"bureaucrats don't like untidiness, and nor does evil. the evil are revolted by the sheer messiness of human existence. they are purists who prefer the perfection of death to flesh and blood.....the only thing about them that is not quite dead is the pleasure they reap from destruction"

i thought i had something to say about this and now i find that i dont at all but i still love the quote
i think i know some of these people

what makes a gold star human being?

the essay in the weekend paper was an excerpt from "On Evil" by Terry Eagleton and recently released by Yale press.
far be it from me to try to summarise the essay but there were a couple of bits i thought might make conversation:

"when did evil start to look so alluring? .....when goodness began to look boring. We can blame this on the puritanical middle classes. It is they who redefined virtue as thrift, prudence meekness, abstinence, chastity and industriousness"

Eagleton goes on to talk about virtue, defined by Aristotle as excelling at being human. He also refers to the abundant life as promised to Jesus' followers in the New Testament.

so i was wondering, what do you think is involved in abundant life?
how do we excell at being human?
what is the definition of being human?
does goodness appear boring to you?
when you fit some definition of goodness do you get bored?
is "badness" (evil is a strong word) attractive in any concrete way?


i'll be back with the next quote in my next post........