Torpor, Philosophy and Archbishops

Over the past week or so my mind has become like a stomach that refuses any more alcohol. Every attempt at reading has been forcibly rejected and I've been sinking into some sort of bland lethargy that has hardly been good for my studies. I have made some attempts to retrieve my state of mind. The first was computer games. I decided that for a few days I would give up studying and immerse myself in the wonderful world of Zelda. Unfortunately the cure turned into an addiction and four days later, with very little sleep, I realised that the Gamecube had to go so off it went, back to my brother. I am now of the mind that games consuls contribute to zombieness and if I continued down that path I'd soon end up with the starring role in the next remake of Dawn of the Dead.

So, with that plan foiled I tried socialising. I spent all weekend hanging out with my friends, drinking wine and generally not thinking about work. But I was enjoying myself too much and I'm not allowed to enjoy myself right now so I had to give that up.

However, I took a trip down to Warwick to visit the University in an attempt to solidify my plans to read my MA and PhD there. That, thankfully, went well. I got a nice hotel from Last Minute and off I went on my travels, Serres and Blanchot by my side. I didn't read much of them but I managed to get out some stuff for my dissertation which is taking shape nicely now. I'm also enjoying philosophy again, I just need to get these various essays out of the way so I can throw myself into my dissertation.

Anyway, it looks like I'll be off to Warwick next year. Coventry is horrible though, and the University isn't the prettiest of sights. But the Department is great and it's the best place to do what I want to do. Unfortunately it means I have to postpone my travel plans so rather than be off for two months in America this summer, I'm going back to sunny Ireland to get a job and save some money. Oh, the joys of Belfast in the summer, I can't begin to imagine how much fun it's going to be.......


As for Archbishops, I was reading the Guardian today and I read an article about Rowen Williams. I'm not particularly fond of any public figures, at least, none really spring to mind. But I do have a soft spot for the Archbishop of Canterbury. I'm not a fan of the Church itself, 7 years of an Irish Catholic primary school tends to suppress any devotion to religion, but he kind've reminds me of Santa. And religion, in any form, has the potential for creating all sorts of interesting people. I think it'd be lush to believe your whole life that after your life you're going to still be alive (in some sense at least). If you thought that then it'd make alot of crap much easier..... I'm going off topic....

Quoted from the Guardian today:

"A government that habitually pressed its interests abroad in ways that ignored manifest needs and priorities in the wider human and non-human environment, habitually repressed criticism or manipulated public media - such a regime would, to say the least, jeopardise its claim to obedience because it was refusing attention... It would be concerned finally about control and no more; and so would be a threat to its citizens and others."

Rowan Williams.

The Guardian argues that Dr Williams was talking about principles rather than instances but it's fairly easy to take the principle and apply it to a specific, blatantly obvious instance. If, as the Guardian reports, that Labour believes that the Archbishop is saying nothing new, then why have they never used this principle and applied it to themselves? Or does politics transcend principles?

I don't understand politics. It all seems to be one big fuck up, one fiasco to the next with the majority of the country shaking their heads in disgust at it all. When I was younger I had thought that I might go into politics but after experiencing the shambles of Northern Ireland politics and now these notional and international farces I have progressively become more and more disillusioned with the idea. What is the point in trying to effect a change in politics when there's so many idiots about with more power than sense? At least philosophy still retains a certain potentiality and openings for change.

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