Melting Snow

Talk Tuesday: Blogging, Chrisma, and Beauty

Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Talk Tuesday prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Why does blogging appeal to you?

Blogging

Why does blogging appeal to me? The first thing that comes to my mind, when I contemplate this questions is the quote I read in an offline blog (don't remember which on) "I blog therefore I am." This doesn't answer the blogging question any more than "I think therefore I am." answers the question of why I exist. Why do I blog? What is the appeal of blogging? After a little more reflection upon this question I came to a four part answer.

It helps me proclaim my faith to the world.
It helps me focus my thoughts on one subject for more than five minutes.
It helps develop my creativity.
It helps me learn about myself.

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for DAY 1561
What is charisma to you and can too much charisma be harmful?

Charisma

According to the online English Oxford Living Dictionaries1 charisma is a "Compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others" or "A divinely conferred power or talent."2 These two definitions coincide with my definitions of charisma. The first definition, which is probably the most dangerous, refers to the charisma that ordinary human beings have. This is the type of charisma that preachers, politicians, and Pope Francis has. When this type of charisma goes to the head of the person who has it, it can inspire wars, terrorist attacks, and hatred in the followers of that individual.

The second definition refers to the type of charisma that Baha'u'llah, Christ, the Bab, Muhammad, and other Divine Prophets or Manifestations have. This type of charisma, which comes through the Holy Spirit, can inspire individual transformation and sacrifice in those who accept the Divine Manifestations and follow their laws and ordinances. The danger here is when the followers accept, without question, the interpretation of clergy concerning the instructions of the Manifestations (mirrors of the attributes of God).

The "Blogging Circle of Friends "  prompt for Day 1958
"Death is the mother of Beauty; hence from her, alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams and our desires."
Wallace Stevens
What do you think Stevens meant?

Beauty

I have no idea what Mr. Stevens meant, because I haven't had a personal conversation with him. For me, it means that beauty, like the soul of an individual human being, is eternal. At the death of the body, the soul ascends into the spiritual realm, where it will be clothed in the attributes its soul developed while living in the human body. There it will be confronted by it actions and inactions, and, in some way, answer for or, at least, have to explain why it did or didn't do certain things in this life. The Almighty is merciful, and doesn't punish a soul for the ignorance of spiritual laws.

Footnotes
1  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/
2  https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/charisma