Holidays

I slept away the first couple of days. Not dozing, but deep dreamless sleep which crept up on me wherever I happened to be sitting. I hadn't realised I was so deeply tired. Days tired. Months tired. Decades tired.

There are no anchor points to the day except the ones I choose to find. So, shortly, this is what life will be like, all the time.

I have finished slogging my way uphill through the Torah and am into the easy downhill of the historical books. I am surprised to be reminded how much space is given over to Balaam - 3 chapters, more or less, which is an interesting comparison to the brevity of the Christmas stories . And I had forgotten that Moses had him executed.

I'm reading a few books, concurrently as is my wont. Cynthia Bourgeault on the Trinity. Mitch Cullen's Mr Holmes. Evan Thompson's Waking, Dreaming, Being. Clemency has just finished Archibald Baxter's account of his time as a conscientious objector in the First World War , We Will Not Cease. She found it profoundly moving. I know I will read it but can't bring myself to open it just yet.

I read an article on the BBC website, speculating on the idea that the universe is a computer simulation. Some very bright people are fairly convinced that this is the case, basing their belief on the sheer improbability that our universe could be so finely tuned to produce life by chance alone. They point also to the mathematical precision and elegance of the universe and the way matter behaves when examined closely. Well, OK. It seems at this point that science is slipping quietly into theology. There is, so these bright people say, good reason to believe that the universe has an intelligent creator, and they are doing what we all do - speculating, and making themselves a picture of the creator in their own image. It seems to me to be a very good step in the right direction.

Catherine is home. Christmas was perfect. We've been to Bridget's place for a bit and to Akaroa. So far, 2017 is working out just fine and dandy.

Comments

Merv said…

I vote for the 'computer simulation' theory - such simulation could very well have started yesterday.
I thus believe I have a strong case to put to Rabobank that my mortgage with them is a fabrication and should be wiped!

5 January 2017 at 21:47

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