Kevin's Watch

OK - Got my copy of The Prophet [well - the one I borrowed anyway], tonight I'll read what I can [I may finish it in one sitting or mabe it'll take two] and I'll report back on my thinking. For my part, I think everybody should read The Man Who Planted Trees at least once .

I have now completed my first reading of The Prophet. That it is a spiritual work of the highest elegance is beyond question and if I found it more 'didactic' than I expected it is none the worsr for that [is 'didactic' the correct word - I mean the way it was presented as a series of questions and answers]. It is almost unfair to comment upon such a work so shortly after reading it for the first time, because the 'pearls of wisdom' flow of every page and deserve time to percolate into one and work their magic before comment is made.

This said, I can make at least the following observations. For me the work was inherantly 'christian' in it's message - but this may well be because Av had noted above that the author was such himself; would it have been the case had I not taken this on board earlier, hard to say. I assume the 'ship' aspect of the story was allegorical [or is that metaphorical] for his death and passing off beyond 'the oceans' of time and space. The 'rebirth' promise at the end had [for me] very definite 'Christ' like overtones and I was intrigued by the little final set piece where the woman stands alone on the dock when all else have departed and re hears His words "A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me." Did she see herself as that woman; I had earlier in the story almost equated her with 'the Magdalene figure', perhaps even his lover, so maybe this is so.

In conclusion, to read this once [as Av said] and put it away forever, is not possible [I suspect he knew this ]. This is a book to read, to put aside, to return to, page by page - and to give thought to it's message. I suspect there is wisdom between these pages for believer and atheist alike.

peter wrote: I found it more 'didactic' than I expected it is none the worsr for that [is 'didactic' the correct word - I mean the way it was presented as a series of questions and answers].

On the question/answer...I think you're thinking of dialectic. And it has a bit of that feel, also a taste of rhetoric.
Didactic could apply in a way...but without the negative connotations.
I'd say it isn't/doesn't use/do any of those precisely/specifically---especially didactic---but it has family resemblance to those things/tools.

Glad you liked it.

Hey Guys,

I tried to copy some of the Khalil Gilbran convo. we've been having here to the thread that Avatar suggested.

It's in Gen. Disc. right now.
You can check my super-long-quoting-people-posting for accuracy, formatting, and weirdness:
Kahlil Gibran
(and formatting weirdness!!)

Could we make that the place to talk about Khalil Gilbran?
(and please add what you guys just said here to the thread, so stuff people said is in nice, chronological order?)

We can merge this part of this thread with that thread if you like?

Peter, I've been reading it for more than 20 years. And as an atheist, I can certainly attest to it containing wisdom no matter what you believe (or don't). Glad you liked it.

--A

Very much Av.

re the shifting of stuff from thread to thread - think I'd better leave that to youze guys [for the good of the Watch ].

Well, the poll's up. Think I can change my vote to Augustine of Hippo?

Avatar wrote:We can merge this part of this thread with that thread if you like?

well, my attempt to obsessively "curate" relevant posts does not seem to have helped...
So if you think it's a good idea.. go ahead.

I'm easy, it's your thread.

--A