Infinite Variety

[rj_anderson]

Dear Stephen Fry:

You are a very funny and talented man, and I am not at all surprised that you are also an enormous geek. I am amazed, however, by the sheer insane length of your first blog post, and the fact that it is all about electronic gadgetry. I don't know why I expected you to still write everything down on parchment with a fountain pen and use only public telephones, but for some reason I did.

Really, the sheer complexity of people never fails to surprise me.

Which has inspired me to create a meme of sorts:

1. Tell me one thing about yourself that you think I might be really surprised to hear, and/or
2. Tell me one thing about myself that really surprised you when you found out.

And now I must go and unravel part of Chapter Four which isn't working, so that I can feel happy about carrying on with Chapter Five.

Comments

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

I kind of figured it was a church-only thing with you (having seen other pics where you're *not* wearing it). :-)

And I'm aware of the Scriptural idea behind it. I don't do it myself, partly because I have never met a head covering (hat, hood, what have you) that agreed with me in terms of fitting or not making me feel off balance (I've just never liked hats), and also because I don't think that people need to be that literal about the sign of authority. To me, it's in the same category as taking the passage about dressing modestly "without the braiding of hair or the wearing of gold jewelry" to absolutely forbid doing my hair up in some fashion for church (as opposed to leaving it hanging down), or wearing earrings or a pendant or the ring my parents gave me.

But I certainly don't have a problem with other people doing it, because it is a thing done to the glory of God.

I suspect this is because the head covering for women has been mistaken for a sign of oppressiveness, an attempt to hide women from view and treat them as second-class citizens in the church, but that's not what it means at all.

You're so right, it doesn't mean that...but I'm pretty sure, based on some people I know in certain churches where I grew up, it has sometimes been used exactly like that. Which is depressing--people in our generation question the true meaning of such a gesture or tradition, without it being obscured by those who misuse it.