I don't know who John Armstrong is (and I don't have much desire to find out right now) but he sure knows how to hackney a phrase:
The problem with the extremist is the lack of generosity towards the crooked timbers of humanity. The failure, that is, to recognise just how hard it is for most people to live out ideals...
The crooked timbers aren't just to do with possessiveness, although I think that's a big component, but also with the inescapable messiness of life...
The central problem of civilised life - and civilisation - is in holding onto our ideals and putting them into workable versions, given the crooked timbers of humanity...
An essential part of being civilised, in this respect, is empathy with the crooked timbers of humanity. One should not mock people for being what they are; instead it is important to entice rather than berate...
This goes to the heart of being civilised, for being civilised is to do with holding onto good ideals while recognising and working with... [no prizes for guessing what comes next]
(All quotes from Armstrong's article In search of the civilised life in today's rainforest version of The Age)
Look, I haven't had a cigarette in three and a half hours, so don't expect me to be in a particularly civilised mood.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
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5 comments:
Reads like incitement to a particularly unimaginative drinking game.
Shiver me (crooked) timbers.
Lucy,
If this bloke ever gets his own TV series, like Alain Boutton did ...
Even as the name of a fantastic international blog, it is pretty crook.
- barista
I know who he is -- I've had (work) dealings with him. All your instincts are correct.
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