Raison d’etre
Welcome to the cultural and political rantings of Michael E. Lawrence. This is where I will publish materials that cannot be posted at the New Liturgical Movement. With any luck, these writings will help to increase the esteem in which liberty, common sense, and good taste are held.
The title is something of an ironical tribute to Richard M. Weaver, whose fascinating book Ideas Have Consequences I have only recently completed. In this work, Weaver contends that we have lost sight of the grounding philosophical or religious ideas which guide our reason. This lack of awareness of our central ideas sends us to the “periphery” as he calls it, where, instead of being guided by our first principles, we obsess on facts and other secondary minutiae. This leads to over-specialization (as part of the division of labor…though I find the division of labor to be a good thing, on the whole) and a whole host of other things. I could not help, being a right-brained musician with very little skill in the “practical” world, but feel a bit indicted by Weaver’s compelling testimony, hence the title of this blog. In truth, in due time I hope this blog will show itself to be neither fragmented nor obsessive.
Finally, the once and for all disclaimer, with apologies to one of my music history professors from about a decade ago: I don’t mean to offend anyone….or maybe I do. Yep, I will probably annoy you more than once, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s good. It’s the good ideas that annoy people, not the bad ones, secundum H.L. Mencken.
How brightly shines « Kile Smith said
[...] brightly shines Michael Lawrence has posted some nice words, some awfully nice words, about Vespers at The New Liturgical Movement. [...]