"Pensées," by Blaise Pascal (Part 2/2) | Graham H. Walker, Ph.D.

[@hawthorne1504]

Thank you Dr. Walker, this was great.

[@lorimorrison6539]

I love him as a teacher!!! So gracious and good!!! Thank you! I began 2 of the City of God teachings and loved them too. They were interrupted (technologically)so I need to finish them but I really love him! Thank you you so much!!

[@tonyappleton9488]

“Man is the weakest of reeds, but a thinking reed.” As with all analogies it is necessary to know the primary reality from which the analogy is drawn. A reed is a slender grass form which grows in shallow water. Unlike sturdy trees which may break before a hurricane, a reed will bend but will not break; and when the tempest has passed it will regain its upright position. The weakest of of reeds therefore is the most likely to bend and flatten before the storm, most likely to hold fast to its roots and form and to rise again to its pristine form. Man, the thinking reed in Pascal’s analogy, knows his supple weakness, his resilience, and his eventual triumphal uprightness which, though laid flat in the hurricanes and blizzards of time, rises again and survives; and rises stronger and triumphant in each passing storm.

[@leticiacervantes5013]

Thanks for these wonderful talks I listen to while writing Bysantine icons in Santiago, Chile. You talk about the nothingness of nirvana and the I AM of Judeo-Christian teachings (min 17), I wonder if they are both right. St. John of the Cross talks about the ‘dark night’. In order to see the Light it has to be dark. ‘In the beginning darkness covered the earth….then God said “let there be light” Gn 1:1. So to see light, Gods consciousness reveals itself to us so that we may see him, just like he revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush after living in the dessert (meaning in the dark) for years. Thank you for teaching great meaningful stuff.

[@blaizewood1871]

Thank you.

[@hawthorne1504]

410: I don’t think Aristotle thought we needed to overcome passions, I think he thought we needed to practice virtuous behavior until it becomes a habit to the point where the good virtuous choice is what we desire.

[@hawthorne1504]

Note on 407: which is closer to the truth… Stoics looking inside or those who seek diversion who look outside. The second choice is very much the modern day, we seek constant gratification with our devices that distract us from thought. In the one hand I thought looking inward is closer to the better way since at least you are focusing on something, but on the other hand it is quite dangerous as it can lead the a self referential abyss.