although in a few hours, it won't be pre-Christmas anymore.
Today, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for supper, and it was really, amazingly good. Mmm.... I'm so spoiled. I mean, I know grandmas as a whole are supposed to be good at that whole domestic/kitchen thing, but Grandma cooks really well.
And also we went to church for a Christmas Eve/communion service, which was pretty cool. They served communion in family groups, which was kinda nice. I don't know as communion has physically been reinforced as more than an individual thing in any other church I've attended.
Here's the sad news: Persephone has bitten the dust. She doesn't register anymore that her power cord is plugged in, and consequently her batteries never charge. So I'm going to have to get that fixed. In one way I'm glad she broke over break, when I don't have any vital papers on her or anything, but in another way I'm really frustrated, because she still has all my stories on her. And also, I still need to pay for books next semester, and I wasn't particularly counting computer repair charges into my budget. I know, that's obviously silly of me. I should always count on technology breaking, but Persephone has been so faithful for so long... and by "so long" I mean about a year and a half. Sigh.
Finished reading "That Hideous Strength" again this week, and I disagree with Lewis more every time I read it. He talks about obedience as a woman's lot in marriage, but forgive me, Lewis is NOT a woman, and I find it presumptive of him to preach at us about obedience in marriage from the point of view of one who could (in his philosophy) command. It's sort of like slave-owners teaching their slaves that Paul said they ought to be obedient and content with their lot in life, never seeking to be free. Not to that great of an extent, maybe, but there is a definite parallel. Don't get me wrong - there's definitely a lot of self-sacrifice and other-centeredness involved in marriage, but I think it doesn't fall under the category of "obedience." Maybe that's just me with my leftover Mennonite inheritance of social activism. Whatever it is, I know this: I would find it insufferable to marry or even date a man who claimed my obedience.
Now, it strikes me as funny that I declare this so firmly when there's no man at all on the horizon.
I feel that, since it's Christmas eve, I should post something Christmas-y, and not just rant about obedience and marriage and Lewis and technology. Mysterious packages have leapt up around our tree, but right now the lights are off and the house is quiet. Most of the family has gone to bed, mandating that they not be woken until nine. Avery's getting sick and running a fever, so he's not really filled with cheer (although he's not complaining either). There are three giant buckets of popcorn scattered around our kitchen, begging to be eaten. And yeah, I'll admit, the anticipation is getting to me a little. I hope everyone likes what I got them. And I hope I don't oversleep my alarm.
And also... I hope that my heart is in an acceptable state to greet the Christ-child.
Merry Christmas.
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6 comments:
I can't wait to see you in... three days!
I'm not sure I agree about Lewis. In theory, I do, but I find in practice that it's hard to disobey orders given to me (usually by Roy), for my own good (like, "It's 2am; go to bed NOW"). Of course, all these commands are given in love and for my benefit. Something like, "Get me my slippers and another beer, woman," would not go over well at all.
I hope Avery feels better soon. It would be miserable for him to be sick while Jon's there.
Remind me that I have stories (or rants) for you. About Roy (what else? I'm such a sap), about Jill (that one's a rant), about, oh, everything.
I miss you.
Merry almost-Christmas!
I would still prefer that, if my theoretical boyfriend wanted to influence me into doing something for my own benefit like going to bed at 2 am, he would phrase it in a question. Like, "Hey, it's getting late - should you go to bed?" Although heck, if I was besotted enough, I might even obey a direct order. I just feel like, well, it irks me a little when my parents give me orders, and I love them really a lot and get along with them well. So orders from a boyfriend would probably irk me as well.
Avery's feeling a lot better today - no temp and just a little stuffed-up-ness. I hope nobody else catches it now.
Stories!! Yay!!! = D Those I cannot wait for.
I respect C.S. Lewis a whole lot. Probably more than I do most Christian "artists". But, unless I'm mistaken, he was a bachelor until he was over 50. Not someone I would take relationship advice from.
Sorry to be offensive or whatever, but:
Lewis takes a stance that you disagree with. Totally fair.
However, to prove that you are right and he is wrong, you note the fact that he is male. Not so fair. Understandable, given the state of gender politics, but not fair.
Ahh, but he's being "presumptive." Yes. Just like all those people who preach against abortion although they've never been single and pregnant. Or who believe in turning the other cheek although they've never actually been smacked around themselves. I realize that many people MIGHT someday end up single and pregnant, or MIGHT get smacked around, but for some it becomes very unlikely. That doesn't mean that their opinions and beliefs are invalid, unfounded, undeserving of a hearing or even--and here's the important one--wrong.
Yeah, Lewis may be dead wrong on this. But attacking his right to have an opinion on the matter only weakens your argument.
Also, as a side note: Lewis himself was unmarried when he wrote "That Hideous Strength," so his position (if he's correct) would really be more like Paul telling slaves to submit to their masters than like those masters quoting Paul. Paul, remember, was never a slave and never likely to become one.
Ok... first of all, I can't believe I actually sparked a controversy! = )
Secondly, I wasn't trying to "prove" that I was right and Lewis was wrong. For that I fully realize I would need a ten page essay (at least) and that I might fail, considering that Lewis is - was - smarter than me and a professor and wrote a bunch of crap already proving what he beleived. I was just expressing my irritation with his book, and why.
Thirdly, I don't think it's presumptive of him as a male to state what he believes about marriage - everybody has that belief - but I DO find it presumptive for him to tell, from a female character's point of view, how this view of marriage is right. Perhaps I should have made that clear. I would never presume to tell a pregnant single mother's story from her point of view, using her internal voice to prove a point which is extremely controversial - especially if, say, I was someone who had gotten an unwed woman pregnant in the past.
You see the difference though? Fine, preach at me about obedience - but don't use my voice to do it. Maybe this is an example of me over-empathizing with the characters again, or perhaps it's just a display of my newfound irritation with "modern" writing. In any case, that's how it stands. Rebuttals welcome.
And as an aside about Lewis being unmarried when he wrote this... I incline to the view that it matters only slightly, as it would have been unlikely he would have used a different voice to prove his point in any case. And I object sort-of strongly to Matt's statement that just because he didn't get married until he was fifty he'd have lousy relationship advice. By all accounts he had a beautiful marriage with Joy, although it was rather hard and rather short.
Lewis majorly irks me on that point as well; and you all know how much of a fan I am! (Funny; we're reading That Hideous Strength out loud as a family after supper just now.) Just a point in his favor: remember the bit about Lucy not being supposed to fight when she's given the dagger in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Well, in The Horse and His Boy he has her fighting anyway with not a word to say against it. I think maybe he knew differently than he said.
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