onsdag 26. august 2015

Adagio




There is music which brings a soul into the worlds beyond reason, beyond language.
I believe thinking processes are primarily emotional, and the signals in our systems go much too quickly for any verbal constraint. We use words to systematize and rationalize our processes, to bring it up towards the surface of cognitive consciousness, after the connections are already made.  I enter into an interaction with the sensed and the known. Is it necessary to ‘talk about it’? I do not think so; it may not have a purpose beyond mere being; it may not become any part in strings of causality. The quest for reason, meaning and purpose has its natural justification, but there is more to life than the rational aspects.
            I listened to the Adagio in G minor, often called Albinoni’s Adagio. The piece was arranged for large choir, organ and strings and performed by the Choir of New College, Oxford. I have loved this haunting piece for decades, listened to it in many renditions, but the young college singers take it to a level of sheer heavenly beauty.  It transports me to a large ecclesiastical sanctuary, with strong walls of stone, high ceilings, large stained glass windows…where I am very little, huddled by the side of Jesus, who is the Mighty Lord of the Universe. And he fights my fight, wins my battle.
            The Adagio is full of images; it is like icons of a new world, but through all opposition and danger is One glorious and strong Lord. His victory is clear, and in the final notes, it is mild, and attests the Lord who rules with truth, justice and grace.


Perhaps Albinoni, a baroque composer, was an inspiration, but the piece was probably a creation of Remo Giazotto (1910-1998), which would make the piece a contemporary composition.  That resonates even stronger in me, I connect, and have a deep gratitude that someone in this modern generation could create such a masterpiece. 





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDH1e11ASM4


Window of Light

From Kviteseid Old Church


There is a window of light.
Through thick, whitewashed medieval walls, natural light streams in and brightens the inner room. As I stand in the comfort of its beams, I rest my eyes upon the framed image of the outside light. Out there, all is daylight and summer. Out there, all is blissfully warm and pleasant. The window is an opening, a glimpse of hope for this world and for the one to come.

            This particular window is in Kviteseid Old Church, and it sheds light on the altar ring. On the altar itself are two large candles, giving a warm glow of light in the cool and shaded room. These candles are lit during the church service, and all the symbolism of light, warmth, vision, reality seen, all allusions due to the God of light, play in the mind of the believer. As the natural light pours in through the small widows, pockets of light trump the darkness and testify of a God who is there. Inside the sanctuary, sources of light – candles and windows testify to a God who is here.

mandag 24. august 2015

What is Patience?



Patience is a
Process, not a
Product.

Patience in
            Progress is…
                        Purgatory!


I want to be a free soul in God’s garden of light!
I am creative, aesthetically inclined,
I am situational, I am alive, –
And will not be bogged down by responsibility of the stifling kind.

Perhaps patience is a pain to possess.
Perhaps patience is prohibiting.
Perhaps patience hinders the progress,
Curtails the creative drive in searching -?

Who ever saw a busy bee waiting its turn to the flower?



 
Busy bee outside of Warsaw, Poland

torsdag 20. august 2015

Outdated? Literature Class.


I go to class. I am a student. In our rather small seminar room, the lecturer arrives right on time, and makes some sort of commotion, gawking at the PC on his work station, and tries to get some attention. The man is beyond middle age, tall, but slightly bent, with intentionally big motions of arms and legs.
His face gives immediate associations to a kind of fish, like a flounder or another bottom fish. His eyes are sunken, and framed by thinly bushy eyebrows, like sets of feelers in disarray. He lets his eyes dart around, still gawking at the modern contraption of a PC. In his packet he has a CD. “They have removed the computer!” he says, rather loudly. “Where have they taken it?” Indeed, he is making quite a scene, because, as he explains, he had planned to use the material on the CD, a 20 minute segment he someone helped him copy from a VHS, as a basis for discussion.
A young, sweet and helpful student offers her assistance, but her laptop did not have a compatible HDMI connection to the system, which she smoothly reveals, is a new one with no CD drive. His technology is outdated.

The professor takes his position up front and starts his lecture, still using large movements and eyes darting about the room, as if he is looking for inspiration from a hidden muse. He is a literature professor. He dabbles in philosophy, seeking to paint the background for how to approach the essence of “Englishness” without any such essence. He suggests a post-structuralist approach of derridaian persuasion to seek out the lack of any definable core in the very concept he wishes to describe. Indeed, a rather complicated task it is, for should we follow the lead of the post-structuralists of derridaian persuasions, we have only waves in an ocean to illustrate what water is.

All in all, I see the lure of lack. What is not seems the more positive than anything we may try to define as such. Anything that is can always be denied, and since it is deniable, there is a chance that it is not. And since the option of it not being there, is, it is not (there). Right. An argument shoots itself in the leg. So, the concept of “Englishness”, is it real or is it simply defined by what it is not? Does it have a core which creates the very idea of ‘Englishness”, or does it not have any such core, but is layer upon layer of roles, expectations, conventions, etc., like the layers of an onion?
So the older man rambles, aiming to stare meaningfully out a window, but the small room has only small windows, and they flutter with the wind and are mostly covered by blinds. So he stares meaninglessly on the wall, perhaps feeling a bit constrained.

He was hoping we were dying for breaks – he needed it. It was not his age as such that made him ask for breaks. It was his longing to hang on to the content in the old VHS, the 20minute segment. I find my own aging, but maturing mind muse over this, - for I remember the entry of VHS technology – and thinking that the segment would by necessity be outdated. I had no regrets missing it.
The three hour long session ended with the professor sitting like a schoolboy, novel in hand, reading out loud a text by E. M. Forster, and commenting on select words. Here he was at ease; here he was at home. This was the field of human experience, of thought and reflection where he could contribute. Was it real? Could we find reasons to indicate that the professor’s love and zeal for literature and its potential interpretation was more easily defined by what it was not? Perhaps is there no such thing as love for literature. Perhaps he had no contribution. And yet, in his peculiar way, with odd mannerisms, being older and seeking to be relevant, he was blissfully outdated. The post-structuralists, the post-modernists at it, are the ones who have lost their relevance in all their zeal for relative newness.  When the professor was one with his role, he was real.


torsdag 13. august 2015

Et humanistisk argument mot homofiliens destruktive elementer.

Om det sanne, det rette og det gode:
Et argument mot homofiliens destruktive elementer.

Antikken har ulike triader, som den indre sammenheng i det sanne, det gode og det skjønne. Likeledes har etikken sammenhenger der begreper definerer hverandre, og i denne sammenheng ser vi på ”det sanne, det rette og det gode”.

La meg begynne med en sammenligning: Alkoholisme, en fysisk og psykisk avhengighet av alkohol, har vist sterke destruktive virkninger for den personen som har kommet inn i dette livsmønsteret, for foreldre, for eget etablert familieforhold – som ektefelle og barn, for arbeidsted, arbeidskapasitet. Individets selvrespekt er sterkt redusert. Det bidrar ikke til det gode i samfunnet, men blir et destruktivt element.
Få i dag vil foreslå at enhver alkoholiker må få leve ut sin alkoholisme, og at evt. samfunnet skal legge til rette for at individet får lett og rimelig tilgang til alkohol. På toppen av det vil få argumentere for at geistlige skal bistå med en kirkelig velsignelse av alkoholikerens livsmønster. Og vi må spørre: hvorfor? Svaret ligger i observasjoner av de destruktive elementene for individ, familie og storsamfunn. Derfor går vi også sammen om å gi vedkommende hjelp som slikte med alkoholavhengighet. Vi skaper støtteordninger for familien, for at livet skal bli godt å leve. Dette koster samfunnet en god del penger og ressurser, men vi mener det er verdt det. Vi ønsker å bygge et samfunn som verner om det gode.

Homofili og avhengighet – her er det ingen konsensus, og området trenger mer forskning for å utvikle teorier. Så langt har den biologisk forskningen avklart at seksuell dragning mot likekjønn ikke er genetisk eller biologisk betinget. Man er ikke ’født’ sånn i biologisk forstand. Det er en viss konsensus for at fenomenet er psykologisk betinget, men teoriene er varierende for forklaringen av hvordan og hvorfor noen velger å følge denne dragningen. Sammenligning med fysisk og psykisk avhengighet til rusmidler er et felt hvor det er mye å hente. Her kommer vi inn på en form for avhengighet som ikke er stimulert og satt i gjenge av kjemiske stimuli, men det er likevel kjemiske og fysiske elementer inne i bildet. Det oppstår en avhengighet som angriper personligheten. I personligheten ligger identitet og selvforståelse.
Forfatter Greta Aune Jotun har tatt til orde for at storsamfunnet må ta kjønnsforvirring på alvor, hjelpe unge og voksne med å finne veien tilbake til et naturlig kjønnsliv. Hun oppfordrer norske politikere og kirkeledere til å se det destruktive i skeiv aktivisme.
Hva er det sanne?
Det er viktig å stille spørsmål om hvem som definerer hva som ligger i ’homofili’. Er det trender i psykologien? Er det en homofil selvforståelse? Finnes det flere former, siden det finnes flere uttrykk for det?
Mer eller mindre egendefinerte kategorier opererer med en rekke ulike former: bifil, transvestitt, pedofil, flere-seksuell, tidvis homofil, sodomitt med dragning mot dyr, m.fl. I denne sammenhengen kommer vi inn på etiske valg. Vi møter strømninger i en livsform som ikke vil anerkjenne etisk ansvar overfor sine medmennesker eller storsamfunn, men som krever en frihet til å leve ut sin egen seksualitet, til sin makt-rett til å utøve sodomi på andre, seg selv og uskyldige svake. Her møter vi militante forsvarsforskalinger, og de vil angripe og forsvare sitt territorium, og de vil utvide sitt territorium med makt.

Hva definerer etikken? Hva og hvem definerer hva som er det rette? Hvis vi legger flertallets konsensus til grunn, bifaller vi ideen om at ’massen har alltid rett’. Historien har vist oss at massen kan lett forledes. Hvis vi legger menneskelig erfaring og følelser til grunn, vil vi unektelig havne i en glidende bølge av relativitet. Ligger derimot det etiske norm-grunnlag i noe utenfor oss, kan vi forholde oss til det individuelt og tolke det i våre fellesskap. Vi har lover og regler for samfunn som er bygget på ideologier av denne typen, og det er en fordel for hver generasjon å komme tilbake til kilden. Bibelens mange bøker er en slik kilde.

Hva er rett?
I triaden jeg innledningsvis nevnte, defineres det rette i lys av det sanne og det gode. Det er derfor ikke vilkårlig og individuelt, og dermed relativt, hva som er rett. I henhold til hva homofili er og ikke, kommer spørsmålet: hva er rett? Vi hører røster som gjentatte ganger tar til orde for at en seksuell dragning er i seg selv en grunnsetning for at den skal leves ut, og at dette ikke skal hindres av samfunn eller sosiale normer. Individets rett til selvutfoldelse overskrider ethvert annet individs tanker, følelser, normer, overbevisninger, osv.
Et menneske lever ikke i isolasjon, men i et fellesskap. Et menneske er ikke uten familie, men har en mor, en far, storfamilie. Vi er naturligvis berørt av hverandre. Som vesener er vi mennesker sosiale, og vi står i unektelige ansvarsforhold til hverandre. Det sårer en far, en mor, når et barn fornekter sitt medfødte kjønn og velger et unaturlig seksualliv. Det sårer andre menn – som blir vraket; andre kvinner som blir vraket i deres identitet. Det er en trussel mot menneskehetens eksistens, fordi seksualitet har det primære formål å bringe ætten videre. Det argumenteres at homofili er mer enn seksualitet – det handler om å elske et annet menneske. Er det da snakk om en søsterkjærlighet, om en broderlig kjærlighet? Nei, det er hele spekteret – med de erogene sonene intakt – som er innforstått.
Som sagt, spørsmålet om det rette er et etisk anliggende. Det angår hvordan vi lever sammen i samfunnet, og i denne sammenhengen er homofil praksis nedbrytende og en trussel til videre eksistens. Etikkens ideologiske grunnlag er normgivende. Det vi ser i våre dager er at dette grunnlaget er under angrep, og normene endres og dermed også det som kalles ’normalt’. Med vitende og vilje ødelegger dette angrepet grunnelementet i det menneskelige samfunn, som er familien. Spørsmålet gjenstår er: hva er det gode?

Det gode
Det gode’ står i den tilsvarende sammenheng som det rette og det sanne, og defineres i henhold til disse to. Det gode er ikke et begrep til individuell definisjon, på en slik måte at enhver finner hva som er godt for en, hva som tilfredsstiller. Da vil vi lett have i en egoistisk hedonisme. Det gode er det som bygger opp, det som verner, det som gir rom for liv og vekst. Det gode står i etikken tjeneste. Det forholder seg til sannhet, i motsetning til å forsvare løgn. Det verner om individets rett i samfunnet – men ikke om individets rett til  å ødelegge, verken seg selv eller andre.

Det sanne, det rette og det gode – sett i sammenheng til hverandre, bidrar til refleksjon over de destruktive elementene ved homofil praksis av ulikt slag i samfunnet. Fordi det er naturstridig å definere seksualitetens primære formål til noe annet enn det å få barn, er det også etisk uforsvarlig. Vi lever i ansvar for hverandre, og vil derfor verne om det som er vårt felles beste.



lørdag 8. august 2015

A Hero

A hero is someone who does what is right, not only what he wants.
A hero is someone who struggles, but in the end wins the fight with himself and his adversaries.
A hero turns the other cheek, suffers humiliation, but carries on doing what is right.
A hero is patient, when needed, and does not give in for what he fights for.
A hero flees temptation, and when he cannot flee, fights against it in his inner being. 
A hero prays, trusts in God, and lets Him fight his demons. For he understands that the King of Heaven has a mighty force of angels at his command, who are stronger than any earthly and celestial foe.
A real hero fights for justice, mercy and truth, and his means are not brute force and violence, but grace, truth and justice – in words and in action.
A hero forgets himself in the cause for justice. He gives all he has. And even if he dies, he wins. 

And his torch is passed on… to you.

onsdag 5. august 2015

St. Anna – Hellige Anna :)


When there is saint named St. Anna and she is often portrayed with images of sacred architecture, I am naturally curious. The icons tell a story of a devout and strong woman, who knew whom she believed in, who glorified God in her living.


 She was born around year 1001 in Sweden, daughter of a Swedish king, and her name then was Ingegerd. King Olaf Skötkonung became baptized in the year 1008 with his whole family, and this made a profound influence upon how this Viking king thought and acted. Ingegerd was taught to read and she studied the Holy Scriptures, according to the Orthodox website “Archangel Gabriel”. She also studied history and literature. The Swedish princess married Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev, a man her father thought worthy of her. The Kievan Rus had close relations with their Swedish roots. 

The girl took the name Irina when she became the Great Princess of Kiev, but what makes her interesting and inspiring is not her status or family background. She lived in a time where the society around her was dominated by pagan attitudes, and she shone like a beacon of Christ’s love in her local and political environment. She was hospitable, generous, showing love and great courage in times of opposition. She challenged the enemies of what she valued, she defended her husband – who was, likewise, a deeply devoted Christian.
Irina had 10 children, seven sons and three daughters, and  - to use a modern term – she home-schooled them. She taught her children to read and write, and she taught them about Jesus Christ. One of my sources for information about St Anna is the website “Archangel Gabriel”, and the writer says that the family is a domestic church. This is an interesting perspective from an orthodox pen, and worth noticing. I would like to include a longer quote from this website, in relations to the role of motherhood:
Christianity deeply values women as mothers.  Motherhood transfigures human love and unites mankind to the mystery of the birth of a life that is created for eternity, joy, and beauty.  By being a mother, a woman becomes the protector of her family and the family hearth.  The inner life and stability of her family depend on her gentleness, care, patience, and self-sacrificing service.  Women have one of the highest and most glorious tasks – raising new citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom.  The Great Princess Irina was this sort of mother.”[1]


The icons of picture her most often with St. Sophia Cathedral, or a scroll, or with a set of sacred buildings. Together with her husband, Yaroslav, she initiated the building of a great church, St. Sophia, both in Kiev and in Novgorod. The complex in Kiev also houses the convent she became part of, and is where she is buried. Kiev was to be like a City of God, foreshadowing the celestial city.




St. Sophia Cathedral, Kiev, Ukraina
I am honoured to share name with her. She took the name Anna in the latter part of her life, when she was widowed and gave up worldly desires for power and money to become a nun in the monastery. She dedicated her life to prayer after raising her family, influencing society and giving of her intellectual and physical strength to her people. She is a great saint, indeed, and someone to be inspired of.


            Incidentally, there is a congregation in Trondheim by the name Hellige Anna Menighet.
                                          May the Lord Jesus Christ bless the members!



[1] http://www.stgabrielashland.org/right-believing-princess-anna-of-novgorod/