I saw a recommendation about a book on acedia the other day and checked it out of the library. The person who recommended the book thought that the state of "acedia" was very wide-spread right now, partly because of Covid. The author of the book is Kathleen Norris. Many years ago, Peter gave me The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work. by the same author and I remember I liked it a quite a bit. So far, this "new" book is a very interesting read. (paid links)
Neulich habe ich eine Buchempfehlung über das Thema Acedia gesehen und mir dann das Buch aus der Bücherei besorgt. Die Empfehlung betonte, daß Acedia gerade im Moment durch Corona sehr verbreitet ist. Die Autorin des Buches ist Kathleen Norris. Peter hat mir vor Jahren ein anderes Buch von ihr geschenkt, was mir gut gefallen hat. Sie hat ziemlich viel geschrieben, doch gibt es nur ein Buch von ihr auf Deutsch: Als mich die Stille rief. Das kenne ich jedoch nicht.
This is interesting. I can get the book from my library. I looked up what acedia means, as I wasn't familiar with the term, and I associate the feeling of listlessness and torpor and unconcern about one's position in the world with a time in my life as a college student when I wasn't eating well LOL . . I can definitely see how people are feeling this way now. How did everyone survive through the plagues of the Middle Ages, or even through the flu epidemic of 1918 - 20? Have you ever read individuals' accounts of these times?
ReplyDeleteIt is not too hard to read. It is a mix of personal experiences and historical background. It tries to walk a middle ground between a "vice" and true clinical depression. I bet in the Middle Ages, people were trying to simply survive, there was not time for reflection or feeling a certain way. If you did not get sick, you had to get food, make clothing, keep warm, etc. Also, there were quite a few wars going on. Maybe our "idle" lives (or super-busy lives not possible right now) contribute to this state of acedia. Even the time of the flu was right after WWI and people had many other problems as well. All literary examples I am aware of, talk about the horrors of the diseases, but not about people feeling completely apathetic. Also, I think that people used to see them as "punishment" from God and that made them turn their lives around. Corona has not done that with people. Most people do not look inward and some go and demonstrate for more freedom and fewer masks. I only read the report about one young couple that wanted to get a divorce, but could not get one because of Corona and also could not separate physically because of all the restrictions. After a while, they realized that they still loved each other and did not want a divorce.
DeleteOh, these are good points about the hardships of people in the past dealing with wars and plague; trying to do better with their lives, inwardly and as best as they could outwardly. And that's a very nice story about the young couple. We all need to work together and try to do better with ourselves and our world.
ReplyDeleteYes, so true. It is sometimes hard to improve things because we are "fallen creatures" after all, but giving up hope and not trying is not the answer. Even if we don't see immediate success, our children will remember that we kept on trying and will hopefully carry on our trying.
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