First of all, I find it fascinating that C.S. Lewis can be standing in a toolshed, see a sunbeam and have those thoughts. Upon reading the article and diving as deep as my one brain can I understood Lewis to be saying that something is based on a person’s ability to remove themselves from what they are presently experiencing, whether good or bad. Lewis gave the illustration that when a boy meets a girl the way he sees the world changes when he sees her. He becomes love struck. This reminds me of the saying “love it blind.” To me that saying means when you are in love you are blind to any faults of your love where as an observer of your blooming romance can see faults in both you and your love. This is what I thought Lewis was saying when he talked about looking along something and looking at it. What he saw when he was looking at the sunbeam and what he was when he stepped into the sunbeam were two completely different pictures.
Once in the discussion during class I understood Lewis to be saying so much more than just the fact that people can see the same situation different ways. Lewis seemed to go much deeper than that. I think that perhaps Lewis was saying explore the options of the world, not merely this world, but more importantly the heavenly world. Do not just do what someone tells you or believe what someone says to believe. Each person must look along and look at something and then decide. This is not to say everything is subjective and that your choice is always the best. When it comes to seeing God and seeing how God wants us to act as His children it is not subjective, but many people see it that way because of false interpretation of scripture. As Lewis is says each way should be examined. It would be bad to just look at one angle or side and decide that is the right thing to do or believe. We all should exhaust all options and follow what God in the end.
I agree with you, I think Lewis had the extraordinary gift of taking mundane situations and transforming them into allegories for something so much more complex and intensely human. I especially like the image of the boy in love with a girl, and Lewis captures the subtle yet unique nature of their view of life in that instant so cleverly. I think this was one of Lewis' greatest and most compelling qualities as a thinker and a writer, and accounts for his relevance to this day, some 50 years after writing this essay. Through this, we can easily grasp the nature of looking at versus looking along. You synthesized our class discussion well, and maybe one of the other reasons why people dismiss God's will as being valid is that they indeed do not have the childlike faith that Mark calls for, due to their preoccupation with looking at the experience rather than witnessing God's love first-hand.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea you brought up of exploring the options of the world. In so many ways Lewis set an example for that, I think especially of the space trilogy as he explores the options of the universe with such great depth and imagination. The horizons of the possible are so much further than we typically assume them to be and it's good to be reminded to expand of narrow viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Lewis had a fasinating mind, to take something so ordinary and turn it into a in depth discussion on life and Christianity. Reading his article I could almost feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I think more than trying to make us take a standpoint Lewis wants us to think outside of the box. To go beyond our comfort zone and really explore the depths of our faith and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you say. I think it is very important to explore God pervasively in the creation and in His Word. However, I do not want to discount the value of a strong base, which for me personally came from my parents instruction, church catechism, and my education in the Christian school. So, I guess what I'm saying (and I don't know if you would agree or disagree), is that exploration is good, so long as it comes out of a firm foundation.
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