Preliminaries: Rationale, Ground Rules, and Impetus

The funny thing about doing anything – that is, anything in an attempt to add…something to the world – is that it is often difficult, requires a fair amount of daring (at least, for some people), and once they’re done, you usually find that you’re not sure what you were thinking in the first place. Sadly, this no exception. But such is the nature of conversation and imagination. Such is the nature of being human. It is a quest, a journey. The path is always changing, and so are those who tread it along the way.

One is inclined to ask (and I have): Do we really need another blog? I suspect the question does not occur to everyone; indeed, I fear it is not asked at all. We live in strange times. The dawn of the internet is surely one of the strangest historical phenomena to happen. We are suddenly so capable in so many areas, not leastways communication. And perhaps the most interesting thing of all when considering the internet phenomenon, and the entire phenomenon is surely something worth considering, is accessibility. For the first time in history (I am speaking of the last quarter century, of course), one is able to access an incredible amount of information worldwide, with very little inconvenience (although, most of us remember dial-up…and shudder), speak with friends across continents within mere seconds delay, play chess with a person with someone they have never before seen halfway around the globe, and of course, most pertinent to our current discussion, share their opinion on an incalculable variety of subjects.

It must be appropriate to wonder about this. It was not that long ago that one had to at least be minimally qualified to be considered at all when sharing their opinion publicly. Now, everyone is a critic – and a “published” one at that. We are able critique films and books, expound upon philosophy, wax eloquent on Wikipedia anonymously and cite not a source, and we need not one bit of qualification. The only rules are those of personal aptitude: how available the internet is to them. The Conversation has become all-encompassing in a way previously inconceivable, and the cynic, the traditionalist (I will purposely leave that term unqualified), the despairing is left to wonder: Where now the parchment and the writer? Where is the poet who was weeping?

I am, of course, overstating myself. I do that often. It is still something to be bonafide published, to have degrees, to give lectures, and the like. These things are probably no more drowned out or overshadowed by popular opinion than they ever have been. However, that is not the only concern. We are not simply to be worried about the weeping poet who has so much to say amidst the constant cry of voices innumerable (and whoever really was worried about them, anyway?). We must worry about the current state of things when accessibility has led the “common man” to believe that he has a right to speak publicly, and that all or even most of what he has to say is worthwhile for the global community (I use that term a bit liberally). I have not done much posting, but I have done much reading of blogs, and have encountered many things noble and wonderful. However, I have also encountered useless ranting on issues the author is not qualified (to say the least) to speak on. I have read wandering musings. Editing has become something archaic; revision passé, not even considered; punctuation pointless; reflection upon one’s contribution not even worth the gentle suggestions of the “spellchecker.” Language has been stretched to its limits. The blog is to some an online diary, a place to ramble, a place to confide. Since when did this become something worthy of “publication,” worthy of sharing with the world? It gives one cause to ponder.

But I digress. Accessibility is what it is, and I do not wish to speak against those who get enjoyment from both the writing and reading of these “publications.” I am a stickler, I admit. I have no wish to be pegged as some kind of “blog Nazi.” There is something wonderful about the fact that we can share so much with each other, that we can make friends without the hindrance of miles in between, that we can all take part freely in the Conversation on a level so great it gives one pause.

So this is not necessarily a critique of the current state of internet liberty. It is more a question to my own self: Should I contribute? Do I have anything to contribute? I do not want to succumb to the impression that simply because I have breath, because I have lived a few years, because I own a computer, have an internet connection, and am barely able to wield the powerful force of language, that I have a right to write, to “publish,” for all to read. Obviously, I have come to my answer. I will write; I will “publish.” But let the reader understand, I do not do so lightly. Great consternation has gone into this, and I have not always been satisfied with my “qualifications.” However, here are a few:

I will write because I am a writer. There is a great part of me that cringes at the thought of using something so very public as another arena to hone my skills. However, a writer is obliged to write, should he want to do anything more that muse, anything more than dream, and it is the hope that this instrument will help me to practice. It will also provide an avenue for critique and improvement.

I will write because it is not simply to wax eloquent. I will participate. Many of my friends blog, and this provides a medium for our own contact to continue, especially as life happens and we go our separate ways. And they do have wonderful things to say. Better than I; better than I.

I will write because I do wish to contribute to the Conversation, however weak my contribution may be. Ultimately, the dialogue is key, the growing which comes from it vital. I wish to shape and be shaped, to share and receive, to break and to grow.

So I have decided to write. But what shall I write about? What matters most to me. What is in my heart. I am a lover of Philosophy, of Theology, of Literature, of Art, and, thus, of Life. I believe there to be something spiritual in the midst of these things. I am a Christian, and belong to the community hidden in Christ. Our aim is not simply to “get saved,” but to become human beings in a world where that is increasingly difficult to do. To live Life as the created, creatures accomplishing their purpose in the great Imagination of the Creator, bound by his Love. Thusly, it is through this lens which I will write, and it is about these things which I will write. I do not pretend that there is any such thing as “objectivity,” that one can be “unbiased.” That is a myth (to use the bastardized sense of the term), a fallacy, a vision of the Enlightment now lying dead and dying. There is no contribution apart from the contributor, just as there is no philosophy apart from the philosopher and no history apart from the historian. Truth does not come from nowhere, and neither do viewpoints.

That being the case, I have a particularly robust epistemology, and this comes from my belief in Story. This, I imagine, will be of the most prevalent and potent themes that will be discussed here. I believe Story, or narrative, to be the center of how we – as human beings – think. It is how we make sense of reality. It is the foundation upon which we build our presuppositions, our beliefs, our propositions, our worldviews. Story is the lifeblood. And Story is capable of informing us about reality.

Thus, I believe that what we find ourselves in the midst of is really a conflict of stories. We live in an age that abhors intolerance, that detests the perceived arrogance of one group claiming they know the “Way.” But let’s not be foolish. To believe is to make claim on reality, a reality that is very public, and to speak is to exert such a claim. Of course, there are different ways to do this – ranging from gentle and respectful to obnoxious, malicious, and bigoted – but the claim exists in all of us nonetheless. We will never get anywhere until we accept this reality.

I believe in Story, and I have found that the best way I can communicate Story is within the vast and wonderful realm of Fantasy. Fantasy is a medium unlike many others, where one can most interestingly clothe one’s claims, and yet, paradoxically, can thus so clearly and poignantly speak on one’s conception of reality. It is a story which tells the Story which the author is persuaded by. I have only to pick up any book within the Fantasy section of any local bookstore to prove my point. Something about the realm – not least the creation and conception of other peoples and cultures within the Imagination of the author – lends itself to this kind of fortuitous dialogue.

And Fantasy is near to my heart. To me, Fantasy is the sailor’s call of the Sea, the adventurer’s cry of distant lands. It stirs me and speaks to me in a way I should not presume to articulate here. It invites me to share in its secrets, its mysteries. And this being the case, Fantasy will be most often the mode in which I speak. I will explore this realm most often because I believe that through it I will be exploring those things which set out to examine in the first place: Philosophy, Theology, Literature, Story, Life. I believe to explore the hidden forests and majestic lands of Fantasy is invariably to explore the things of Life as well. This abstract shall serve as my thesis, as it is certainly useless to try to sum all that up in one sentence.

Now we should have some ground rules which shall govern our field and pattern of discussion:

1. This is a nice blog. Do not share comments if you are unable to be respectful to people. None of us are experts on all things, least of all Life. Remember the Conversation, and do your part to help it proceed well.

2. I invite healthy dialogue. The previous rule was not an abolition of disagreement, passion, or even frustration. Rather, it is acting improperly in response to those things, and more.

3. It is not always necessary to have thought through your thoughts (and mine) before adding them. This is for thinking through issues, not necessarily for solving or concluding them. If you have already done that, then stop wasting your time here and go write a book or something.

4. I will not always respond in a timely manner (this rule, as others, presupposes that anyone will care to dialogue on this amatuer attempt at…whatever I’m attempting). I have others things I do, namely school, ministry, creativity, and interacting with people. So if I don’t respond, it does not mean that you have stumped me, offended me, or anything else. It does not mean that I don’t like you. It only means that I don’t have time for you.

5. I reserve the right to modify, add, or subtract any rules at my preference. The breaking of rules will result in a fate worse than death.

One last thing should be said: the Title. For some, the title will immediately reveal my key allegiances. Tolkien is my hero, among others, and I will not be abashed. He it was that in his great mythos came up with the metaphor of the “Lost Straight Road.” There was a time that the world was flat, but then Sauron the deceiver made use of the folly and pride of the Numenoreans and incited them to rebel against the Valar, taking “what is theirs” (that is, eternal life). This was in direct defiance of the “Ban” which had been set upon them from the time of Elros the first: that they could not have a share in the Undying Lands. But they sought to take it by force. And having mounted a great armada, they sailed into the West unto the shores of Valinor, but the moment they stepped foot upon the land, the Valar laid down their power and petitioned Iluvatar, the Father of all, and he removed Valinor from the land, and “changed the fashion of the world.” At this time, “all roads were bent.” That is, the world was made round, and no longer was it possible to sail West to the Undying Lands. Now, sailing West would invariably lead one back to the East. Because of this, immortality was lost. All roads were bent. So began the quest for the “Lost Straight Road,” the one road that led to the Undying Lands, to eternal life. And so it is with all mankind.

I do not think that it is simply a quest for immortality, although I think this is much of it. I think it a quest for Truth, for Comfort, for Understanding, for Life. It is a search for the Answer to the Problem, even if we aren’t quite sure what the problem even is. All roads are bent now, and we all feel it. But somewhere is the Lost Straight Road; somewhere lies Peace. It is this search which will often, if not always, underlie our discussion. This is the impetus of this forum. It is the impetus of my life. I invite you to share in this with me, O Reader. I invite you to share in my quest.

Therefore, sit with me a spell, and we will share tales. They will take us far and beyond. And somehow, sometime, we may yet see it. The Lost Straight Road, and upon its path, glimpse the wonderful golden-silver light of the Undying Lands.