Reading & Accident

Here we are with two postings on the same day!

Now there is a new complaint. Slipped on the stairs and have sprained my ankle. It is really quite a sight - hobbling around with a cane on two arthritic knees and a sprained ankle. In keeping with the new philosophy of compassion, we have to take this as training for my wife and myself in preparation for the operation.

She got to help with some cooking which she hasn't done in years. On the diet front we are real pea soupers and don't want to give it up just because the canned (convenience) varieties are chock full of salt and MSG. So this morning, after the swelling went down a bit, we made pea soup together. Followed the basic recipe on the package of dried green peas with a few of the usual modifications. After the tasting later today, I'll post the recipe if it passes muster.

Earlier I raised the subject of fiction and everthing being relevant. One of my passions is spy novels. There is even a list of what I've read in the past couple of years. The novel finished last night was: First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader.Tom Doherty Associates, New York. 2008. Van Lustbader was a favourite years ago for some of his Japanese novels; Ninja, Miko, White Ninja, Kaisho and Floating City are all titles I read 10 or 15 years ago. Good solid pulp fiction with a smattering of sex and lots of hand-to-hand fighting.

The interesting thing about First Daughter is that it has a strong religious undercurrent. The daughter of the US president-elect is kidnapped just prior to the inauguration. The retiring president leads a group within the novel who are fundamentalists and are using the kidnapping to complete unfinished business dealing with Islamic movements and perceived scientific groups headed in the wrong direction from their point of view.

It is strange when the pulp fiction is considered in the light of Armstrong's The Case For God. Going back to the earliest religious roots, she makes the case that the current popular views of religion, church and atheism, stem from relatively recent re-interpretations of ancient writings. With the religious right such a force in US politics today, contemplating the impact on major global decisions especially in the context of fundamentalist Islamic thinking is a scary proposition. It's reassuring to learn that calmer thinking on historical principles is taking place.

All of this to say that reading is a fine diversion and can take our minds away from self to think compassionately about others in worse situations.