Whitsunday 11 June 2000

Pic of the day: Heavenly light.

The ghost is ready

... but the meat is of poor quality. Or as the saying went before a couple of translations: The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Pentecost is sometimes called "the birthday of the Church". I can see why some people think that should call for mourning, rather than celebrating. Inquisition, witch hunt, burning heretics and books ... the list of atrocities commited in the name of God is possibly second only to communism and perhaps nazism, if we consider that the churches had more than a millenium rather than a generation to commit them all. Well, the Huns and the Mongol Horde were pretty tough on the civilians, too. But then again, they did not quite preach mercy and forgiveness, either.

To this very day, there are strange things going on at the foot of the cross. Occasionally we hear of children who are beaten blue and yellow for not adhering strictly to God's innumerable commandments (and the extensions added by later generations). And there's the occasional priest getting frisky with the choir boys, stuff like that. Almost two millenia later, the meat has certainly not improved.

But the good news is that the Ghost is still ready. And for every overfed preacher, there's a number of nuns in the slum and unassuming Salvation Army footmen helping the same clientele that Jesus used to hang out with. More or less. I really believe there is a spiritual reality, and that it influences what happens on Earth. Albeit rarely through the sound of angel wings. Rather by the willing spirits of common, weak-fleshed humans.

***

On a different and rather secular note, I rewrote the first 8 small chapters of the attempted novel, Gwalawala. Now all events in the dreamworld are in the present, and all in the waking world are in the past. But it still does not taste quite right. I wonder if I should write it all in the present tense, except for the occasional memory? On the other hand, It's not like I'm in the habit of finishing these things. Still, given life and limbs, I will try to take it a bit further than this. I already have the end pretty clear in my mind.

I've written and deleted ca 2 entries. The flesh and the spirit are quarreling rather loudly in my head. And my hands and feet have been tingling, though not all of the time. Usually they only do that when I drink coffee, but large amounts of chocolate or hyperventilation can do that too. There may be other factors that I am not aware of.

That's it from Chaos Node today. Have a blessed day!