laodicea: If I Were A Butterfly

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Monday, May 07, 2007

If I Were A Butterfly

The ever-interesting Eve Tushnet posts the comments of one James A. (not concerning If I Were A Butterfly):

... This reminded me a lot of Epictetus the Stoic's comments on praising God (from the Moral Discourses of Epictetus): 'For what else can I do, a lame old man, than sing hymns to God? If then I was a nightingale, I would do the part of a nightingale; if I were a swan, I would do like a swan. But now I am a rational creature, and I ought to praise God. This is my work; I do it, nor will I desert this post, so long as I am allowed to keep it, and I exhort you to join in this same song.'

I finally realise that this is the (good) point that If I Were A Butterfly is making. Either I was a stupid child, or it's not making it very well. I suspect a bit of both.

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