In reference to an older post. Conclusion: Good ideas and worthwhile notions stand the test of time. Corrolary: Don't discount the classics. Classical music, classical literature, ancient religions. Don't take the Prophet (SAW) and stick him in history. It's too easy to fall prey to the notion that we today are capable of a certain sophisticated consciousness that people in the past were not capable of. As if our cognitive ability has somehow evolved over the last few centuries or millennia. Islam and modernity, church and state, free will and predestination. Hardly any of our ideas seem to be novel. That's not to say the prevailing public opinion is correct. It seems to vacillate according to the prevailing political power. Studying the classics and history seems much more worthwhile than it once did. I think Robert Fisk was right in saying that most of our political leaders don't know their history, and that if they did, their decisions would be different. But who wants to follow the mold of history? Everybody wants to shape their own legacy, forge their own new path. But you could probably get a lot farther if you take help from someone else's map, somebody's who's been there before. If nothing else, it'll save you some time, and allow you to see where the path is leading (perhaps to a dead end?) Oh, and by the way, writing with a fountain pen is so much more fun than typing!
PS. This blog probably will not stand the test of time.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
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