Our Finest Gods

Do you have a god? If not, would you like one? Sounds like it could be a rewarding relationship. But, where to find one? That's the tough part.

Now, friends like William Blake tell us about seeing "a world in a grain of sand / And a heaven in a wild flower." So, mayhap we could say that this god for whom we seek is everywhere around us and we don't need to go anywhere in particular. Well, Mr. Blake is a highly eccentric character and most cultures seem to have taken a different line with this.



Often, our finest gods seem to be found in some fairly dark places. Old Ken need not remind you of our quest from a few years back for "The Christmas Grotesque": http://nicebirdrox.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-grotesque.html. But let's let the fact that both Christ (in a certain tradition) and Santa Claus (in another tradition) can be found inhabiting grottos give substance to my point for the moment.



But, lo! What is this that stands before me? Figure in black! Who are you in this darkened hallway? Why do you gleam so radiantly amidst this gloomy space? You must certainly be important, oh light-giver, if you are so hermetically encased in glass. Who art thou? Am I worthy to look upon ye?



Could thou be some-random-assortment-of-books-published-by-humanities-faculty-in-a-science-and-technology-school-where-no-scientist-would-ever-be-caught-dead-publishing-a-book-(versus-articles)? Can I bask in the healing glow of thine dusty curly-upped-paged-ness? In this era of cut-backs and restrictions on useful research tools and funding, how felicitous it is that the mere thousands of dollars it has cost to envision, build and install you has not been cut so that you can broadcast your genius to passing janitors or anyone rushing to use the bathroom! Thanks to you, my protector and my friend. Thank you.