Salt in the Pop (Culture) II March 14, 2008
Posted by Anya in : I won't keep things purposely vague , 2commentsI was thinking about the subject more (obviously) and a few more things came to mind. While I often do a lot of my thinking by writing about it, many ideas get “firmed up”, or at least somewhat straightened out and solidified through talking with other people about it. Chesterton wrote about this in Orthodoxy, saying, “In one sense, of course, all intelligent ideas are narrow.” In Heretics, he wrote,
The vice of the modern notion of mental progress is that it is always something concerned with the breaking of bonds, the effacing of boundaries, the casting away of dogmas. But if there be such a thing as mental growth, it must mean the growth into more and more definite convictions, into more and more dogmas. The human brain is a machine for coming to conclusions; if it cannot come to conclusions it is rusty. When we hear of a man too clever to believe, we are hearing of something having almost the character of a contradiction in terms. It is like hearing of a nail that was too good to hold down a carpet; or a bolt that was too strong to keep a door shut. Man can hardly be defined, after the fashion of Carlyle, as an animal who makes tools; ants and beavers and many other animals make tools, in the sense that they make an apparatus. Man can be defined as an animal that makes dogmas. As he piles doctrine on doctrine and conclusion on conclusion in the formation of some tremendous scheme of philosophy and religion, he is, in the only legitimate sense of which the expression is capable, becoming more and more human.
(The entire chapter — and, in fact, the entire books, to my great delight, can be found here: Heretics and Orthodoxy.)
But that is exactly what happens. Ideas become more firm, and I think that’s a good thing. I’ve been blessed with a lot of people who will discuss anything between them — I don’t talk about everything with all of them, although a few carry that burden have that privilege. From actual, real life talks in minivans on the way home from quizzes, to talking about sin and consequences at midnight on AIM, there have been so many conversations with people that have helped me think. Walking to and home from the mall with Mom is always a good time too. 
Much activity in the little grey cells; Poirot would be pleased, I’m sure.
But more importantly, I think that God is pleased. “Test everything,” wrote Paul. “Hold fast what is good.” (I Thessalonians 5:21) I’ve done a lot of testing. And a lot of conversations for other reasons.
The Gene Helsel reason: “Young men conversing on a bench in the park/ The Bible wide open throws a net in the dark/ The Master draws surely as the Gospel is read/ Calling men to Him as He said/ “Come and follow me and I/ Will make you become/ Fishers of men and/ Cast your nets and I will draw/ the nations of the world unto Myself”. I don’t always see where He’s throwing the net — but I do have the promise that
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
That reassures me that I don’t need to know what’s going on. Which is a good thing. Because quite a bit of the time, I don’t know what’s going on.
Another reason for the talking and talking is the Skillet reason:
I remember when we used to laugh about nothing at all
It was better than going mad
From trying to solve all the problems we’re going through
Forget ‘em all
Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall
Together we faced it all
Remember when we’d
Stay up late and we’d talk all night
In the dark room lit by the TV light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive…
I remember when we used to drive anywhere but here
As long as we’d forget our lives
We were so young and confused
That we didn’t know to laugh or cry
Those nights were ours
They will live and never die
Together we’d stand forever
Remember when we’d
Stay up late and we’d talk all night
In the dark room lit by the TV light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive…
While the whole song doesn’t apply very well to me (or what I’m talking about), some parts of it reminded me very much of conversations… especially last spring… didn’t know whether to laugh or cry… being young and confused. But being alright, staying alive… now I’m slipping into FFH’s song Watching Over Me…
And I’ll be alright
Safe inside
Stayin’ alive
As long as You are watching over me
Anyway, wow… I’ve really rambled here. But I realized that has been another major way I’ve been equipped for… everything. By talking about it with everyone. There is a lot to learn. There is a lot of iron sharpening iron — or, as Antion described it, wood being chiseled into something beautiful.
And it is good.
