Monday, January 30, 2006

O Sleepless Nights, O Cheerless Days


O sleepless nights, O cheerless days,
O sobs, that will not cease;
Be still, be still! kind are His ways,
Christ is the Prince of Peace:
’Tis well thy head, in throbbing pain,
May pillow on His breast;
Weep there thy tears like springtime rain—
He gives the mourner rest.
Toil bravely on, ’twill not be long
Thy bark shall plow the main;
Steer well; thy guide shall be the song
That rings from Heaven’s plain;
And watch thou for the gleaming lights
That shine across the wave;
They’re planted on fair Heaven’s heights,
The mariner to save.
Steer well! the harbor just ahead
Aglow with glory’s ray,
Will on thee golden luster shed,
From out the gates of day,
And waiting there are longing hands
That thrill to clasp thine own,
And lead thee thro’ the heav’nly land
Into the bright unknown.
Oh, strive thou well to overcome,
And clothe thyself in white,
Wait patiently thy welcome home
To scenes of glory bright:
The Lord loves those He chastens sore,
And binds the bleeding wound;
And gently heals the heart He tore,
That grace may more abound!

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Roads to Atlantis



There is something in Atlantis that captures the human imagination in a way no other story of a lost civilization ever has. While this effect is one that Plato could hardly begin to anticipate, nevertheless the debate over the veracity of his tale began almost immediately. Some scholars have supposed references to Atlantis which predate the Timaeus. Homer and Hesiod are both thought to refer to Atlantis in their descriptions of the earthly paradise for dead heroes which lay far to the west as well as the Garden of the Hesperides and its golden apples. Avalon from Arthurian legend is thought to be a reflection of this as well, Avalon being the Celtic word for apple. Oygia the island in the middle of the ocean where Odysseus dallied with Atlas's daughter Calypso is also considered by some as a pre-Platonic reference to Atlantis (Vitaliano 218). Yet to cite Homer and Hesiod and to debate whether Atlantis is in the Bahamas, the Canaries, the Azores or Thera is to explain away the deeper implications of the story without fully examining them.

"There are many roads to Atlantis, some of them in direct opposition to each other. One could well be excused for despairing of traveling on any of them, and yet the fascination of the journey remains. Whether Atlantis ever existed in reality or just in the imagination of mankind, its influence has been undeniable, and its call irrepressible," (Forsyth 8).

Since Plato's time, an estimated 2,000-10,000 books have been written about Atlantis (Ramage 30). This fact alone stands testement to the incredible pull of the
Atlantis story. However, it should be made clear that, "the Atlantis of modern mystics and visionaries is not really that of Plato," (Forsyth 184). The way which we perceive the lost city today stems from a universal yearning for a place separate from the ungainly imperfections of the world. Yet the question remains: is Atlantis an ou topos no place, a timeless escapist fantasy or an eu topos good place, the model of an ideal society? (Elliott 85) In many ways, the two important versions of the Atlantis story Plato's and that of the mystics and visionaries respectively represent the two opposing views. However, the version of the story which society has embraced is the latter: Atlantis is the perfect society. "Atlantis [is] used as a structure for fictionalizing an ideal modus vivendi," (Ellis 30).

"The true location of Atlantis is in the mind," (Fredericks 99). In the intangible reaches of the human psyche is where the story holds the most sway. While, "almost every culture contains a myth, story, or legend of the flood-related disappearance of a corrupt civilization," (Ellis 4) the Atlantean legend is special somehow. Humanity has kept the story alive through the centuries because it fills a need. It is an account of incredible power and riches, of selfishness and vengeance, of divinity, disaster and mystery. These are the elements which make up any good story. In fact, there are elements of fairy tales in the Atlantis story. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Atlantis tale is its ability to represent so many things to so many different people. "It is sui generis, an island unto itself, a chimeric place that takes whatever form its describer wishes to give it," (Ellis 28). In a historical sense, Atlantis can be a bridge to the past. It connects modern audiences to Plato and by that to the continuum of Western history (Ellis 261). To the amateur Atlantean scholar, Atlantis is an opportunity to play at being a historian, archaeologist, or a paleographer (De Camp 276).

However, Atlantis' most important role is the aesthetic. It touches humanity's sense of beauty and the desire for loveliness. It is the melancholy loss of a beautiful thing which by its destruction left the world somehow less enchanted. Paradoxically, Atlantis also allows society a greater measure of enchantment as well. The magic created by speculation over the nature of the lost world is greatly significant. While it is true that Atlantis serves as an escape for many people, it is also true that a belief in if not Atlantis itself the principles it has come to represent allow humanity to strive toward a better, more perfect life. Ultimately, Atlantis symbolizes an undying hope of humanity that sometime there can be a place of peace, beauty and justice where humankind can be happy. In their own unique ways, each road to Atlantis brings society toward the realization of the ideals of a utopian lifestyle.



taken from --http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/IPHS/Projects/Stella/Lost_city.htm