(no subject)
Today I had a bit of a lie in, then got up to go and help with a friend's birthday surprise. My friend's girlfriend arranged to have people waiting in various cafes/eateries at set times of the day to meet him, each with a clue directing him to the next place. When he turned up I bought him tea and biscuits and we chatted. He got the clue I'd put together about a second after reading the first line aloud, which was irritating, but I'm putting it down to his super trivia abilities. Triviaman: his cape fluttering about his ankles, his nifty mask concealing his true nature, his fetching colour co-ordination and dependence on caffeine. If I were a cartoonist, I'd draw him.
We're in one of those wintry periods of high pressure and clear skies; sunshine, cold nights, heavy frosts and icy lakes. Being outside takes some thought and consideration about keeping warm, but it's very beautiful so that's worth the extra effort.
This morning when I went through the kitchen of our house here I found that the windows were covered with filth. Someone had used our window-writing pens to scrawl obscenities and slogans all over the place, occasionally illustrating them with a few choice diagrams. I didn't have time to stop and clean everything away, or even read it all, but the bits I did see included some anti-Christian polemic of the sort of illogical and purely effect-driven type which suggests that our college communist might have been around late last night. I also saw my own name in one or two places, but didn't stop to check the context. When I got back this afternoon it had all been wiped off. I don't think any of my housemates know that I saw it.
I find my emotions a little confused about this. On one hand it doesn't bother me very much, as everything I saw written up appeared to be there for effect rather than as real argument. An unpleasant effect, certainly - given the nature of swear words and the effect they generally produce on my mind it can be considered as similar to smearing excrement all over the walls - nasty, smelly stuff and certainly unhygienic to leave up there, but if correctly cleaned off and disinfected leaving no permanent damage. On the other hand, it does feel very much like a personal attack. Not only did I definitely see my own name involved, but I am the only openly professing Christian living in this house and likely to see what was written. I have also had a number of verbal clashes with our communist, although so far they have been fairly civil - apart from the moments when he seeks to devalue a statement by connecting it with foulness.
The thing that worries me is that when I asked what he believed in, the reply was 'destruction' - and I'm fairly sure he was sincere, though possibly posturing as well. He doesn't have anything concrete to offer as an alternative to the systems he attacks. He doesn't think that free will exists. He regards it as wiser to believe in nothing, to de-structure the universe, to escape the conditioning nature of the world by negating all outside influences until some sort of purely objective stand-point is reached. Thus he is in favour of communism to counteract our prevailing capitalism, of anti-semitism to counteract his personal Judaism, of discord to counteract harmony and of filth to counteract holiness. He never actually supports any theory he advances with reasoning, everything he does seems to be for effect and he invites arguments and controversy but does not settle them. The unifying thread between his disparate and often contradictory expressions is, as he claimed, a desire for destruction.
I might be giving him more credit for a coherent theory than he actually has, or overlooking redeeming features by sheer chance, but based on all the evidence I have my understanding as outlined above is, I think, the most reasonable. None of this is meant as an attack on the person in question, whose intellect I respect and whose charisma is undeniable. He is God's creation, fearful and wonderful and bearing the seal of the Almighty - as are we all. I might even be mistaken in attributing the scrawls on the windows to him - although I do think that unlikely. There isn't anyone else I know of who holds similar opinions, has access to our kitchen and might draw my name into things.
I honestly don't know what to do - or even if I should do anything. Probably I shouldn't engage at this point, just be glad that the people in the same house as me share my sensibilities to the extent of cleaning the scribblings away as soon as possible. I wish, though, that I didn't feel the worry - slight, but unmistakable - that the stuff on the windows expressed what many people I know think of me, deep down. There's the rub - the point of vulnerability - rationally unimportant but emotionally inescapable.
Yours thoughtfully,
alfgifu
We're in one of those wintry periods of high pressure and clear skies; sunshine, cold nights, heavy frosts and icy lakes. Being outside takes some thought and consideration about keeping warm, but it's very beautiful so that's worth the extra effort.
This morning when I went through the kitchen of our house here I found that the windows were covered with filth. Someone had used our window-writing pens to scrawl obscenities and slogans all over the place, occasionally illustrating them with a few choice diagrams. I didn't have time to stop and clean everything away, or even read it all, but the bits I did see included some anti-Christian polemic of the sort of illogical and purely effect-driven type which suggests that our college communist might have been around late last night. I also saw my own name in one or two places, but didn't stop to check the context. When I got back this afternoon it had all been wiped off. I don't think any of my housemates know that I saw it.
I find my emotions a little confused about this. On one hand it doesn't bother me very much, as everything I saw written up appeared to be there for effect rather than as real argument. An unpleasant effect, certainly - given the nature of swear words and the effect they generally produce on my mind it can be considered as similar to smearing excrement all over the walls - nasty, smelly stuff and certainly unhygienic to leave up there, but if correctly cleaned off and disinfected leaving no permanent damage. On the other hand, it does feel very much like a personal attack. Not only did I definitely see my own name involved, but I am the only openly professing Christian living in this house and likely to see what was written. I have also had a number of verbal clashes with our communist, although so far they have been fairly civil - apart from the moments when he seeks to devalue a statement by connecting it with foulness.
The thing that worries me is that when I asked what he believed in, the reply was 'destruction' - and I'm fairly sure he was sincere, though possibly posturing as well. He doesn't have anything concrete to offer as an alternative to the systems he attacks. He doesn't think that free will exists. He regards it as wiser to believe in nothing, to de-structure the universe, to escape the conditioning nature of the world by negating all outside influences until some sort of purely objective stand-point is reached. Thus he is in favour of communism to counteract our prevailing capitalism, of anti-semitism to counteract his personal Judaism, of discord to counteract harmony and of filth to counteract holiness. He never actually supports any theory he advances with reasoning, everything he does seems to be for effect and he invites arguments and controversy but does not settle them. The unifying thread between his disparate and often contradictory expressions is, as he claimed, a desire for destruction.
I might be giving him more credit for a coherent theory than he actually has, or overlooking redeeming features by sheer chance, but based on all the evidence I have my understanding as outlined above is, I think, the most reasonable. None of this is meant as an attack on the person in question, whose intellect I respect and whose charisma is undeniable. He is God's creation, fearful and wonderful and bearing the seal of the Almighty - as are we all. I might even be mistaken in attributing the scrawls on the windows to him - although I do think that unlikely. There isn't anyone else I know of who holds similar opinions, has access to our kitchen and might draw my name into things.
I honestly don't know what to do - or even if I should do anything. Probably I shouldn't engage at this point, just be glad that the people in the same house as me share my sensibilities to the extent of cleaning the scribblings away as soon as possible. I wish, though, that I didn't feel the worry - slight, but unmistakable - that the stuff on the windows expressed what many people I know think of me, deep down. There's the rub - the point of vulnerability - rationally unimportant but emotionally inescapable.
Yours thoughtfully,
alfgifu