Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Bob Laurent: Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China

 

Watchman Nee: Sufferer for China
Bob Laurent
⭐⭐⭐ 

To start, this is a juvenile read, and it is perfect for youth; therefore, my rating is based on my overall  personal reading experience. However, the biographical story of Nee T'o-sheng, or Watchman Nee, is no less impactful. 

Christianity took a thousand years to reach the Eastern world, and by then China was fixed in superstition, legalism, and the teachings of Buddha and Confucius. When England declared war on China in the early 1800s, it opened the doorway for Protestant Christians to start schools and missions. In the 1850s, Nee's grandfather became a believer and broke the pagan practices in his family, becoming the first Chinese evangelist of Foochow, China. 

In his young adulthood, Nee T'o-sheng recognized his own sin and need for the Savior. He saw what Christ had done for him on the cross and immediately wept, repented, and experienced joy and peace. To mark this milestone in his life, T'o-sheng changed his name to Watchman Nee.

While Mao Tse-tung was converting to the atheistic religion of Karl Marx, Nee was laying the foundation for the Christian church in China. It was a woman, Margaret Barber, who was his mentor, and helped him in his Christian mission. She taught him to remain humble and "stay broken." It was through this ideal that Nee never defended himself, especially when falsely accused. He explained, "Brothers, if people trust us, there is no need to explain; if people do not trust us, there is no use in explaining." 

He also learned the lesson of the cross. He taught that if one "cannot stand the trials of the cross, [one] cannot become a useful instrument [of God]. It was from Barber that he developed his lifelong motto:
I want nothing for myself: I want everything for the Lord.
And Nee lived exactly this way for the remainder of his life. Though he experienced poor health, he continued steadfast in his ministry, writing and teaching and leading believers and laying the foundation for churches throughout China. He worked hard to keep the Chinese church humble and true, grounded in the word of God, during a time when "...lukewarm religious secularism, denominational jealousies and prideful, compromised ecclesiastes had paralyzed the movement..." Corruption had found its way into the church, and he was determined to eradicate it.

But another conflict was brewing, as China was engaged in a civil war between the Nationalists and Marxists. "[Nee] understood the consequences to Christianity if a government founded on the hostile atheism of Marxist ideology came to power." While Nee was hopeful, understanding that "...the end of this world is the start of a better one," he held fast and recited a fellow believer:
The Lord sat as King at the Flood; He sits as King forever!

After prayer and patience, knowing there was not much time left to act, Nee and his fellow workers moved to spread the gospel like never before. 

On New Year's Day, 1951, Watchman Nee preached his final recorded sermon, encouraging believers to count on the Lord, trust Him, and seek His blessings because the only guarantee "...is that you will be persecuted for living a godly life in Christ Jesus."

On April 10, 1952, Nee was arrested and charged as a "lawless capitalist." He remained imprisoned for twenty years. Even after his initial fifteen-year term was up, he was denied release; while not much is known of his time in prison, it was apparent that he refused to convert to the religion of Communism. He entered his eternal rest on June 1, 1972.

He once said, 

to what are we committed? Not to Christian work, but to the will of God, to be and to do whatever He pleases. The path of every Christian has been already marked out by God. If at the close of a life we can say with Paul, 'I have finished my course,' then we are blessed indeed. the Old Testament saints served their own generation and passed on. Men go, but the Lord remains. God Himself takes away His workers, but He gives others. Our work suffers, but never His. He is still God. 

 

Nee T'o-sheng ~ 1903 - 1972

* * *

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Well-Educated Mind Poetry: Robert Frost


Robert Frost
American Poet
1874 - 1963
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

The next poet on the WEM poetry list was Robert Frost, one of America's most notable poets. Frost was born and grew up in San Francisco, California, in 1874, until his father passed away, when he and his mother moved to Massachusetts. In adulthood, he and his wife had six children, two who died in infancy. 

He worked odd jobs much of his life, before he became recognized as a poet, which happened while he and his family were staying in the United Kingdom, in 1912. He was directly impacted by rural living; in fact, many of his poems reflect his love and connection with the country life.

After returning to the United States, he bought farmland in New Hampshire, where he continued writing realistic poetry about nature, social and philosophical issues, personal loss, life choices, and New England country life. 

It may be evident from his poetry that he suffered many disappointments throughout his long life, including depression and mental illness in his family. He lost his parents to illness, his sister to cancer, and a daughter to mental illness. He himself suffered with bouts of depression. Maybe it was his ability to express himself through poetry that enabled him to overcome. Maybe writing prepared him to work through his loss. 

Frost is a cultural icon, and my little blurb about him is a trifle compared to what can be said about his literary achievements. I can mention this fact: he won numerous awards in poetry, including four Pulitzer Prizes. But the memorable of all, I think, is that he was invited to read his poetry -- the first time in U.S. presidential inaugural history -- by President John Kennedy during his inauguration on January 20, 1961. He was expected to read his poem "Dedication," but the glare of the sun and blowing of the wind prevented him from reading from his paper; hence, he recited from memory, "The Gift Outright." In the end, God preferred the later and directed history.

The land was ours before we were the land’s 
She was our land more than a hundred years 
Before we were her people. She was ours 
In Massachusetts, in Virginia, 
But we were England’s, still colonials, 
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by, 
Possessed by what we now no more possessed. 
Something we were withholding made us weak 
Until we found out that it was ourselves 
We were withholding from our land of living, 
And forthwith found salvation in surrender. 
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright 
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war) 
To the land vaguely realizing westward, 
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced, 
Such as she was, such as she will become.

Frost reciting his poem @ JFK Inauguration


Here are the selected poems I read. Favorites are in blue.

After Apple Picking
Birches
The Death of the Hired Man
Departmental
Design
Fire and Ice
Home Burial
Mending Wall
Mowing
The Need of Being Versed in Country Things
Nothing Gold Can Stay
The Pasture
Putting in the Seed
The Road Not Taken 
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
To Earthward
Trespass
The Wood-Pile
* * *

Thursday, February 15, 2024

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

 

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published 1925
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
reread

I first read The Great Gatsby for The Well-Educated Mind reading challenge in 2013; it was unforgettable then and still is this second time. It has been (almost) a century since this tragic story had first been shared. 

The Great Gatsby is quintessentially American literature, particularly because it highlights the "American Dream," the unique ideal that with hard work, determination, and ambition, anyone, regardless of status, can succeed. At the time of publication, some in America were experiencing great wealth, and the variance between rich and poor was considerable. Seemingly, the American Dream appeared unreachable for many. 

This was a very personal story for Fitzgerald, almost autobiographical; but when I think of one of the important statements made by Nick, our narrator (our eyes), I feel like this story is more universal than personal or just American. The statement is this: 
They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up their mess they had made...

A LITTLE STORY FIRST

Tom and Daisy were a married couple living in the opulent end of a fictional town on Long Island. They lived idle lives, lounging away their days. Nick, the narrator, was an essential character who moved into the lower (though still wealthy) end of the area, next door to a self-made man named Jay Gatsby. 

Mr. Gatsby had a romantic past with the aforementioned Daisy; though she was wealthy -- and he not -- I think she still loved him as he was, albeit for his great ideas and ambitions. Nonetheless, he was off to the Great War, and by the time he returned to Daisy, she had already married Tom, unwilling to wait for Gatsby. He still believed he could attract her, if he could build up and grow his status in order to sustain her with material goods and wealth -- after all, she loved money.

That was why he purchased property across the Bay from where Daisy lived with Tom. Nick narrated the story as Gatsby's new neighbor, but Nick also knew Tom and Daisy, and it is through Nick that Gatsby arranged for Daisy to come back into his life. She was star struck by his wealth. To some degree. 

Those substantial parties that occurred at his mansion were opportunities to draw and capture Daisy. However, for a time, they attracted hordes of boorish, negligent, rich strangers who spread rumors about the host of the residence. Although everyone knew of him and enjoyed his grand premises and material abundance, no one really knew the truth about who Jay Gatsby was.  Even Nick struggled with the truth.

SPOILERS:

The tragic turning point in the story materialized when Nick, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan rode into the city with nothing better to do than drink, complain, and argue. Afterward, Daisy and Gatsby returned to Long Island in Gatsby's car. Then, following some moments behind, Nick, Jordan, and Tom, in Tom's car, stopped to see an incident that had occurred near a gas station owned by Wilson, a man Tom knew. The man's wife, Myrtle, had just been struck by a fancy speeding car, killing her instantly. She was Tom's mistress! 

Immediately, due to the description of the vehicle, it was determined that it was Gatsby's car which struck and killed the woman. It was only a matter of hours before Tom had told Wilson whom the vehicle belonged to; but Tom never learned (at least that we can tell) what Gatsby had told Nick: that it was Daisy who had been driving. 

You can guess what happened next: revenge, murder, and suicide. 

Finally, it disgusted Nick that those who recklessly frequented Gatsby's parties and those who considered themselves business partners and the like, now had or wanted nothing to do with Gatsby. No one cared enough to attend the funeral. They abused his mansion, took advantage of his liberality, and walked away without any accountability or care for his life.

SPOILERS ENDED

In the end, Nick had developed a respectable understanding of who Gatsby was. Gatsby set high standards for himself and he worked hard; but he also participated in illegal activity to achieve his new economic status. And while Daisy was his ideal of the American Dream -- after all, he did all this for her -- she chose to stay married to Tom. She eluded Gatsby, just like all the rich party-goers had abandoned him at his death; and Wilson who had a rough time getting ahead (who could not even keep his wife satisfied); and the many others in the City who worked and worked and got nowhere; so too, the American Dream seemed to elude them. 

source

BUT IS THIS TRUTH?

Interestingly, the American Dream was not for people like Tom and Daisy because they were born into wealth and status. Instead, they carelessly made messes of other lives -- in this case, Gatsby, Wilson, and Myrtle -- and then they walked away, without conscience, from the lives they ruined. People were disposable to the Toms and Daisies of the world. The same can be said about the rich party-goers since they did not care about what had happened to Gatsby. They just moved on. 

This disregard for human life is a bad universal human trait and does not matter if you are wealthy or poor. People are selfish and they use and discard others after they have no more need of them. Other than that, Fitzgerald argued that the American Dream was difficult to attain (period). For Gatsby, his American Dream was behind him, unable to ever reach it. And since his Dream was Daisy, an idol, he set himself up to fail.

The American Dream is subjective because if a people are free, they will form their own absolute of what success looks like, and they will determine the goal. There are many roads to similar goals, too. In addition, one's morality or lack thereof, as well as personal circumstances, abilities, and talents will affect one's outcome. Gatsby, Wilson, and Myrtle did not exactly make right choices, either. And while we only think Tom and Daisy evaded consequences, in reality, destructive decisions catch up to you sooner or later, no matter your status. The truth always is exposed.

Yes, I think there is some truth to Fitzgerald's idea that the American Dream may be enigmatic and becoming more fleeting. Innumerable obstacles and challenges exist for all people. And in the 1920s, there were intentional obstacles to different people groups as well. But I believe those barriers have since been lifted, and frankly, the greatest hindrance to upward mobility today is government, if upward mobility is your Dream. However, as long as one has liberty and independence, he can choose his path, head straight, and at least strive and persevere, God willing. And Nick understood this and was encouraged to know that at least people still believed in the 

green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And one fine morning...

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Edith Wharton: The House of Mirth

 

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Published 1905
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


A woman in Lily Bart's world had only two options: marriage or death.  

Lily was special -- primed to marry well, to be "decorative" and "ornamental," particularly for her exquisite beauty, and conditioned to avoid a "dingy" life. Except, Lily struggled to make decisions and had missed a few earlier opportunities to marry well. Now she was closer to being beyond marriageable age. 

Unfortunately, Lily had expensive taste and was obsessed with money; and she was poor, sustained only by the pity of a wealthy aunt. She complained that men had a choice to marry or remain single, but women did not. If women were to appear successful and rich, they must marry into "partnership" with a successful man. Therefore, Lily was holding out for that unique man who was successful, well-off, and could also bring her happiness. But who?

Selden was a good friend to Lily, but he was not wealthy, and Lily knew he could never financially satisfy her thirst to keep up with high society. And yet, she considered him the "richest man she had ever met." He was free from the restraints of society. 

Regrettably, high society was exhausting because there were so many rules that women had to obey, and many rules were hypocritical. Lily also felt the pressure to gamble because that is what women in her circle were expected to do. Lily's gambling addiction later cost her everything. 

Lily frustrated me

Up to this point, Lily had frustrated me. She was malleable, indecisive, and foolish. And while I added up all of the lies she had told to cover her wretched lifestyle or to save herself from mortification, she showed a glimmer of noble character. Lily had received evidence that a married woman in her circle of acquaintances had pursued a romantic affair with Selden through letters. But instead of confronting either party, she kept the information to herself, specifically to protect her good friend; however, it could have been used to blackmail the wicked married woman who intentionally singled out Lily, took advantage of her, and finally, out of jealousy, sabotaged her reputation with rumors and, thus, isolated her from society. 

It seemed everyone and everything had turned against Lily. She did not belong to that harsh "other world." Selden saw this clearly. He loved her and wanted to rescue her from it, but he could not help her. She was all alone. 
That's Lily all over, you know: she works like a slave preparing the ground and sowing her seed; but the day she ought to be reaping the harvest she oversleeps herself or goes off on a picnic. 
One of my own marginal notes stated: Lily would have married a rich prince, but self-sabotage is always her end. I don't think Lily wants to be married after all. 

This story was hardly over when Lily's worldly aunt died of humiliation. She was outraged with her niece because of the rumors she had heard about Lily's "folly" and, therefore, decreased her legacy, leaving her in an extremely precarious circumstance. Lily had expected to pay off her debt with the inheritance, but now it could hardly be enough.

Lily was desperate and thought about a prosperous man who once admired and sought to marry her. She had declined because she knew she would have settled. Since circumstances had changed, she reconsidered marriage with him; however, he was no longer interested because her reputation had been  tarnished. Yet, he knew about the damaging letters and the affairs of that particular woman who had ruined Lily, and he encouraged Lily to come out with the truth -- repairing her own reputation and "making her marriageable again." But because of her noble courage, she would not drag Selden's name through the mud. 

Lily salvages my opinion of herself

By Book Two, Chapter Eight, I wrote: "Lily is a bigger person (even flawed) than all of us." She had declined in society, and yet, she refused to compromise her convictions. Not only was she alone -- she was invisible.
Hitherto her intermittent impulses of resistance had sufficed to maintain her self-respect.
Lily eventually resided at a boarding house and worked as a laborer, until that ended. And like Madame Bovary, she resorted to drugs to help her sleeplessness. 

Reynolds: Mrs. Lloyd, 1775-76

Lily learned a lesson too late

In the final pages, Lily learned one simple lesson. She met a young working-girl whom she had once helped. The girl had married now and was a mother, and Lily had the opportunity to witness the "central truth of existence:" this young family was built in poverty, with faith and courage. They did not have the financial security of high society, but they were free to love each other and be happy.

In the end, she remained true to her word, and when her aunt's cheque arrived, she paid off all of her debts. She could have been happy with Selden, but she made her choice. This was the end for Lily. She will never have her life back. 

A little soapbox

Though the demise of Lily is tragic, much of it was self-imposed. She complained about what it cost for [her] "to live on the rich":
--it's a privilege we have to pay for! We eat their dinners and drink their wine, and smoke their cigarettes, and use their carriages and their opera-boxes and their private cares -- yes, but there's a tax to pay on every one of those luxuries...the girl pays it by tips and cards too -- oh, yes, I've had to take up bridge again -- and by going to the best dress-makers, and having just the right dress for every occasion, and always keeping herself fresh and exquisite and amusing!
For Lily, her greatest fear was poverty; but it should have been fear of facing an angry God. I know that was not the point of the story, but I see it this way: man's problems are not caused by the discrepancy between rich and poor; man's problems are caused by his disobedience toward God and doing everything his own way. And that is why Lily was lost, indecisive, and obsessed with wealth. All of those people were lost because they lived life their way -- with gossip, adultery, covetousness, self-preservation, greed,  materialism, lying, slothfulness, self-worship -- we know our ways are self-destructive; but there is a better way. 

Nonetheless...

The House of Mirth is an intriguing and calculating story - never a dull chapter. The characters are believable, even as caricatures of society. And Edith Wharton is an exceptionally mature writer. She knows the human heart thoroughly and, I'm afraid, does not exaggerate or hide any rotten detail at all. 

This is my second read of House of Mirth, and on some pages, I ran out of room in the margins to add any new notes. 

If you have only considered reading House of Mirth or any other Edith Wharton, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You will not regret it.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2023, but...

 

These were the books I planned to read in 2023, but...I did not get to them. There were more than ten, but these are the TOP ten books that I wish I did, should have, and probably will later this year. (Right.)

1. Lewis: The Four Loves - Planning to read this year, for certain.


2. Goldman: The Princess Bride - But I still don't feel like reading this. I'm very mixed.

3. Rand: Anthem - I may try this this year.

4. Rand: Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal - But I may wait on this one. 


5. McCullough: 1776 - I will probably skip this one this year.


6. McCullough: John Adams - But I think I'm going to read this one this year.


7. McCullough: The Pioneers - And this one. More than anything, I want to read this one.


8. Wharton: The House of Mirth - Guess what! I'm already reading this now. This is a second read for me, and I am enjoying it even more. 


9. Fitzgerald: Great Gatsby - Definitely planning to read this again.


10. Orwell: 1984 - Definitely planning to re-read this later in 2024. I joined Brona's Reading Orwell 2024 event. 


Visit That Artsy Reader Girl to join this week's Top Ten Tuesday.