Thursday, April 20, 2006

Instant history

Rolling Stone Mag: Bush 'worst president in history?'

It's a symptom of our "instant gratification culture" that we think we can judge what the future will think of us. I don't think that we will be able to judge anything happening now in terms of the history of the country or the world until ... well, until it's history. That's just the nature of it.

I think that it's interesting how we always see ourselves as the most important thing ever. Yes, our situation is important, but in the long run what really matters? GOD(!) and our relationship to Him.

2 comments:

C.Berg said...

Ahh, but some are correct in assuming that history will remember them: Napoleon Bonaparte, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Mozart, etc. I agree with you in principle: human beings are enormously self-centered. Perception is our definitive mode of understanding, and perception is an individualized social action. I see the world through my eyes: do they perceive the color wavelengths that we label "red" in the same way as yours? I can never know this. We're self-centered, but cannot be truly solipsistic or relativist, which requires a complete separation from outside social constructions, including language. It's an interesting surface paradox, no?
Anyway, I enjoyed your blog, but saw no comments, so I thought I'd leave one: you deserve it. New priests are very difficult to come by: in an age of instant self-gratification, the sacrifices that go along with priesthood appear impossible. I had considered it myself, but then I fell in love and got married. Good luck to you.

father michael said...

Thanks for the extremely well-said comment. I think my point was that things that appear extremely important now gradually fade in significance.

Also, there must be some basic reality there if we are able to understand each other. If everything is just our perception, then nothing's real.