Wednesday, September 06, 2006
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
I read a book a couple of weeks ago, on the recommendation of Michael. It was "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera. This was the first Kundera novel I had read, and I really liked it. The underlying theme of the novel, and where the title comes from, has been rolling around in my head since I read it. So, I came back to reread the beginning of it and thought that I would share a little of it.
"But is heaviness truly deplorable and lightness splendid?
The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in the love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfilment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become.
Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into the heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant.
What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?
Parmenides posed this very question in the sixth century before Christ. He saw the world divided into pairs of opposites: light/darkness, fineness/coarseness, warmth/cold, being/non-being. One half of the opposition he called positive (light, fineness, warmth, being), the other negative. We might find this division into positive and negative poles childishly simple except for one difficulty: which one is positive, weight or lightness?
Parmenides responded: lightness is positive, weight negative.
Was he correct or not? That is the question. The only certainty is: the lightness/weight opposition is the most mysterious, most ambiguous of all."
I think that this is an interesting question. Lightness vs. weight. I don't actually have any insights, I've just been thinking about this. So, if anyone has any thoughts, I'd be curious to hear them
"But is heaviness truly deplorable and lightness splendid?
The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in the love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfilment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become.
Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into the heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant.
What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?
Parmenides posed this very question in the sixth century before Christ. He saw the world divided into pairs of opposites: light/darkness, fineness/coarseness, warmth/cold, being/non-being. One half of the opposition he called positive (light, fineness, warmth, being), the other negative. We might find this division into positive and negative poles childishly simple except for one difficulty: which one is positive, weight or lightness?
Parmenides responded: lightness is positive, weight negative.
Was he correct or not? That is the question. The only certainty is: the lightness/weight opposition is the most mysterious, most ambiguous of all."
I think that this is an interesting question. Lightness vs. weight. I don't actually have any insights, I've just been thinking about this. So, if anyone has any thoughts, I'd be curious to hear them
# posted by Julie : 5:14 PM
Comments:
<< Home
I know in my own experience during the darkest moments in my life I searched for God and truth like I never had before. During my most depsperate and heaviest days, I looked for Jesus to see me through, and He met me in my darkness. He came to me when I cried out for Him and in my weakness He became strong in me.
I was saved as a young child. I have always known Jesus as my saviour, but it wasn't until my days of deep depression that I realized how I needed Him to be Lord over my life. I needed Him to take control of everything in me and lead me daily in every situation. It was my heaviest days that brought me closer to my Lord....and if I never had experienced such heaviness I probably would have never searched for my God in a deeper manner. I would have gone on with my life without realizing I didn't really "know" Jesus in His fullnes and in return He would not "know" me. I know now that He is strong when I am weak. He is rich when I am poor. He is health when I am sick.
The bible says that many will come in His name and say "Lord, Lord, I cast out devils and healed the sick. I prophesied and preached. I did all this in your name." and Jesus will reply "I never knew you."
I believe until a certain point I didn't know Him personally. He was a mere acquaintance that I said hello to every once in awhile. Now, after a long hard road of trials and tribulations I know Jesus intimately and I recognize His voice in me. I have more clarity of mind than I ever have had before and I recognize truth when I see it or read it.
So in the end to answer your question...I am thankful for heaviness. It isn't a mystery to me any more. Heaviness saved me and brought me closer to my Lord. Heaviness built character patience, and perserverance in me. Jesus was in that heaviness and gave me victory in the end. To Him is all the glory and honor forever and ever amen.
God never promised a smooth and easy road. He said there will be trials by fire and tribulation will come. There will be storms that come and threaten our very foundation that we have built our houses on. His promise is that if we cry out to Him with ALL of our hearts He will hear us and save us. He uses our most desperate situations in life to crucify the "old" man and form the "new". I am truly born again. I rejoice and give thanks in all things. In lightness and in darkness. In sickness and in health. In the heavy and the light I will worship Him.
That's my take on it!
God Bless You and take care.
Cami
Post a Comment
I was saved as a young child. I have always known Jesus as my saviour, but it wasn't until my days of deep depression that I realized how I needed Him to be Lord over my life. I needed Him to take control of everything in me and lead me daily in every situation. It was my heaviest days that brought me closer to my Lord....and if I never had experienced such heaviness I probably would have never searched for my God in a deeper manner. I would have gone on with my life without realizing I didn't really "know" Jesus in His fullnes and in return He would not "know" me. I know now that He is strong when I am weak. He is rich when I am poor. He is health when I am sick.
The bible says that many will come in His name and say "Lord, Lord, I cast out devils and healed the sick. I prophesied and preached. I did all this in your name." and Jesus will reply "I never knew you."
I believe until a certain point I didn't know Him personally. He was a mere acquaintance that I said hello to every once in awhile. Now, after a long hard road of trials and tribulations I know Jesus intimately and I recognize His voice in me. I have more clarity of mind than I ever have had before and I recognize truth when I see it or read it.
So in the end to answer your question...I am thankful for heaviness. It isn't a mystery to me any more. Heaviness saved me and brought me closer to my Lord. Heaviness built character patience, and perserverance in me. Jesus was in that heaviness and gave me victory in the end. To Him is all the glory and honor forever and ever amen.
God never promised a smooth and easy road. He said there will be trials by fire and tribulation will come. There will be storms that come and threaten our very foundation that we have built our houses on. His promise is that if we cry out to Him with ALL of our hearts He will hear us and save us. He uses our most desperate situations in life to crucify the "old" man and form the "new". I am truly born again. I rejoice and give thanks in all things. In lightness and in darkness. In sickness and in health. In the heavy and the light I will worship Him.
That's my take on it!
God Bless You and take care.
Cami
# posted by 
: 9:51 PM
: 9:51 PMSubscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]