Blessed Are the Contrarians
Diary of a Journey Through Interesting Times
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Diary of a Journey Through Interesting Times
Ratings1
Average rating5
Blessed are the contrarians, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. But they must be very, very careful in these Interesting Times!Contrarians are those who go against the current (as the dictionary states), who take opposing stands from the majority: in the stock markets they buy when others sell and vice-versa; in religious matters, if they are Christians, they continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, in spite of the Zeitgeist, and if they are not they have the utmost respect for what Christianity is all about and for its contribution to civilization. In matters of culture, education and lifestyles, they are “old-fashioned” while the rest of the world seems to be hell bent on transmuting order into chaos.This book is a kind of diary of a journey through our time—politics, culture, lifestyles, worldviews, etc.—and back home again, where “home” stands for a sense of belonging to something stronger than the spirit of our times. In other words what this book represents is a sort of explanation—though not a systematic one—of why the Author disagrees with certain mainstream views in several domains. And this from a conservative and Christian point of view, that is to say the perspectives that come under severe attack from secular and progressive ideologies, the over-influential schools of thought of our time.
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I first ran into author, Rob Piccoli, on a now defunct bloggers website. At the time I was very impressed by his intellect and his curiosity. Both shine through Blessed Are The Contrarians, a book of essays which covers a wide range of topics—nature, beauty, politics, art, and religion. Though I consider myself to be well read, this book introduced me to writers I've missed. Among them—Montaigne, G.K. Chesterton, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. By sharing who's inspired him, Rob has now inspired me to read their works as well.
A philosopher by nature and education, Piccoli writes about political life in both his native country, Italy (the whole Berlusconi fiasco) and in America (the ongoing battles between Obama and the Republicans). Because I'm left leaning in politics, it was refreshing to read his point of view, which is more conservative than mine. I was enlightened in ways I couldn't have imagined.
Some of his essays are about religion. Since I've drifted away from organized religion, I was fascinated by his attention to God, and the Catholic church. Though I didn't agree with all his positions, he made me think, and he opened my mind up to other possibilities. He gave me a new understanding of the Crusades and how it's been misinterpreted by Islam and others.
But there is much more. Piccoli also draws on the writings of Shakespeare and the Bible. He discusses the advances made by Galileo, the furor caused by Dante, and the art of Giotto.
Though he's drawn his ideas from the news and from history, he's also peppered his writing with anecdotes from his own life. I was especially moved by his story of how, during a family vacation, he had stumbled upon a group of volunteer soldiers who had come out to help earthquake survivors. Unbeknownst to Rob, among them was a man who “had helped to carve the tombstone” of his father's grave. This is just one of the many stories that will give you pause.
Blessed Are The Contrarians is an intelligent discourse of our times—from the value of solitude to the nature of beauty. This is a book I want to read again.
