Two'sday: Books on the Go

I have two books in mid-read. I'd like to get them both finished before Scotland (2 weeks and 2 days!!!), but I think that is a bit ambitious.

Book #1: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It is the Bollywood of novels. I'm 300 pages in, and have another 1100 pages to go. It is endearing. It is fascinating. It has a cast of at least forty. My friend Amelia lent it to me, because she loves India. And an Indian boy. Since I love her and am beginning to love India through a wide assortment of friends, I have committed to this book. The review on the front cover, from "The Times" says, "Make time for it. It will keep you company for the rest of your life.' (provided you can finish it before you die)

Book #2: How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley. Thomas Nelson Publishers gives out free books if you promise to review it on your blog & a sales-site (aka, amazon.com). So I picked the most pretentious title. If you're going to promise something THIS BIG to a reader, it had better deliver. Now I need to finish reading so I can analyze and get another book.

(But please everyone, don't all sign up to blog reviews, or mine will be obsolete!)

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Simone Weil: On "Forms of the Implicit Love of God"

Simone Weil time again! One of the essays in Waiting for God is entitled "Forms of the Implicit Love of God." Her main argument is that before a soul has "direct contact" with God, there are three types of love that are implicitly the love of God, though they seem to have a different explicit object. That is, in loving X, you are really loving Y. (in this case, Y = God). As for the X of the equation, she lists: Love of neighbor Love of the beauty of the world Love of religious practices and a special sidebar to Friendship “Each has the virtue of a sacrament,” she writes. Each of these loves is something to be respected, honoured, and understood both symbolically and concretely. On each page of this essay, I found myself underlining profound, challenging, and thought-provoking words. There's so much to consider that I've gone back several times, mulling it over and wondering how my life would look if I truly believed even half of these thi...

I Like to Keep My Issues Drawn

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The ROM, The Earth & Procreation

Disclaimer: This post is intended to generate discussion and a sharing of many opinions. It is NOT intended to judge or condemn anyone's life choices. I had an unexpected moment at the ROM last month. C and I were listening to a presentation for kids on wildlife conservation (or rather, I was listening, and C was eagerly anticipating what live animal would come out next), when a statement caught my attention and still hasn't let go. For most of history, the earth could provide enough resources for the earth's human population. But today, our population is growing rapidly, increasing by 250 000 people every day... Forty years from now, it will require 2 Earths to provide sustainably for our survival as a human species. But we only have 1 Earth. 250 000 people. Every day. That is roughly twice the size of my hometown. In one day. So I did a little math. (First, I rounded down to 200 000, just in case the figures were inflated or failed to account for some sort o...

* not with ink

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