Change of Plans

Who was I kidding? I couldn't stick to the plan I laid out for myself. I've always had this problem with having too many interests, so much so that I'm pulled in so many different directions that I can't focus on one thing for too long without becoming bored. I'm practically schizophrenic about my interests and want to learn about everything that interests me, but there's just too little time to do so. Thus, I rarely finish books or stick to my plans for reading (at least in the realm of leisure).

I wish that I could write freely on subjects that readers would find interesting without first having to be prompted. As of yet, this seems impossible. I've had this problem with writing creatively and expressing my own ideas, without citing some other source that either backs up or argues against my point. Sure, this makes my writing stronger from an academic sense, but it also limits my modes of expression. I've never had the inspiration, or perhaps courage, to try creative writing. Maybe I'm just so afraid that if anyone ever read my writing, they would hate it. Maybe I'm afraid that my ideas aren't original and exciting, and therefore not worth reading.

So, anyway, I've amended my plans for the blog a bit. I have two other books that I'm going to be reading now. Hopefully, this will keep the blog from being too dry and boring by only commenting on crusty old academics.

In addition to Huston Smith's "World Religions," I've just begun reading "Killing the Buddha" by Peter Manseau and Jeff Sharlet. The subtitle of the book is "A Heretics Bible"; it's a book containing stories of individual religious experiences, outside traditional religion. But the thing about heretical belief or experience, as the authors say in their introduction, is that it is a response to orthodoxy and defines a personal belief, a kind of orthodoxy in itself — if that description makes any sense. I discovered this book because I first discovered their Web site of the same name. I feel like I'm a little behind, as they founded the site in 2000, but it has some really interesting, relatable, and enjoyable stories.

And the third book I'll be reading and commenting on is "Jesus, Symbol of God" by Roger Haight. I think this will round out the trio really well. This way, I'll have an academic book, a book based on personal experience, and a theological book. I found out about Haight and his ideas because of this article on Religion Dispatches. (Which is also an awesome Web site to which I have included a link on the right hand side of the page.) Haight is a Catholic priest who used to teach at a Catholic university. There was a lot of controversy about this book because the Pope said that it disagreed with traditional Catholic doctrine. Haight seems to take his faith more symbolically/metaphorically and less literally than the Catholic Church would like. (That's just what I took from the article, but I'm sure I'll get much more insight into his ideas about Christology as I read the book.) As a result, Haight has been banned from teaching at all Catholic universities, though he retains his Catholic faith.

I'm looking forward to reading all three of these books and sharing my insights about them. Hopefully, by mixing it up I will retain interest in all three and calm my tendency for boredom. I'll hopefully be adding some substantive content to the blog soon and as a result stave off the boredom of my reader(s?) as well.