Fences
The following is a thought from the mind of Archiblad MacLeish 10/14/67
“There is in truth a terror in the world and the arts have heard it as they always do. Under the hum of the miraculous machines and the ceaseless publications of brilliant physicist a silence awaits and is heard. It is the silence of apprehension. We do not trust our time, and the reason we do not trust our time is because it is we who have made this time; and we do not trust ourselves. We have played the Hero’s part. Mastered the monsters, accomplished the labor and now become gods. But we do not trust our selves as gods because we know, deep inside, what we really are. In the old days when the gods were someone else the knowledge of what we were did not frighten us. There were Furry’s to pursue the Hitler’s and Athena’s to restore the truth. But now that we are gods ourselves, we bear the burden of knowledge for ourselves. Like that old Greek hero who learned that when all the labors had been accomplished, that it was he himself who had killed his sons.”
Not remembering the author, the quote below has held some foundational relevance for me in my Christian life. “Before One tears down a fence One should stop and consider why it was put there in the first place.”
It does seem that with the advancing and ever-growing knowledge which man has had thrust upon him, that we truly are experiencing a terror in the world. We are tearing down fences faster than we can erect new ones. And it does seem, the new ones that are being erected are not there for any real purpose but rather are illusions presented to the masses of those around us which say; we are being conservative and cautious when in truth man is throwing caution to the wind. We are making ourselves gods or demigods but with each individual knowing his own heart and knowing the hearts of those liken to him, all are afraid, in the deepest sense, of what we are quickly becoming. There seems to be no barrier which is not being crossed and all things from morals to ethics have become subjective and relative. There is no cost too high for success as we all know as stated by Oscar Wilde, “nothing succeeds like excess”. As with Wilde, his lifestyle and gay abandonment, the Dorian Grey epitaph is also being written across the tombstones of man as we streak toward a Godless world with goals which, “Like that old Greek hero who learned that when all the labors had been accomplished, that it was he himself who had killed his sons.” As we boldly tear down the fences of objectivity, never once stopping to consider why they were put there in the first place.
David
PS. Intent always proceeds content. That which is done which is intentional often has the resulting content of not the removing of an obstacle but the removing of a fence. Fences keep wanted things in, but their biggest job is keeping unwanted things out.
