Love of justice is essential

A career in philosophy means nothing if it means being silent in the face of evil. “Love of wisdom” is just words without love of justice. -- Jennifer Foster

I was not captured by an octopus.

After a week-long migraine episode, I am starting to feel human-ish again. I had a protracted appointment at the acupuncturist and then an hour session at the massage therapist, who is basically another form of PT. We did cupping in the trouble spots, which ended up being everywhere, and now I look as though I have been kidnapped by an octopus.

Since I was out, I picked up milk and checked the mail -- a couple new books to review have arrived which makes me happy.  Today has been a Very Long Day, and I'm headed to a bath to soak before taking Tiu out for his evening walk.

The Crown Season 3

The Crown
Netflix's gorgeous dramatization of the transformation of the English aristocracy into the modern age takes a brilliant turn with Season 3. Like the times portrayed, the tone is a bit more reflective, the texture of the narrative deeper and more nuanced.

Olivia Colman is absolutely glorious in this role, bringing the emergence of the sovereign into Elizabeth's signature persona, wherein person and crown become unmistakably one. Colman reveals the embodiment of the State beautifully, with a subtlety of craft worthy of the highest accolades.

Men have their tiny fraternity of those who have played King Lear. Now there is a very small but equally erudite sisterhood of those who have worn The Crown.

Well done.

Prevenient Grace

The word prevenient means "antecedant to," or (my favorite) "in anticipation of." It comes from the latin, combining venire (to come) with pre (before).

It means something which has happened before the event or act.

In the case of prevenient grace, it means the grace (of god) which existed for you before you were born. So essentially it is the grace (of god) which was put aside for you before you were formed into being.

Frankly it took me forever to get a grasp on this. Then one day it hit me:

Take a dry erase marker and write God's Favorite on a mirror and walk away.

The Message, just the words on the mirror, is the prevenient part, in that it has already happened before anyone is reflected, no matter who walks by.

The grace part is the Meaning of the message. Basically, as I understand grace, it's as though someone went up to God during the void, while He was thinking about spinning the planets out onto the dark velvet of the universe, and said "Hey. You know those folks that you are going to put on the watery blue-green one? Well, they're going to try really hard but get it all wrong and you're going to have to have a kid so that you can send him down to be a sacrifice for them all, but, out of the whole everyone, ever, only this one lady is going to get the Message, and imperfectly at that. Sounds like a lot of work and hassle and sacrifice and loss. Should I cancel the order?"

And God replied, "She is worth all that and more. Make it so."

(And of course you are worth it. And no, you don't deserve it, because it can't be earned or deserved any more than the sunlight that falls on the fields is earned or deserved by the wheat. That's what makes it grace.)

This is the message for each of us, if we will but turn around and look in the mirror instead of turning away and feeling alone when looking at the World.