Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Q To 12

There might not be a bigger fan of Calvin and Hobbes on the planet. Well...other than Watterson himself. I'll post more on that in the time to come. You see, I'm back on my Calvin and Hobbes kick. So much so that I actually like the name Calvin for a boy's name for when I have kids. Even though that name embodies a deterministic philosophy, to some extent. But hey, it's not like the kid will have a choice!

Anyway, I've found this game that embodies three of my more recent examinations on this blog. Calvinball.

1. Postmodernism. Maybe I haven't out and out embraced this philosophy yet, but I feel like I'm close. Calvinball on the surface looks more like the most associated and attacked form of the philosophy. The one that comes out of a few French philosophers on the fringe of the movement. Most of the game appears relative. But I refer to you to the rules that govern the lack of rules. Not that they make any sense, though.

2. Inventing Games. I've already told you about Awesome Catches. And I've got a few more games that I've remembered in recent weeks that I haven't posted about. As I'm sure you do. Including one a co-worker and I invented for those long saturdays at the network.

3. Childhood Imagination. This idea has always been with me and will always be with me. I've already mentioned what my favorite author says on the subject. And I think sometimes as adults we like to have everything explained. Our boundaries defined. And so what if the game makes absolutely no sense...if it's outside the edges of reason. Just because you can explain something, you can understand a given thing, doesn't make it fun.

The absurd is what makes life fun, even if it makes no sense. Even if there's no Santa Claus, it's fun to think there might be. My faith is founded on an absurd premise: that God became man and dwelt among us. You might think that sacrilegious. To you, it might be a cut and dry idea. But to me it is filled with mystery. And where there is mystery, there is awe. And where there is awe, there is imagination. And where there is imagination, there is a child.

The thing of it is: How about Calvin Wesley Guest? Would that balance it out?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aaron,
You need to get one of those maps like ty has on his blog. That would be cool.
eric

Tiberius said...

Calvin Wesley Guest would balance it out, especially with the whole relativism thing. I mean, come on, it's just a matter of perspective, right? Unless, of course, it has been determined from before all time that he convert to Catholocism and become pope. Then he'll just get a new name.

Anonymous said...

And I thought Bramwell Michael was top on the list of names. BMG would have a nice sound to it. BTW the SA has the most non post-modern, post-modern position of many denoms. It can be relatively pragmatic at the expense of its creed and it can be stauchly prudish at the expense of new ideas. It all is in the eye of the ruling party.

sara* said...

Wait... Is there actually a baby coming? Or is this all hypothetical? I need clarity...

AaronG said...

This is only hypothetical...but it never hurt to test out names now...I just what to make sure the universe balances out.

And there wouldn't be anything wrong if Calvin Wesley became pope...though I'm not sure why he couldn't be called pope Calvin or pope wesley.

But to avoid confusion maybe I should be considering Benedict Kariya Guest?

Or if he were to be the general of the SA, I suppose Osborne Higgins Guest would work.

Anonymous said...

Booth for a first name would be great. Or even Tucker but then again he would be going to Public School and Tucker rimes with many bad things that he would be coming home saying. And why is it that we just have boy names or rather more boy names then girl. im sure that we could come up with nice ones for you!

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