Legal Commentary

To Have Lived Light

By Kevin Funnell

The one genuinely dangerous and immoral way of drinking wine is to drink it as a medicine.  And for this reason, If a man drinks wine in order to obtain pleasure, he is trying to obtain something exceptional, something he does not expect every hour of the day, something which, unless he is a little insane, he will not try to get every hour of the day.  But if a man drinks wine in order to obtain health, he is trying to get something natural; something, that is, that he ought not to be without; something that he may find it difficult to reconcile himself to being without.  The man may not be seduced who has seen the ecstasy of being ecstatic; it is more dazzling to catch a glimpse of the ecstasy of being ordinary. If there were a magic ointment, and we took it to a strong man, and said, "This will enable you to jump off the Monument," doubtless he would jump off the Monument, but he would not jump off the Monument all day long to the delight of the City. But if we took it to a blind man, saying, "This will enable you to see," he would be under a heavier temptation.  It would be hard for him not to rub it on his eyes whenever he heard the hoof of a noble horse or the birds singing at daybreak.  It is easy to deny one's self festivity; it is difficult to deny one's self normality. Hence comes the fact which every doctor knows, that it is often perilous to give alcohol to the sick even when they need it. I need hardly say that I do not mean that I think the giving of alcohol to the sick for stimulus is necessarily unjustifiable. But I do mean that giving it to the healthy for fun is the proper use of it, and a great deal more consistent with health.
---G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done...
---Mathew Arnold

Life is precious and incredibly short. When the opportunity presents itself, sink your arms elbow deep in the pure joy of it, no matter how grim the prospects otherwise might appear. Uncork a bottle of Opus One 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon or a 5-liter box of Peter Vella Merlot, crank up the boom box, and  slow dance with your main squeeze.  Wrap yourself around the wine, the woman, and the song, and live it all. Live it like a man in full.

God made life. Man may have perverted it, but believe me, wine, women, song and slow dancing are God's gifts and the gifts are good.

And when push comes to shove, tell her to shut up and kiss you.

Full post as published by Counseling Kevin on November 09, 2010 (boomark / email).