I've been here in Stellenbosch now for a day and a half, and I must say it was the right decision to stay here. It's a peaceful, quiet little haven, and after the chaos of Roma and Cairo, I needed some peace!
Below are some pictures of central Stellenbosch. It's a university town of about 220,000 people between spring-summer-fall seasons, but the population dwindles down to about 200,000 during the winter (now), when university is not in session. Winter, by the way, means 17-25 degrees Celsius .. not bad at all...
The main church of Stellenbosch, Dutch Reformed:
Stellenbosch is home to many bronze statues placed all over the city, courtesy of South Africa's finest sculptour (unfortunately I don't know his name). Below is a typical statue:
Centre-of the city street and (upscale) market: note the South African flags on display ... World Cup fever is here:
Below are some pictures of central Stellenbosch. It's a university town of about 220,000 people between spring-summer-fall seasons, but the population dwindles down to about 200,000 during the winter (now), when university is not in session. Winter, by the way, means 17-25 degrees Celsius .. not bad at all...
The main church of Stellenbosch, Dutch Reformed:
Stellenbosch is home to many bronze statues placed all over the city, courtesy of South Africa's finest sculptour (unfortunately I don't know his name). Below is a typical statue:
Centre-of the city street and (upscale) market: note the South African flags on display ... World Cup fever is here:
Tonight's games are (my score predictions in brackets):
* South Africa - Mexico (1-2)
* Uruguay - France (1-1)
Finally, on a totally unrelated note, I've been reading Kathleen Norris' book Acedia & Me, and have learned a lot from it. She draws on the writings of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus, and concludes that the main danger confronting our post-modern western civilization is acedia, or indifference.
She likens acedia to depression, in that they both have similar symptoms, like a lack of desire, will, or motivation to live, and a general indifference towards the things going on in the world, even the things that affect us personally. She differentiates between depression and acedia, however, by stating that whereas depression is a "physical" condition and can be treated through medical attention, acedia is a "spiritual" condition that can only be fought on the spiritual battlefield. The main weapon against acedia is prayer.
The problem is, that prayer is the first thing the demon of acedia attacks. And that is precisely where I find myself. I'm realizing that acedia has got me in its grips: I'm unmotivated, I'm indifferent, and unable to pray.
One last thing: Evagrius Ponticus called acedia the noon-day demon, because whereas all other demons appear to the monk hidden behind good things or in the middle of the night when he is alone and has only his thoughts to keep him company, the demon of acedia appears to the monk in broad daylight - he's shameless - plainly visible in the desert sun, when he's supposed to be going about his daily work and/or prayer. In the middle of daylight, the demon says "Why do you bother doing the same, repetitive thing day after day after day .. isn't it all futile? To what end all this hard work?"
It has been a revelation to me that acedia is my main spiritual battle. The demon's been progressively getting a better grasp on me, demoralizing my spirit, wearing me down. Sometimes, it all seems futile indeed.
* South Africa - Mexico (1-2)
* Uruguay - France (1-1)
Finally, on a totally unrelated note, I've been reading Kathleen Norris' book Acedia & Me, and have learned a lot from it. She draws on the writings of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus, and concludes that the main danger confronting our post-modern western civilization is acedia, or indifference.
She likens acedia to depression, in that they both have similar symptoms, like a lack of desire, will, or motivation to live, and a general indifference towards the things going on in the world, even the things that affect us personally. She differentiates between depression and acedia, however, by stating that whereas depression is a "physical" condition and can be treated through medical attention, acedia is a "spiritual" condition that can only be fought on the spiritual battlefield. The main weapon against acedia is prayer.
The problem is, that prayer is the first thing the demon of acedia attacks. And that is precisely where I find myself. I'm realizing that acedia has got me in its grips: I'm unmotivated, I'm indifferent, and unable to pray.
One last thing: Evagrius Ponticus called acedia the noon-day demon, because whereas all other demons appear to the monk hidden behind good things or in the middle of the night when he is alone and has only his thoughts to keep him company, the demon of acedia appears to the monk in broad daylight - he's shameless - plainly visible in the desert sun, when he's supposed to be going about his daily work and/or prayer. In the middle of daylight, the demon says "Why do you bother doing the same, repetitive thing day after day after day .. isn't it all futile? To what end all this hard work?"
It has been a revelation to me that acedia is my main spiritual battle. The demon's been progressively getting a better grasp on me, demoralizing my spirit, wearing me down. Sometimes, it all seems futile indeed.
Lord have mercy on me.
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