overohoverthethorn

[overohoverthethorn]

Emily Dickinson's The Way is Narrow ~ With Levinas’s Radical Difference of the Divine in Mind

Steven Copeland

You're right – "the way is narrow" –

And "difficult the Gate" –

And "few there be" – Correct again –

That "enter in – thereat" –

'Tis Costly – So are purples!

'Tis just the price of Breath –

With but the "Discount" of the Grave –

Termed by the Brokers – "Death"!

And after that – there's Heaven –

The Good Man's – "Dividend" –

And Bad Men – "go to Jail" –

I guess –

-- This poem this testimony argument is as all of her oeuvre - it constitutes a sharp critique of the vast majority of 'the religious' - of religious people - their understandings; namely, that they miss the mark far more than by the proverbial longshot. What this 'religion/religiosity' involves has, according to ED, nothing to do with the actually 'religious'!

-- Rather utterly Rather/Instead it involves a self-centered self-serving making of the religious - making, conceiving of what we call 'God' in a most human wrapped-up in the narrow needs desires of the self way - rather than really opening ourselves to the Absolute Otherness Difference nothing like a human-being - Its tremendous vastly beyond us in Its 'Infinitude.' This is the religious experience the Aeeiii Divine that ED knew. ~ In/with her You're Right - 'few there be' who really begin to 'enter in[to]' - approach apprehend 'thereat' - namely the truly religious divine reality meaning inso-not-so-far extent degree we can catch sense glimpse some partial brush with that inhuman Reality outside except for hints within our mortal reality. That Infinitude not here nowhere for us as such.

The poem is tongue-in-cheek sarcastic and really condemning trashing the so-called religiosity the seeming religious experience - encounter - understanding of the religious life - understanding of the Divine - of the vast majority of those who see themselves to be 'religious' - knowing something being in some relation with the Reality the Beyond-Reality on the only really Real Reality that is the Source Behind Everything but not being anything like our self-serving as it were - put all in italics all in quotes{!} they are all so way off the mark - including of course re the most ultimate - question of the religious of 'Heaven' so-called - - -

And this she testifies in the third stanza is also for sure so very much - the true character way experience of what is called – not the fullness no place no reward no immortality in any physical or separate ego that continues bodiless – no – in that sense – ED – sardonically cites that actually irreligious human self-centered ‘under’standing at the heights of over-reaching hubris.

'And after that - there's Heaven' ~ the so-called 'religious life.'

It is not at all the category - the experience characterized by William James in his lighthouse work on The Varieties of Religious Experience - 'The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness' - or - may God keep us from That - of happiness! It would seem that James is advocating for such a religious experience as being the most advanced the most accurate most true - no question when juxtaposed to the religious experience he characterizes terms as The Sick Soul; who would choose that over the religion of healthy-mindedness?! But ye-es is actually the argument of James as it is of Dickinson - as it is of Emmanuel Levinas.

Theodor Adorno: 'The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one’s own home.’ In our present context here in relation to ED's poem testimony credo - the highest the truest is always the most demanding that does not assume the criteria, the meaning of our human condition to be self-serving ego-elevating – some high and happy security of salvation; but rather of Buber's 'narrow ridge’. Indeed, the criterion the guiding star ought to be the demanding commanding unsettling call of the But-Rather; the Talmudic – one of its most repeating key word - alef lamed alef – Ela. – This is the spirit of ED's 'the way IS narrow' - 'difficult' - we could say demanding – in-heart-mind indeed the Hebrew biblical and rabbinic commanding way - 'costly' - demanding - but so 'purple' - rich, deep, noble. Having nothing to do with the experience categories if they can even really be re-cognized as accurately honestly knowing facing the genuine weight reality of our human situation and indeed truly religious being in league in relation with the Divine - with 'Heaven' - but not the 'Discounted' version which is a falsification that serves only our own small-unminded seeing ourselves our narrow self-interested 'Dividend{s}' seeking cliche falsifying ways.

ED interrogates indeed verdicts as bad weak-minded our 'guess{es}' that are our – albeit false – comforting certainties; she intones it derisively - she will have no part-of her no compromising what can what does call us to really face know as true - which for sure does not consort with how we seek the world - and God - to be serving our marketplace 'discounted' - far from the richness the depth of the ‘purples' {more demanding commanding as such more real true. – That are not-so-much-about-to-suit-to-fit-us not-in-our-self-serving-non-traversing-conversing-with-the-'difficult{y}-of-the-genuine-Gate{s’}-costliness" – so-costly not coming easily – in that it demands we give-up surrender our self- mortal-centered presumptiveness-es that we can really know and be-served-by the Infinitude the Secret Behind It All we call by our so easily readily spoken simple one-syllabled word yet actually in English anyway – in every language in its way-hey – ‘God’ – with the intimation of its More-Than-Largeness in how long how high can’t get over it is the ‘o’ sound in that most simple three letter sound but hinting at it’s on the contrary actual Beyond-Size-Or-Any’thing’-Fathomable – with not the sound indeed of awe – that elongates The Wordless Word Go-aaoughwwwee-ddd - - -

This is the Rex tremendae majestatis of Verdi as well as the Still small voice say that nature intimates -- but not the false made in and for our image that tells us what we want so 'comfortably' self-centeredly-servingly-soothingly- to 'hear' 'know' --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS2U5w303X8

A most key of ED's poems testimonies credos that speaks to 'our' poem here You're Right - that speaks to her religious experience philosophy - 'philosophy' - likewise as the word-realities 'religious' and 'experience' - most often so self-narrow-self-centeredly 'Discounted' - is My Period Had Come for Prayer - -

My period had come for Prayer —

No other Art — would do —

My Tactics missed a rudiment —

Creator — Was it you?

God grows above — so those who pray

Horizons — must ascend —

And so I stepped upon the North

To see this Curious Friend —

His House was not — no sign had He —

By Chimney — nor by Door

Could I infer his Residence —

Vast Prairies of Air

Unbroken by a Settler —

Were all that I could see —

Infinitude — Had'st Thou no Face

That I might look on Thee?

EMILY DICKINSON'S 'THE WAY IS NARROW' ~ WITH LEVINAS'S RADICAL DIFFERENCE OF THE DIVINE MIND

The Silence condescended —

Creation stopped — for Me —

But awed beyond my errand —

I worshipped — did not "pray" —

[overohoverthethorn]

Emily Dickinson's The Way is Narrow ~ With Levinas’s Radical Difference of the Divine in Mind

Steven Copeland

You're right – "the way is narrow" –

And "difficult the Gate" –

And "few there be" – Correct again –

That "enter in – thereat" –

'Tis Costly – So are purples!

'Tis just the price of Breath –

With but the "Discount" of the Grave –

Termed by the Brokers – "Death"!

And after that – there's Heaven –

The Good Man's – "Dividend" –

And Bad Men – "go to Jail" –

I guess –

-- This poem this testimony argument is as all of her oeuvre - it constitutes a sharp critique of the vast majority of 'the religious' - of religious people - their understandings; namely, that they miss the mark far more than by the proverbial longshot. What this 'religion/religiosity' involves has, according to ED, nothing to do with the actually 'religious'!

-- Rather utterly Rather/Instead it involves a self-centered self-serving making of the religious - making, conceiving of what we call 'God' in a most human wrapped-up in the narrow needs desires of the self way - rather than really opening ourselves to the Absolute Otherness Difference nothing like a human-being - Its tremendous vastly beyond us in Its 'Infinitude.' This is the religious experience the Aeeiii Divine that ED knew. ~ In/with her You're Right - 'few there be' who really begin to 'enter in[to]' - approach apprehend 'thereat' - namely the truly religious divine reality meaning inso-not-so-far extent degree we can catch sense glimpse some partial brush with that inhuman Reality outside except for hints within our mortal reality. That Infinitude not here nowhere for us as such.

The poem is tongue-in-cheek sarcastic and really condemning trashing the so-called religiosity the seeming religious experience - encounter - understanding of the religious life - understanding of the Divine - of the vast majority of those who see themselves to be 'religious' - knowing something being in some relation with the Reality the Beyond-Reality on the only really Real Reality that is the Source Behind Everything but not being anything like our self-serving as it were - put all in italics all in quotes{!} they are all so way off the mark - including of course re the most ultimate - question of the religious of 'Heaven' so-called - - -

And this she testifies in the third stanza is also for sure so very much - the true character way experience of what is called – not the fullness no place no reward no immortality in any physical or separate ego that continues bodiless – no – in that sense – ED – sardonically cites that actually irreligious human self-centered ‘under’standing at the heights of over-reaching hubris.

'And after that - there's Heaven' ~ the so-called 'religious life.'

It is not at all the category - the experience characterized by William James in his lighthouse work on The Varieties of Religious Experience - 'The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness' - or - may God keep us from That - of happiness! It would seem that James is advocating for such a religious experience as being the most advanced the most accurate most true - no question when juxtaposed to the religious experience he characterizes terms as The Sick Soul; who would choose that over the religion of healthy-mindedness?! But ye-es is actually the argument of James as it is of Dickinson - as it is of Emmanuel Levinas.

Theodor Adorno: 'The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one’s own home.’ In our present context here in relation to ED's poem testimony credo - the highest the truest is always the most demanding that does not assume the criteria, the meaning of our human condition to be self-serving ego-elevating – some high and happy security of salvation; but rather of Buber's 'narrow ridge’. Indeed, the criterion the guiding star ought to be the demanding commanding unsettling call of the But-Rather; the Talmudic – one of its most repeating key word - alef lamed alef – Ela. – This is the spirit of ED's 'the way IS narrow' - 'difficult' - we could say demanding – in-heart-mind indeed the Hebrew biblical and rabbinic commanding way - 'costly' - demanding - but so 'purple' - rich, deep, noble. Having nothing to do with the experience categories if they can even really be re-cognized as accurately honestly knowing facing the genuine weight reality of our human situation and indeed truly religious being in league in relation with the Divine - with 'Heaven' - but not the 'Discounted' version which is a falsification that serves only our own small-unminded seeing ourselves our narrow self-interested 'Dividend{s}' seeking cliche falsifying ways.

ED interrogates indeed verdicts as bad weak-minded our 'guess{es}' that are our – albeit false – comforting certainties; she intones it derisively - she will have no part-of her no compromising what can what does call us to really face know as true - which for sure does not consort with how we seek the world - and God - to be serving our marketplace 'discounted' - far from the richness the depth of the ‘purples' {more demanding commanding as such more real true. – That are not-so-much-about-to-suit-to-fit-us not-in-our-self-serving-non-traversing-conversing-with-the-'difficult{y}-of-the-genuine-Gate{s’}-costliness" – so-costly not coming easily – in that it demands we give-up surrender our self- mortal-centered presumptiveness-es that we can really know and be-served-by the Infinitude the Secret Behind It All we call by our so easily readily spoken simple one-syllabled word yet actually in English anyway – in every language in its way-hey – ‘God’ – with the intimation of its More-Than-Largeness in how long how high can’t get over it is the ‘o’ sound in that most simple three letter sound but hinting at it’s on the contrary actual Beyond-Size-Or-Any’thing’-Fathomable – with not the sound indeed of awe – that elongates The Wordless Word Go-aaoughwwwee-ddd - - -

This is the Rex tremendae majestatis of Verdi as well as the Still small voice say that nature intimates -- but not the false made in and for our image that tells us what we want so 'comfortably' self-centeredly-servingly-soothingly- to 'hear' 'know' --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS2U5w303X8

A most key of ED's poems testimonies credos that speaks to 'our' poem here You're Right - that speaks to her religious experience philosophy - 'philosophy' - likewise as the word-realities 'religious' and 'experience' - most often so self-narrow-self-centeredly 'Discounted' - is My Period Had Come for Prayer - -

My period had come for Prayer —

No other Art — would do —

My Tactics missed a rudiment —

Creator — Was it you?

God grows above — so those who pray

Horizons — must ascend —

And so I stepped upon the North

To see this Curious Friend —

His House was not — no sign had He —

By Chimney — nor by Door

Could I infer his Residence —

Vast Prairies of Air

Unbroken by a Settler —

Were all that I could see —

Infinitude — Had'st Thou no Face

That I might look on Thee?

The Silence condescended —

Creation stopped — for Me —

But awed beyond my errand —

I worshipped — did not "pray" —

[overohoverthethorn]

Martin Buber's 'Conversion' from his understanding the religious life as losing his sense of separate self in the one and all stream of all existence & actually beyond all particular existence ~ instead of his new realization that instead the religious life is all about entering into converse-ational league - engaging the life of the other person - not the universal All of Everything in peaceful harmony of the One & the Same- but-rather entering into the ongoing never fully achieved engaging relating going out toward the other - the you the I-Thou relation - - -

Buber: In my earlier years the “religious” was for me the exception…. hours taken out of the course of things… the reliable permanence of appearances broke down… “Religious experience” was the experience of an otherness which did not fit into the context of life. It could begin with something customary, with consideration of some familiar object, but which then became unexpectedly mysterious and uncanny, finally lighting a way into the lightning-pierced darkness of the mystery itself.…. here illumination and ecstasy and rapture held, without time or sequence…. The illegitimacy of such a division of the temporal life … was brought home to me by an everyday event…. One forenoon, after a morning of “religious” enthusiasm, I had a visit from an unknown young man, without being there in spirit. I certainly did not fail to let the meeting be friendly.  I did not treat him any more remissly than all his contemporaries who were in the habit of seeking me out about this time of day as an oracle that is ready to listen to reason. I conversed attentively and openly with him—only I omitted to guess the question which he did not put. Later, not long after, I learned from one of his friends—he himself was no longer alive—the essential content of these questions; I learned that he had come to me not casually, but borne by destiny, not for a chat but for a decision. He had come to me, he had come in this hour. What do we expect when we are in despair and yet go to a man? Surely a presence by means of which we are told that nevertheless there is meaning. Since then I have given up the ”religious” which is nothing but the exception, extraction, exaltation, ecstasy… I possess nothing but the everyday out of which I am never taken.