Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[David Alan Beck <dabeck AT iupui.edu>]

Of course there is such a school of thought. That school thought is found,
among others, in Percy. What about Tom More trying to get his "practice"
on track, going to mass, etc. (or before, when he and his daughter went
together to church on Sunday morning)? Or Will Barrett trying to make
Jamie's last days better, etc.? 
 I guess I'm not seeing the negativity that you are seeing in this thread.
Of course there are two sides to the coin. While, for some (myself
included,), we live in a world (or a country) where we are somewhat
spiritually numb (probably due to the endless choices of "spirituality"
that are out there). But the beauty of existence is found in just what you
said: the everyday person, getting up, facing another day, and pushing on.
The belief that each day might be the day that we discover more of the
mystery of existence in each person we meet, each living plant we see,
each living thing "both great and small". To approach the world like
Robinson Crusoe on a strange island or Binx Bolling noticing the man
leaving church with ashes on his forehead, that what it's all about, isn't
it? Searching and looking for signs of live (and they are out there!).
 I don't think any "school of thought" is worth anything if it doesn't
include the other side of the coin. That's why I'm drawn to Percy, Marcel,
Levinas, and Bakhtin. Each encounter we have has the potential of being a
life-changing experience. In fact, maybe each encounter is a live-changing
experience but we fail to notice because of our hurries and worries.

 (Sorry for the sermon!--and all of the fragments.)



On Thu, 5 Dec 2002, Jim Wesson wrote:

> 
>  i wonder if there is a school of thought that says
> that even though many terrible things happened last
> century,there were also more good things that happened
> than ever before.i mean, how can you not bring into
> account all the millions of people who go to work
> every day and in their small(or large) way make the
> world a little better? and they are everywhere!
> peace,
>    jim 
> 
> 
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David Beck

"Eternity is in the present. Eternity is in
the palm of the hand. Eternity is a seed of
fire, whose sudden roots break barriers that
keep my heart from being an abyss."                          
                      - Thomas Merton