Pensees and Metro conversations
• I’m currently reading the famous philosophy book Pensees, by Blaise Pascal. For those of you don’t know, Blaise Pascal was one of the most brilliant mathematician/scientist that ever lived, and he lived to only 32 through a harsh lifelong sickness. He was also one of the greatest Christian apologists that ever lived too and Pensees is a collection of his writings and letters revealing his zeal not only for the Christian faith but for the general pursuit of Truth. It’s funny though how a book written in the mid-17th Century can hold truths so poignant for today; only further confirming the fact that though times, nations, and styles change, the heart of man always stays the same. Truth transcends time and humanity is the beautiful letdown...
“Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.” -Blaise Pascal, Pensees
• Whilst traveling to work today on the Metro, a woman, prolly around 50 or so saw me reading Pensees and asked me the following question:
“You aren’t reading that for fun are you?”
Now before I comment on that question, let’s identify my assumptions. First, I assume she knew what I was reading in terms of context. I feel she was either aware of Pascal’s legacy or that she knew that his book Pensees (a well known work of literature so I’m not suggesting I was blown away or anything that she knew what it was) dealt with deep philosophies. She must’ve known the weight of the material in my hand. My second assumption is that she couldn’t imagine anyone reading Pensees, or a book like Pensees, for the sole purpose of “pleasure” (for lack of a better word). I think she presupposed that I was reading it out of academic requirement or obligation.
I was a bit surprised by her question. When she started talking I was expecting a question like, “Good book,” or “What book are you reading?” So she caught me off guard a bit. I replied,
“Um sort of.”
Which I believe was an honest answer. I’m not necessarily reading Pensees for “fun” as I would say for Lord of the Rings or a Michael Crighton thriller. There’s very little material within the book that can be considered “fun” or “pleasurable”; on the contrary, much of what Pascal writes about is fairly sobering and convicting. But on the other hand, I’m not reading Pensees because it’s the assignment for the week for my Philosophy 101 course. Though I feel “sort of” was an honest answer, specifically the reason for me reading Pensees stems from a deep desire for the pursuit of truth, unrelated to any institution or organization or religion.
And though her question would probably be indicative of most people (I mean who would read a biology textbook for “fun” other than super nerds?), I found it a little disappointing. That fact that reading old or even ancient philosophy texts isn’t “popular” or thought of as engaging or interesting shows that most people aren’t interested in pursuing Truth about the world they live in. Sure we all ask the question “where did I come from, why am I here, and where am I going?”, but what good is it asking those questions if you aren’t serious about seeking answers to them?
A lot of people tell me that I’m a “deep” thinker. I don’t know what to think about that. I mean I think about “deep” things a lot, but what human doesn’t? I don’t think the difference between me and someone that doesn’t think about “deep” things much is that we have different intellectual capacities. I think it’s just the simple fact that I don’t normally (though I do sometimes with videogames and cars) try to avoid the deep questions of life by covering them up with superficial diversions. People don’t want to think about death, or sin, or truths claims made by various religions because it opens up a vulnerability that we humans do not like to expose. I guess I’ve come to the point where I realize I have no intrinsic worth to hide or keep safe so I might as well deal with the realities of life, love, and why. I have everything to lose, yet at the same time everything to gain....