tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post6988818594582802588..comments2024-03-01T23:41:02.240-05:00Comments on louie, louie: The Newsbeth cioffolettihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-66020732476538488692018-10-27T18:00:08.191-05:002018-10-27T18:00:08.191-05:00I think that Merton is pointing toward a way of re...I think that Merton is pointing toward a way of relating to "reality" rather than a judgmental rant on cultural habits. beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-26804797656374362212018-10-26T12:11:31.842-05:002018-10-26T12:11:31.842-05:00Good points, James. Merton could be quite the drea...Good points, James. Merton could be quite the dreamer and out of touch with the nuts and bolts of people living outside the monastery. He bragged about never having watched a TV, which would probably be akin to not using a computer these days. (Which Pope Francis claims). <br /> <br />Your comments make me feel somewhat less "guilty" about my news habit. I agree with you that we have to somehow engage in the world - speak our truth - and to do this we have to have some sort of understanding of it. beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-38549128607070613792018-10-26T10:14:34.095-05:002018-10-26T10:14:34.095-05:00Reading these comments about "news" by M...Reading these comments about "news" by Merton sounds like the president's ongoing criticism of the press--"fake news". I trust that good journalists don't "manufacture" news any more than good scientists manufacture evidence, and I depend on them and support them. I'm surprised Merton wrote this, as he seems to imply that the press is, in part, responsible for the "confusion", the other part being our "self-hypnosis". He neglects to address our responsibility for studying the news and using discernment, getting outside of the cloud and voicing/voting our opinion (the sort of socially-conscious work he had done).James Sedwicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-3806835763378116472018-10-26T09:39:22.060-05:002018-10-26T09:39:22.060-05:00I feel like I need a monastery more than ever. Mak...I feel like I need a monastery more than ever. Make a monastery of my home and my life.beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-45682264845144816722018-10-26T09:37:57.416-05:002018-10-26T09:37:57.416-05:00I'm taken with Merton's use of the word &q...I'm taken with Merton's use of the word "renounce". Renunciation of this self-hypnosis. I can feel how strong the pull is to into this trance. Every morning I look at "the news". I feel relief when I turn away from it, yet a few hours later I check it again. Sigh. It really is like an addiction, and everybody is addicted. TVs are everywhere. Phones are everywhere. beth cioffolettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300116274007165612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-822894759353679437.post-57224230573109391112018-10-26T05:49:21.206-05:002018-10-26T05:49:21.206-05:00The parallels with today are breathtaking.
Now, ...The parallels with today are breathtaking. <br /><br />Now, fifty years later, perhaps the main difference is that few trust any of the news media.JofIndiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05091187070268922483noreply@blogger.com