Today: this morning.

to hear this morning’s post, click here.

 Today: this morning. 

I don’t know where the books come from. Roz says I order them, and that it’s all right. It’s all right, too, she says, that I don’t remember why.

     For example, I have this little Andre Gide book on Oscar Wilde. I know who Gide is though I can’t find a novel of his I was sure I had somewhere, Strait Is the Gate. And I know who Wilde is though I can’t find The Picture of Dorian Gray either. I remember looking for it last week sometime, too; I can’t remember why.

As the epitaph to the first of Gide's two sketches in the volume, there’s a quote from Renan - I assume the historical Jesus guy. A bit of blah-blah-blah, then he says this about “harsh measures taken to assure the rule of our morals and manners,” that “the most serious abuses [against the rules] are less damaging than a system of inquisition which degrades character.” The cure is worse than the disease.

     For, is there an inquisition that is not degrading? Isn’t the point to raise the inquisitors’ righteousness over - and to place it in judgment of - any failure to live up to it? Righteousness despises any unwillingness to recognize its rightness, it can't stand any disinclination to take its seriousness seriously.

Art Carney as Ed Norton as Apostaticus Ludens

     For the inquisitors’ business is serious - it is a grave and solemn business, damn you.“Yes, damn you. God will damn you if you don’t . . . You, there, look at me! Don’t turn away. What you need to do is turn around, turn back. Save yourself before it’s too late.” It will be after I have killed you - after I have robbed you of all spirit and taken away all joy and then killed you.“Never overestimate either spirit or joy. They are nothing in God’s larger scheme of things.”

     Be ye solemn as he is solemn. As I am. Solemn!

 Tomorrow: last Friday night.

When Roz is God, things will be different.

01.29.19