Whether one shares Dante's belief that the dead all finally belong to God's jurisdiction, the fact remains that in such moments, when all possible paths seem blocked off, it is the dead, if they are well disposed, who come forward to show a way. At times such aid is not forthcoming from them, to be sure; at other times it is rejected, polemically and angrily; sometimes it is passed over by its intended beneficiaries, unrecognized for what it is; at yet other times, the help offered calls for a reciprocative rejoiner. Yet one way or another, we cannot do with it. The primary reason the dead have an afterlife in so many human cultures is because it falls upon them--the dead--to come to the rescue and provide counsel when that debilitating darkness falls. Why this special authority? Because the dead possess a nocturnal vision that the living cannot acquire. The light in which we carry on our secular lives blinds us to certain insights. Some truths are glimpsed only in the dark. That is why in moments of extreme need one must turn to those who can see through the gloom. Robert Pogue Harrison
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Dominion of the Dead
Whether one shares Dante's belief that the dead all finally belong to God's jurisdiction, the fact remains that in such moments, when all possible paths seem blocked off, it is the dead, if they are well disposed, who come forward to show a way. At times such aid is not forthcoming from them, to be sure; at other times it is rejected, polemically and angrily; sometimes it is passed over by its intended beneficiaries, unrecognized for what it is; at yet other times, the help offered calls for a reciprocative rejoiner. Yet one way or another, we cannot do with it. The primary reason the dead have an afterlife in so many human cultures is because it falls upon them--the dead--to come to the rescue and provide counsel when that debilitating darkness falls. Why this special authority? Because the dead possess a nocturnal vision that the living cannot acquire. The light in which we carry on our secular lives blinds us to certain insights. Some truths are glimpsed only in the dark. That is why in moments of extreme need one must turn to those who can see through the gloom. Robert Pogue Harrison
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Hey Niland.
ReplyDeleteI'm more behind the idea of reincarnation and the Buddhist suggest that to ease the transition, we should be ready at any moment and avoid the extreme anything. Maybe during this time of economic collapse you're reading too much Robert Pogue Harrison and not enough of the Onion. Ruthie