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2 The test of truth: fact or feeling? TT he CI ac I< amas P rint Wednesday, April 21, 1999 the various experiences which give significance to our lives, be they sexual love, moral impulse, or reli gious observance. Psychology, bi ology, and anthropology have all enabled us to understand our own natures in more he tar intricate ways. But we must be careful, lest in at tempting to formulate our life we reject that which JOEL P. SHEMPERT gives life meaning. C.S. Lewis has something to say about external explanations of in In last week’s column, ternal phenomena. He de I diverged from my usual scribes seeing a sunbeam modus operands, rather shining in a dark toolshed, than presenting a series then stepping inside the of arguments, I related beam itself. “This is only a an experience. I hoped to share the power of that experi very simple example,” he says, “of ence with others, and perhaps even the difference between looking at to impact the lives of those who are and looking along.” He goes on: “You get one experi immune to my debate and argumen ence of a thing when you look along tation. But while there is no denying the it and another when you look at it. validity of my experience, it is diffi Which is the ‘true’ or ‘valid’ experi cult to pin down its significance or ence? .. .it has been assumed with meaning. After all, as I experienced out discussion that if you want the the Crucified Christ in that small true account of religion you must Lutheran church on Good Friday, go, not to religious people, but to others had experiences as well. One anthropologists.. .it has even come choirmate, for instance, commented to be taken for granted that the ex that the crucifixion was “a metaphor ternal account of a thing somehow for salvation through the forgive refutes or ‘debunks’ the account given from the inside.” ness of self.” His experi Lewis concludes that nei ence, equally deep and ther the inside or outside powerfill, differed greatly account is infallible—and from mine. so therefore each case must There are some who The would say it makes no nourishment be examined on its own merits. “It is perfectly differehce—that each easy,” he warns, “to go on mystic* path is equally all your life giving explana valid, or equally invalid. from the tions of religion, love, mo And if the experience is spring of rality, honour, and the like, the end and not the without having been inside means, they are right. the divine any of them.” Whatever drug, obtained cannot be This is the balanced path through chemistry or the toward understanding our ology, will offer solace in neglected. experience. We must not an otherwise bleak life is follow blindly any road of perfectly acceptable. fered which prom ises com But I believe it does fort or happiness, but nei make a difference. The path we choose can lead to eternal ther can we afford to rule out all av bliss or disaster, and can have a pro enues to a deeper existence. Nei found effect on the way we live our ther the logician nor the mystic sees the entire picture. We must engage mortal lives as well. G.K. Chesterton wrote that “there both sides of our psyche, the ana is only one thing more impractical lytical and the poetic, to weigh all than burning a man for his religion. options, to “test the spirits,” as Paul And that is the habit of saying that said, to see “if they be of God.” The experience of the wild love of his religion does not matter.” The metaphysical question is the most God is a wonderful thing. The nour important dilemma a human being ishment of the soul from the spring of will face in life, and thus must be the divine cannot be neglected. But weighed carefully in our hearts and all things are not good. There is that minds. We must, in the words of which kills the soul as well as that Paul of Tarsus, “work out our faith which heals it. We must learn to choose, to sift the false from the true. / with fear and trembling.” It is easy to offer explanations for show you a more excellent way. Experience is so often the hallmark of our human happiness, and yet so few of us have a grasp of the place experience has in our lives. TI AL of AN UNkNOWN Cod Correct: i o n In my opinion article on April 14, 1999,1 referred to Instructor Dean Darris as “infamous.” I wish to with- draw this statement, and apologize to Dr. Darris. -KarlKatzke Associate Editor ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Dr. Spew and Adam Corona Present... Send Letters to: spewandcorona@yahoo.com •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Dr. Spew and Adam Corona, Present... L ove WI hìne B ì Afy girlfriend is going out with some friends to a dance club for a “girls ’ night out." It frustrates me to think of her going and dancing with other guys and getting hit on, but I don’t know how to tell her my concern without sounding con trolling. What do I do? —Mitch, 20 I ’m concerned about some friends of mine who were recently en gaged. I fear they aren ’t really in love, and are headed for trouble. How can I tell them? —Jenny, 22 Adam: Get over it, brother. Find some guy friends and hit a strip bar. Ifshe is cool with that, cool. If not, move on. Spew: Hmm. Ask yourself: What motivates me to be worried or frustrated? Do you have a past of possessive behavior? You’re not married to her, and you cannot place the demands of marriage on her. I can sympathize, though. In our society men have no outlet for ex pressing frustration in a relation ship without coming off as a jerk male chauvinist from the 50s. Be gingerly with expressions of con cern—don’t be possessive. Adam: Yeah—I go with Spew on that. But don’t be blind; if she Spew: No matter how well- intentioned you are, if you say anything you will lose the friend ship, at least during the relation ship, which could last 60 years! You’ve got to respect their right to their own lives. Now if one of them was abusive, that would be something. But you’re talking about being in love, which is not your place to decide. Adam: Yeah, mind your own damn business. It’s people like you that try to ruin something you don’t have. You gossip to all your friends—and if they do eventually break up, you’ll do the “I told you so” chant. Spew: My, we seem to be un commonly in agreement today. >« » * •«AL/S3* S ® » ?! I’m a gay man, and my bisexual partner is moving in with his straight ex-girlriend, whom he claims is just platonic now. Is this a bad sign? —Brian, 19 You go first, Dr. Spew. I’m afraid of what I’ll say. Spew: Well, that doesn’t sound healthy, regardless of sexual ori entation. Those two obviously have some history, and you’re fooling yourself if you don’t think there’s going to be some attrac tion. And even if they never en gage in anything sexual, they’re liv ing together like a married couple. They’re having an emotional affair. Adam: Ireallydon’tcareifthetwo dudes stick together—it’s just more women for me. There’s something in me though, that says if that girl can win him back, more power to her. Adam: ‘ \ 14- t 1 -J Associate Editors: News Editor: The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, pro- fessional manner. The opinions ex- pressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily reflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty, or The Clackamas Print advertisers. Products and services ad- vertised in The Clackamas Print are not neccesarily endorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per col- umn inch. All signed letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be considered for publica- tion if submitted by 1 pm the Friday prior to publication. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is distributed every Wednesday except during Finals week. The Clackamas Print Copyright 1999. Just remember, Jenny: defining love is hard enough -for two people, without friends getting in volved. cheats, she gets the boot. Right to the curb. 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