I woke up this morning around 6.30, pulled the curtains aside (it was light all night) and discovered a coating of snow on the ground. Surprised, because it was quite warm the past several weeks. Yesterday the weather was rainy which worked out fine in that I spent the bulk of it working on my computer, catching up on a lot of stuff. Nothing much to write about but a terrific time.

. “I will not insist on the precise nature of the relationship.” Words from the Phaedo (100d) about a thorny issue that has come down to us and has affected our perceptions of Plato. That misperception consists in the existence of ethereal, abstract ideas existing out there with less real objects existing down here, i.e., imitations. The quote is preceded by, “simply, naively and perhaps foolishly I cling to this…the presence (parousia) of or the sharing in (koinonia)…its relationship to that Beautiful.” Somehow I don’t think the object of desire is an abstract idea—Socarates is too down-to-earth for that—but a clinging to his faculty of anamnesis or recollection, his way of articulating consciousness which partakes of something larger. Sometimes it’s painful reading the Phaedo…not so much the text itself but being aware of centuries of interpretations, interpretations upon interpretations upon interpretations. I see the need for this generation to make its own assessment through the Greek text but then again, wonder if there’s interest.

Today promises to be another beauty, so I plan to take advantage perhaps with a return visit to the Hengill area, source of geothermal heating for Reykjavik. The sun is blinding and intense, especially in the afternoon when I have to draw blinds on that side of the apt. It’s not unlike being under a spotlight with nowhere to hide. And that is true when outdoors…you can’t take refuge under a tree because there are none.

With the advent of the summer vacation season, approximately half the population will leave Iceland for holiday abroad. A favorite destination has always been Spain and Canary Islands, even during summer, yet by no means does this exclude Europe nor the US. Icelanders travel lightly but with as many (empty) suitcases as humanly possible. They have a reputation for this among foreign airport personnel. Reason: buy, buy and buy as much as they can carry and wear. I know one gal who bought three pants and wore them all on a return trip from Dublin…could hardly walk off the plane.

During this time from the Ascension last Thursday until a week from tomorrow (Pentecost) it’s good to ponder this special time when Jesus Christ was not on earth and before the Holy Spirit’s descent. Although the Gospel records the disciples’ inability to grasp Christ’s mission as noted after his Resurrection, they must have been confused all the more during these nine days.

“Are you going to get drunk tonight?” so said a co-worker yesterday afternoon. Not an untypical question on a Friday, since many people go downtown to hit the bars, well known to visitors to Reykjavik. Such a question may sound appalling. However, it is greatly misunderstood, being yet another manifestation of the impulsive, childlike nature of Icelanders. Yes, they do get drunk on the weekend and stay out to all hours. One has to be living in this environment to appreciate the situation, hard to explain otherwise.

Iceland has its share of Harley-Davidson bikes, beards and black jackets one associates with such people. Often on a weekend afternoon they gather at certain downtown spots to show off their bikes. However, like that childlike nature I just noted and have often noted earlier, it’s very different from the US. If some hardcore bikers from the US showed up, I’m sure they’d scatter like a flock of birds!

An interesting speaker on the AA radio program I listen to in the morning, taped broadcasts from the US. He told the audience of how the prayer of St. Francis inspires him and wonders why those uplifting experiences are not consistent in his life as well as with other like-minded people. However, people so inclined are spiritually minded and tend to stand out, albeit quietly. In other words, the speaker put in simple, direct terms a problem spiritual seekers have: of trying to make their inspiration consistent with their lives and their environment.

While listening to him, thoughts returned to yesterday when I visited two people whom I’ve known for years. They are spiritually minded yet have serious problems: one is afflicted by alcoholism and the other is focused upon political action to the detriment of his family life. As for the latter, for the past five consecutive weekends his wife has gone away with their two small kids, a sure sign divorce is looming. At the same time, these two friends are as wonderful as you could imagine. It’s difficult visiting them because I watch their lives go downhill in slow motion and can’t do a thing about it.

Last evening the Icelandic Alþingi formed a new government as a result of Saturday’s election, the Progressive Party now out after many years in power.

It's well know that Icelanders from Greenland settled in Anse-les-Meadows, Newfoundland, but left because of hostile relations with the natives. Many scholars claims that Newfoundland is the furtherst south the Icelanders traveled. However, I'm not so sure...talking about this with people here reveal that particular Icelandic impetuosity which, I believe, impelled them to go much further south. How much is up to speculation and debate.

Today is party cloudy, dead calm, quite a comparison after yesterday’s near hurricane force winds.

Ascension Thursday, a full holiday in Iceland which I didn´t know about in work until around 5pm, nice surprise. I´ve been experiencing more difficulties entering posts from my home computer, usually writing them on it and using the machine at work. Because of this, I´m not sure if Thursday´s entry will take...wrote this at work Wednesday evening. While the day off is nice, chances are that Friday will be busier than usual, making up for the day before.

We had some sprinkles Wednesday afternoon which turned the air a bit humid. The soft rain left a nice spring-like aroma but with an Icelandic twist: instead of the earthy smell as in New England, we get a kind of rock scent due to the volcanic material as well as dust...an interesting variety.

As for the Ascension itself, chances are virtually no one here has a clue as to its significance, just that it´s a holiday. As with major holidays...and I´m thinking of the more recent Easter, people do know its meaning but again, treat it as time off. Although we're familiar with this, even in the US and Europe, we're dealing with a new type of ignorance which will have long term ramifications. As for Iceland, I´ve noticed that in a fundamentally Lutheran environment commemoration of holy days, while acknowledged, are watered-down, kind of sad. Such is the legacy of Martin Luther.

It looks like today will end a string of incredibly beautiful weather, having clouded up around 3pm. On Sunday I spent the afternoon with a visitor from the Boston area here with agroup. She couldn't have picked a better 6 days. When I told my floor boss that she remarked how lucky we are to enjoy such weather here, he responded with a vigorous "no, no!" Someone chimmed in when hearing our conversation with most likely we'll pay for it with several weeks of clouds and rain. Icelanders appreciate fine weather yet are fatalistic when they don't have it.

By chance last evening on tv I hit upon a Danish show which hosted the American philosopher Daniel Dennett. Not long ago I finished his Breaking the Spell, the natural causes and development of religion where he, an admitted agnostic,sets forth some interesting ideas though in convoluted ways. From the part I saw, Dennett was addressing religion with respect to the usual ideas of it, making it an easy target difficult to refute. For some time now, I've thought, what would have happened if religion in the Wst developed concommitantly with meditation and spirituality as it had in places like India and China. I bit ideally stated but to make a point. In the West we have plenty of doctrine but little contemplation of the doctrine, distinct from theological and scholarly work done on it. At the same time, Christianity and Judaism make fine sense when their scriptures are viewed through this prism. as far as I can see, the only real integrating force that's been around is lctio divina, and that has been practiced by a small minority. At the same time, those do it are perceived as fine folks yet not quite with it, theologically speaking.

This led to another point. Both yesterday and today I enjoyed a running conversation with a young fellow at work about gnosticism. He asked my opinion, so I proceeded to speak in as simply and clearly as possible without taking a position. I.e., give the facts and let him mull over them. This man is into gothic stuff, not unpopular here but in an imitative way of what's going on elsewhere. That means the interest is naive, even innocent. He told me up front that young people have nothing to do with religion (in Iceland that translates as the state Lutheran Church). When I pressed him a bit more by bringing up lectio divina and meditation, immediately his interest perked. Not surprising, for as yet I have not failed to meet a person here or elsewhere disinterested in these matters. We agreed to continue our running conversation and look forward to this.

It looks like things are heating up in Pakistan which, to be sure, will set that region on the road to terrorism á la Iraq. As for that, everyone I’ve met in Iceland over the past year universally condemns America’s involvement in Iraq with choice words reserved for President Bush. At the same time, I’ve noticed a subtle politeness in that they don’t want to insult me in case I came out on his side.

The new fellow whom I´ve been training at foreign post has been on his own lest than a week. Unfortunately, last night he had to stay until midnight, 2 hours overtime! The only way to learn...

Sixth Sunday of Easter, getting close to Pentecost, two weeks. The first reading for today is Rev 21.10-14 & 22-23, and the Gospel is Jn 14.23-9. First thing that struck me with the Revelation text is a parallel with the weeks before Advent as well as the beginning of that season. Reason: both deal with “the end,” a concept with wide, even bizarre interpretations as we all know. However, Revelation is tempered by the Gospel…and these words are quickly (and inconveniently) swept away. There terms like “love” (agape), “will make our home,” “Counselor” and “peace” are seldom if ever tied in with Revelation…such is the impression we get over the centuries. This brings up a fact I’ve been considering for some time and have mentioned it here, namely, the West’s dis-aptitude (is there’s such a word) for contemplation as you’d find in other cultures such as India and China. Not to say that those countries were violence-free or whose people were versed in the ways of spirituality en masse. No, but there seemed to have been more folks, percentage-wise, and those who did this left behind texts describing what they had done which is light years ahead of the West. Rarely if ever have I seen this contemplative attitude brought to bear on a text like Revelation, let alone the Gospels. Yes, this tradition (lectio divina) exists, but it was relatively rare.

Yesterday the party currently in power just eked out a victory with the Progressive Party coming in close. That means a coalition government will be formed shortly, nothing new, but some changes might be in the air. One of them would affect pensions and inflation. We’ll see how it goes over the next two weeks as reflected in the Icelandic krona verses foreign currencies.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to drive just east of where I live, a place I first visited two weeks ago, in order to enjoy the Great Outdoors. A bit on the windy side which made the dirt roads kick up lots of dust. Could feel the grit in between my teeth when I arrived home. There’s a large lake out there with summer homes, nice, but Reykjavik is slowly but relentlessly encroaching. That won’t be for some years, depending upon the economy: booming now but who knows. Smaller countries like Iceland may skyrocket economically but plunge quickly to earth, again like a rocket. Anyway, that area is really nice besides having the advantage of proximity to my neighborhood. At the north end of the lake was a trail which I followed a bit leading to a “forest.” Quotes are deliberate, for forests in Iceland consist mostly of short evergreens and beech trees. Most of the way was a stream which led up into the mountains…and these mountains are bare rocks with rather sinister looking overhangs. All in all, a pleasant afternoon, a place to which I will return later.

As for the relationship between Plato and Aristotle (touched briefly in Rubenstein’s Aristotle’s Children), it’s been a classic battle between two fundamental choices, or so it has come down to us over the centuries. Plato is the founder of the Academy, inventor of the forms as we perceive them now: vague, perfect ideas existing somewhere out there which give shape to physical objects down here. Aristotle the pupil comes along and unites the two, thereby laying the framework for later philosophic and more importantly, scientific developments. This two-fold choice has affected the West, making an unfortunate division usually championing Aristotle over Plato. The later, while perceived as brilliant and extremely important, is inferred to be well-intentioned but wrong, requiring correction (Aristotle). That isn’t what I pick up when reading Plato in the original Greek as I’m doing right now with the Phaedo. An over-simplification, but many problems stem from translations and interpretations, especially of Plato. When you favor him over Aristotle, you’re almost open to criticism of being ideal, well meaning but misinformed. That’s where close study of Greek prepositions come into play (among other things such as proper understanding of terms), both by themselves and prefixed to verbs and nouns. On top of all this we have the Church’s use of both philosophers which is another story, really too much to get into here!

Today is the Big Day in Icelandic politics. Right now the time is a little after 9 am, early, but going out later on. More spectacular weather on store. Yesterday afternoon after work (got out at 3pm) I visited the Academy of Reykjavik, wanting to give the folks there a copy of some biblical and patristic software which they appreciated. However, I rushed it, wanting to get home before height of rush hour. In earlier entries I spoke often of driving habits here but haven’t recently. Perhaps a sign that I’ve gotten used to them. Still crazy as ever. I say a prayer each time before getting behind the wheel, even locally, which seems to be working. However, you never know…