The source of our problems: You've heard of blaming it all on television, especially when Elvis danced on Ed Sullivan. Or on Prohibition or the Reformation or the Edict of Constantine. Well I have found one who blames it on the Earl of Shaftesbury (1621-83), that well-known apostle of sentimentalism, which I define as the mood that makes one unable to understand a news story without "human interest" thrown in.
As I age, I find myself taking on a softer approach to all thing philosophical and theological. The absolutist of my youth (driven, to a large extent by certain relatives and acquaintances in the priesthood) gradually became a moderate Catholic. Always aware that Catholicism in not a cafeteria, I still find myself dismissing those aspects which seem 'societal' as opposed to 'dogmatic.' That said, emotionalism is a nice tool for the authors of fiction, for artists, and fabulists. But the old rules of logic and theology still fester in me, and I'm an advocate of REALISM, of objectivism, and things that are fact based. At 75, I'm guessing it's a bit too late to start reinventing myself.
As I age, I find myself taking on a softer approach to all thing philosophical and theological. The absolutist of my youth (driven, to a large extent by certain relatives and acquaintances in the priesthood) gradually became a moderate Catholic. Always aware that Catholicism in not a cafeteria, I still find myself dismissing those aspects which seem 'societal' as opposed to 'dogmatic.' That said, emotionalism is a nice tool for the authors of fiction, for artists, and fabulists. But the old rules of logic and theology still fester in me, and I'm an advocate of REALISM, of objectivism, and things that are fact based. At 75, I'm guessing it's a bit too late to start reinventing myself.
1st thought, you wanna build on what you have. No charge for this (cryptic) advice.