At 1,500 Feet
I don’t know why I have been gone so long. Not much to write about. I read this quote last week, though, and thought to post it. It’s from The Fall by Albert Camus. For some reason I found it very interesting.
A natural balcony fifteen hundred feet above a sea still visible bathed in sunlight, on the other hand, was the place where I could breathe most freely, especially if I were alone, well above the human ants. I could readily understand why sermons, decisive preachings, and fire miracles took place on accessible heights. In my opinion no one meditated in cellars or prison cells (unless they were situated in a tower with a broad view); one just became moldy. And I could understand the man who, having entered holy orders, gave up the frock because his cell instead of overlooking a vast landscape as he expected, looked out on a wall. Rest assured that as far as I was concerned I did not grow moldy. At every hour of the day, within myself and among others, I would scale the heights and light conspicuous fires, and a joyful greeting would rise toward me. Thus at least I took pleasure in life and in my own excellence.
The Fall - Albert Camus (Justin O’Brien - tr)
There is a lot more in the book to talk about, but that will come later.
May 9th, 2007 at 19:44
Great quote, Zach. I’ve heard that Camus became a Christian late in life… is this from that period? Look forward to hearing more.
May 9th, 2007 at 21:01
‘The Fall’ was written in 1956, four years before he died. I have not heard before that he became a Christian, but I do know he became more interested and according to Howard Murma’s writing about their relation he did attend church later in his life.
He dabbled in religious topics throughout a lot of his writings. ‘The Plague’, ‘The Stranger’, and ‘Exile and the Kingdom’ always discuss various themes in Christianity from an existential point of view. They’re quite interesting.