11:13:24
Tombstone, 1993
“If it’s not hopeful, it’s evil.’
I think Christianity is a religion of hope—a reassuring religion, at heart.
And I think Christianity’s opposition, atheism/Marxism, covets and sanctifies hopelessness. It rewards pessimism. Auto-poisoning dressed up as realism.
‘I have to admit you are right, Barbro is right,’ I said. ‘I have been claiming to be a Christian but the journalist jumps up and starts cataloging all the evils and sort of side-stepping the spiritual responsibility to speak hope and faith over every moment.”
Maybe journalism is no good.
Father Zosimas, and Dana, told me about some saints, they were related to the Romanovs but I don’t remember who they were exactly. The Bolsheviks threw them down into wells to die and they started singing hymns. They could be heard singing so beautifully, from down there, until finally, they fell silent. They died singing.
I remember thinking: ‘That’s Christianity? You gave to be that strong? But I’m not. How could anybody be that strong? They didn't even cry, or scream, or complain? They sang?’
‘I’m going to try to express only strength in my words,’ I said.
‘Trying isn’t good enough,’ Håkan said.
‘Ok,” I said. “I’m going to just do it.”
‘I forget too,’ he said.
‘It’s a practice,’ I said. “We’re so indoctrinated to speak doom and reality and dark facts.’
’Yes, we are.’
I occurred to me that this is the modern way—the secular way. It was my way too, mostly.
*Our primary obligation as humans is to be hopeful, even when it feels impossible. One should at least try to always be hopeful for others.
