Hunter S. Thompson, the guru of "gonzo journalism," has now been dead for several weeks and probably just about everyone has forgotten about him. However, his death and some parallels to the demise of another writer got me thinking about the issues of not only the decline of literature (and what passes for it) but the larger problem of growing old without God.
Thompson was in his 60's and, by all accounts, in declining health. He was famous for his hard life and abuse of a wide range of pharmaceuticals, using them for purposes for which they were not intended. His end came when he likely came the realization that he could no longer indulge the flesh at his accustomed pace, his life subsequently had little significance or real meaning, so he put a gun to his head and killed himself.
In this respect he is identical to Ernest Hemmingway, who at age 61, facing similar issues of health and the painful experience of growing old, ended his life in the same manner in 1959. Hemmingway had only shortly before that boasted of the great triumphs of his life in the area of "wine, women, and song" in an interview in Playboy Magazine.
These two illustrate my first point rather well. Hemmingway was, of course, a great writer. His ability to convey both the images of location and the emotion and personality of his characters was, in my opinion, quite unique and in many ways unmatched. His novels and short stories are still widely popular and I daresay the majority of colleges in this country offer at least one literature elective on the works of Hemmingway. His best works were out of his own experiences in World War I, the Spanish Civil War, and safaris in Africa. And even when his fame needed no boost he worked, at great personal risk, as a war correspondent during World War II, landing in the opening days of the Normandy Invasion. He was a man who was both possessed of a great talent and one who "grabbed life by the horns" and lived to the fullest, according to the standards of the world. Yet when it was all over, he could say with Solomon, "vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Ecc 1:2).
Thompson, on the other hand, was not a great or, in my opinion, even a good writer. His popularity laid in his connection the radically existentialistic 1960's and those still vainly grasping onto that philosophy of life. His essays were more often than not a cynical rant against anything that he considered a traditional value. Like Hemmingway, Thompson wrote out of the experiences of his life; however, his experiences were entirely egocentric and horrifically narrow (and by most accounts often drug induced). But unlike Hemmingway there is no sense of worth or service or a "geater good" in Thompson's writings. Whereas Hemmingway could almost be considered "larger than life" Thompson, was "smaller than life." If Hemmingway could be characterized by the great magazine of his era Life, Thompson would be the poster-child for the more recent magazine Self.
"Gonzo Journalism," the term coined for his style, was not journalism; it was simply a cover that allowed a purile view of the world to be presented as reality. I doubt that there are any schools of journalism that offer a course on "Gonzoism." Thompson's works, even his most famous book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (a horrible screed that was turned into an even worse movie), I have no doubt will soon be out of print. Like Hemmingway though, he could agree with Solomon at the end of his life and declare that a life given over to hedonism is simply "futility" (Ecc 2:1-3).
Like Hemmingway and Thompson, King Solomon wrote about growing old in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is a tragedy to be separated from God because of rejecting the gospel at any stage of life, because life if fleeting and no one, regardless of age, has the assurance of another breath, much less another day on this earth. But when one is young and strong and healthy the reality of eternity and the realization of what is actually important seem easier to set aside. As the 1960's song goes,
those were the days my friend,
we thought they'd never end,
we'd sing and dance forever and a day,
we'd live the life we choose,
we'd fight and never lose,
for we were young and sure to have our way
Solomon exhorted his sons to "remember also your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecc 12:1) and then discusses the experiences of growing old (12:1-7). Better to accept the message of the Gospel and live a life in the fullness of God's power giving the strength of your youth to the service of the Creator than to waste those precious years on serving self, sin and Satan.
One might think that those in their old age would come to their senses, but as the same 60's song laments, "friend we are older but no wiser, for in our hearts the dreams are still the same." For Hemmingway and Thompson, the dream was still the same, live for self, live for pleasure, live for excitement, live for anything...except God and His glory. And in the end they were both "older, but no wiser." In the course of growing old the dream turned to despair, the strength of youth was gone and the great lie of Satan to live for self ultimately consumes what is left of the soul and another person goes to a Christless eternity. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).
The same passage ends with a warning and a promise, "And the world is passing away, and also its, lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17).
The decline in literature from Hemmingway to Thompson is demonstrable; one was a great writer and one was not; one was majestic and one was shrill; one lives on with a mark of worldly fame, the other will certainly not; but in the end both ended the same way: growing old, a moment of decision, a gun to the head and then the instant realization that God is real and the message of the Gospel is true.
For the Christian, Paul's words in Ephesians 2:3-5 are a great source of encouragement from what God saved us from and for the non-Christian words also to encourage that while there is breath, the message of the Gospel of Christ is there to save, from the youngest to the oldest:
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature chidlren of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alove together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
I recently stumbled on your wonderful blog. This is a well-written post I greatly enjoyed. I have some disagreements, so let me comment.
I’m an agnostic who is growing older. Everyday I find joy and fulfillment. Part of the reason, I think, some religious folks cannot understand the joy of agnosticism (or maybe atheism too, though I cannot speak for atheists), is that they make several bad assumptions, as you have here.
One bad assumption is that life without the message of the Gospel is focused on the self and sin. A second bad assumption is that the agnostic is empty at heart because God is not in his or her heart.
It’s a classic logical thinking problem, sometimes called the “either-or” fallacy or the “false dilemma.” The theist incorrectly analyzes that “God and the Gospel give me fulfillment---in fact, it’s the only way I understand ultimate fulfillment. Therefore an agnostic could not be fulfilled.”
For myself I find joy and fulfillment in other people, contemplation, great works, and great art. I do not see this as a focus on “self, sin, and Satan.” A few brief examples among the thousands in my life:
-My children, my wife, and my dear friends make my heart leap.
-Hemingway’s famous short story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” helps me understand life, death, and growing old.
-Christ's Beatitudes convey a deep sense of justice to me.
-Rembrandt’s series of self portraits convey the importance of living life and growing old courageously.
-Kindness to those less fortunate through volunteer work and financial contribution to good charities bring to me a great sense of peace and redemption.
-Finally forgiving a former enemy gives me joy.
-Discussions with my Christian, Muslim, and Jewish friends help satisfy all of us to understand a little more about spirituality.
I understand that these facets of my fulfillment and joy in life are not enough for you and many religious folks. (Probably your fastest rejoinder might be, “But what about the afterlife?”) But it is enough for me, an agnostic.
You’ve made a common error (among the religious) in thinking growing old without God is empty, without meaning, and only worthy of suicide. Because it’s not enough for you does not mean it’s not enough for me and many others.
Posted by: Tom at March 11, 2005 8:30 AMBy Grace you have been saved. By Grace I have been saved. But for the Grace of God, there go I. This is all beyond my understanding. It is only by the miracle of Gods Grace that I am free. His Grace is the gift that through my unaided will I would reject. It's good that Grace is not a product of our synthetic knowledge, I get a headache thinking about it.
Posted by: Dennis at March 11, 2005 9:42 PMIn relation to Tom's comments, a particular verse of Scripture comes to mind: "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor 4:3-4).
Satan has, in his work of deception, allowed people to have pleasure, "sin for a season, as it were. Being apart from God does not relegate one to the utter depths of depravity, not at all. I think Satan would like to have everyone living nice, happy lives, even being members of whatever church they like, as long as they do not hear and believe the gospel. C. S. Lewis' classic work, The Screwtape Letters" perhaps points this out as well as anything written. I understand the "fulfillment" apart from God, but it is illusionary, not dissimilar to taking pain medication, so nothing is felt, but the problem is still there.
Of course the things you mention that bring fulfillment are good, kind and benevolent; but they are a means of working your way too salvation, which of course, can never be (Ephesians 2:8-10). "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is, of course, one of Hemmingway's classic works, but the end of his life demonstrates the falsity of it as a meaningful philosophy, as was my very point.
Obviously not all come to the same end as Hemmingway and Thompson, nor was that my point; some don't see the emptiness and futility of an eternity (which is a fast rejoinder, but not my fastest) separated from God.
Posted by: Narnia 3 at March 12, 2005 10:38 PMThanks for your response. Maybe in a tiny way we can agree that the things I mentioned that bring me fulfillment are good, kind, and benevolent. From there, we veer apart, but at least we can agree on something.
It’s difficult sometimes to bridge the gap between agnostic and theist and this is one of those times. Let me try to discuss my position. It may seem nonsensical to you, but try not to smile or giggle at least. And if I stumble here and somehow bring you offense, please believe me I don’t mean to. These are difficult subjects you’ve brought up, but you’ve brought up the most worthwhile subjects to talk about.
You say, “ I think Satan would like to have everyone living nice, happy lives....” I simply don’t believe in a Satan as I think you’re describing it. I see people making mistakes in their lives, committing crimes, doing wrong. I don’t attribute that to a specific evil entity as I think you mean with “Satan.” People commit wrongs. In the spirit of Occam’s Razor, I’m not going to pile Satan on top of that statement.
Also, I suppose I understand “fulfillment” as it relates to Christianity, but from my perspective it brings a couple handicaps that agnosticism isn’t stuck with.
-You assume people are broken to begin with. They’re sick with Original Sin and something has to cleanse them or fix them. In my belief, it’s a bit like telling your son or daughter, “You’re born pondscum, sweetie. Hey it’s not exactly your fault. But there’s a way to fix you.” How would a child react but with a feeling of apprehension and lack of self worth? If the goal is fulfillment, you’re breaking a person, rather than building them up. I think it’s better to tell your child. “You’ll make mistakes along the way. Think! Don’t do them if possible. If you need help avoiding committing wrongs, tell me or someone you love. We’ll help you through.”
-You’re always taking the very best parts of you, your friends, your loved ones, your heroes, or whomever, and attributing it to God. This is a crummy metaphor, but let me throw it out. Suppose life is a race and you’re taking steroids. Did you win the fulfillment contest or was it due to you AND the steroids? The guy that runs it without the steroids, I think, may very well end up with a more powerful feeling of fulfillment. It was he, his wife, his children, his loved ones, the great books he read, the great good he did in his life...not a supernatural assistant that gave him fulfillment.
(Please understand me that I of course believe Christians can lead profound, meaningful lives. I’m sincerely trying simply to explain why I think your method of fulfillment has problems---if you’re thinking the only problems in the world with fulfillment is with non-believers.)
Finally, maybe more to the point of your original posting, I think maybe we have a disagreement about the power of art, too. You said, “‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place’ is, of course, one of Hemingway's classic works, but the end of his life demonstrates the falsity of it as a meaningful philosophy, as was my very point.”
You seem to be saying that the way an artist lives his life measures the worth of his work to others. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I read you as, “Since Hemingway was an alcoholic and committed suicide, his art is not meaningful in the end for people.”
I disagree. Art transcends the artist. It's about what I get out of the art, not what the artist gets out of creating it. An example is better.
Let’s use another Hemingway short story--- “The Killers.” It’s been a long while since I read this but basically it’s the perfectly written fiction of a young man who comes in contact with a couple bad guys who are planning to kill a former boxer in town. Probably the reader is to assume the killers are on this mission since the boxer double-crossed these gangsters earlier in life. The boxer seems strangely accepting of his fate when contacted by the young man.
The point of this powerful story in my opinion---this story by an alcoholic, suicide victim Ernest Hemingway---is that the mistakes we make in life catch up with us sometime or another. Maybe I can toss some sugar on it and say, “The mistakes we make in life will catch up with us one way or the other unless we redeem ourselves.”
The funny thing to me is that can be read as a profoundly Christian message or a profoundly important lesson to be teaching anyone.
Is that message of “The Killers” as I’ve described it so false? So meaningless? I'm sorry about Hemingway, but I'm happy I have his art.