Freedom!
'Man was born free and is everywhere in chains' said Rousseau, that wild savage contemporary of Kant. Immanuel Kant had one picture hanging in his home. It was a portrait of Rousseau. I think this is because Rousseau travelled mental landscapes Kant could only dream of, Kant having never travelled more than thirty miles outside his native Konigsberg.
Rousseau would scoff at some of the points I've made in previous posts regarding original sin, a concept that has held sway over me since I can remember attending church.
Rousseau would say, Adam was a man who lived a long long time ago, and who operated under the law of creation.
'You', I think Rousseau would sternly tell me, levelling his gaze at me, 'You are operating under the law of generation'. 'You were born of two parents who conceived of you in the usual natural way and are yourself natural.'
'Don't' he would continue, 'Don't beat yourself up over being natural!' 'You are guilty of not practicing virtue, you are guilty of being undomesticated, without manners, and not doing your duty, but you, you have nothing really to apologize for.'
There is no question the civilizing influence Christianity fulfills, in that it makes us better members, or as Rousseau would say, better citizens living, not in towns, but cities, not in a country, but a sovereignty, where we are governed by choice.
When the rural, provincial, wild landscaped animal comes to the fore, we repress, repress, repress, for we must not transgress!
But in the most civilized man, the animal eventually must be acknowledged, even appreciated. This is where hunting, fishing, camping in the wild, become outlets for the animal to express itself in proper society.
But if one hasn't hunted, or fished, or camped in awhile, or never, and the animal has been beaten down for so long and shown no love, it will repay the favor, only in a mirrored, obverse manner. While it has been shown nothing, it will show everything! Primal screams, rapid heartbeats, much sweating will ensue. The body will give out a call that simply will not go unanswered.
So it is that the animal demands expression. More, freedom to roam.
Rousseau would scoff at some of the points I've made in previous posts regarding original sin, a concept that has held sway over me since I can remember attending church.
Rousseau would say, Adam was a man who lived a long long time ago, and who operated under the law of creation.
'You', I think Rousseau would sternly tell me, levelling his gaze at me, 'You are operating under the law of generation'. 'You were born of two parents who conceived of you in the usual natural way and are yourself natural.'
'Don't' he would continue, 'Don't beat yourself up over being natural!' 'You are guilty of not practicing virtue, you are guilty of being undomesticated, without manners, and not doing your duty, but you, you have nothing really to apologize for.'
There is no question the civilizing influence Christianity fulfills, in that it makes us better members, or as Rousseau would say, better citizens living, not in towns, but cities, not in a country, but a sovereignty, where we are governed by choice.
When the rural, provincial, wild landscaped animal comes to the fore, we repress, repress, repress, for we must not transgress!
But in the most civilized man, the animal eventually must be acknowledged, even appreciated. This is where hunting, fishing, camping in the wild, become outlets for the animal to express itself in proper society.
But if one hasn't hunted, or fished, or camped in awhile, or never, and the animal has been beaten down for so long and shown no love, it will repay the favor, only in a mirrored, obverse manner. While it has been shown nothing, it will show everything! Primal screams, rapid heartbeats, much sweating will ensue. The body will give out a call that simply will not go unanswered.
So it is that the animal demands expression. More, freedom to roam.
posted by !Booksinista! at 8:53 PM
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