Friday, February 8, 2008

A Grief Observed

"Aren't all these notes senseless writhings of a man who won't accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it? Who still thinks there is some device (if only he could find it) which will make pain not to be pain. It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on."


I’ve always been a fan of C.S. Lewis but this was somewhat different. It was a short read, had several really great points, but was somewhat complex and hard to follow. I think his crisis of faith, rather than his surety of it, made this different from his other works. In the end, it didn’t disappoint.
If you were looking for something that requires a little more attention, but is pretty short, I would recommend this book.

3 comments:

Nikki said...

An interesting quote. Is that the message of this book? My curiosity is piqued. I disagree with his idea of suffering....

instantstar said...

i've read that book.. and i like it.. it really makes you think...

will said...

Lewis explores pain and loss so insightfully here (of course). He is also quite sincere. These are no thought experiments, but Lewis's actual thoughts and feelings as his wife died from cancer. I was deeply touched by this book and think anyone would both benefit from it and enjoy it.