows up to be able to love that which is good when we don't give them clearn guidelines to what is really truth, goodness, purity, virtuous. When there is no Objective Truth, and only relativism disaster will follow.
Don't be discouraged to pick up 'Abolition'. I couldn't follow the first few pages, then I began to devour it.



~I also picked up finally after waiting & waiting for my copy at the library -- Amusing Ourselves to Death. It reminds me of The Plug-in Drug. Both of these books are in their anniversary publication after 20 years. 'Amusing Ourselves' was prefaced by his son and is well-done. I'm already hooked. We are so quick to settle on that which is only a glimpse, and often 'junk' to spend our days and nights thinking about. We must (a part of object truth, being able to use the word 'must') be deliberate in our efforts to refine in light of God's creation & Truth and only make the best, that with which we are familiar.

1 comment:

Annesta said...

You inspire me.
:)

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