An e-mail from a friend today reminded me of the distinctly peculiar walk Christ calls us to in this poor fallen world. That in turn brought to mind several notable, quotable epigrams:
"It appears that the rumor is in fact true: the world is run by C students." Jean Renoir (1894-1979)
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Robert Frost (1874-1963)
"If you always go where you have always have gone and always do what you have always done, you will always be what you have always been." Tristan Gylberd (1954-)
"With visions of redemption, I walk against the crowd." Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944)
"Never forget that every place is unique—just like every place else." (Tristan Gylberd (1954-)
3 comments:
I've always loved that Frost poem, but it seems that his siren call for us to "go our own way" is exactly the opposite of the "peculiar walk" we are called to as Christian members of community. It is all too like the conformity to nonconformist behaviors that seems to have characterised the last half-century or so. We need to be sure that we combine our "peculiar walk" with a desire to "be conformed to His image". I think this is essentially the Romans 12:1-2 lifestyle.
Bob: I think that it really depends on how you read Frost here. If you make the assumption that he is going his own way, then I'd agree with you. But, if Frost is, as he once stated, crafting a metaphor for the "narrow road v. the broad road," then his words take on distinctly Christian flavor. I'm not saying Frost had it all right--but, it was after all someone else's "road less traveled" that he came upon in the wood--not a trail he forged on his own.
Maybe I am too much influenced by my 60's era high school English teacher (and my own 60's era upbringing). I can certainly see how the Christian metaphor can be applied ... after all, the devil has no stories ... but taken as a whole, Frost seems to me to stand firmly in the 'rugged individualist' camp. You've challenged me to look into it (and his other works) more deeply, though
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