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Piety Plus Nonsense Is Still Just Nonsense

Admittedly, I have much less patience for people these past few months. That sounds weird and wrong to say. I mean that I am closing ranks; I have no time to join in a chorus of criticism directed toward myself.

I used to love meeting new people; I don't anymore. I will probably say a lot more offensive things in the weeks and months ahead, because I think I had an idol of being popular, an idol of being well-liked. I wasn't one to mince words to begin with, and now, I find that sometimes, diplomacy leaves leaves you holding the ashes of fruitless efforts to please others.

I think the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a wonderful gift, one of the greatest ever given to humankind. I also think it doesn't necessarily prevent any man from being a fool. Please do move the priests, powers that be. The broken cistern is more obvious the longer it stays in the same place.

I think I'll be one of those public intellectuals who dies, and someone will say, "he wasn't one to suffer fools gladly." The prospect of this doesn't bother me like it used to.

It's true that I want people to like me. Truthfully, I want people to love me. I haven't worked out how this will work, since I'm not sure I like most people.

The singer-poet Carole King wrote, "People can be so cold. They'll hurt you, and desert you. They'll take your soul if you let them. Oh, but don't you let them."

I haven't worked out how this works, given that a heart that loves is a heart that hurts, by definition. I do know that right now, the pagans are wiser to me than the children of light.
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