Couple of new posts:

- Broken Dumbledore
- Reconciliation with tradition
- Soul Bonds and Arranged Marraiges

6 files changed, 217 insertions, 12 deletions

diff --git a/faith/breakfast_in_new_york_02.rst b/faith/breakfast_in_new_york_02.rst
index cb94c82..781dc0f 100644
--- a/faith/breakfast_in_new_york_02.rst
+++ b/faith/breakfast_in_new_york_02.rst
@@ -40,13 +40,13 @@ with Hermione and Harry forgetting themselves and having
 a one-night stand. Of course, not happy meaning I would support
 their behaviour, but it made their story interesting.
 
-Explanation, why not-that-girl did this is exactly the main point
-of any literature! See the awesome short film “`The Saga Of
-Biorn`_” by The Animation Workshop. It starts with this line:
-“Some might ask: who is this Viking and what made him throw
-a dwarf off a cliff?” Many good stories exactly with this: why
-somebody did something very strange, against their character or
-against what we would expect from a person like him. Why this
+Explanation, why not-that-girl did this is exactly the main
+point of any literature! See the awesome short film “`The Saga
+Of Biorn`_” by The Animation Workshop. It starts with this line:
+“Some might ask: who is this Viking and what made him throw a
+dwarf off a cliff?” Many good stories start exactly with this:
+why somebody did something very strange, against their character
+or against what we would expect from a person like him? Why this
 not-that-girl does things which she shouldn’t do is exactly this
 question that made me interested in the story.
 
diff --git a/faith/broken_dumbledore.rst b/faith/broken_dumbledore.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51ed0df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/faith/broken_dumbledore.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+Broken Dumbledore
+#################
+ 
+:date: 2022-07-30T11:52:30
+:category: faith
+:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment
+ 
+(my comments on “`Anger and Albus Dumbledore`_” by u/HorseLaw14)
+
+I think he doesn’t understand emotions at all. Yes, I will say,
+he knows nothing about love. And, no, I don’t care whether he is
+gay or straight, there is absolutely no evidence anywhere for
+Dumbledore/Minerva (or Dumbledore/Snape, if you wish) ships
+anywhere close to the neighbourhood of the canon.
+
+As a married man for more than a quarter of a century, I know
+that love is much more than shagging, and we have no evidence
+that Dumbledore truly loved anybody after the age of fifteen. And
+without regard to whether they loved each other (we don’t know
+it, really) or whether they did the deed, they certainly had no
+time for love to develop into something real. And, as I said,
+love is much more than that, when thinking about it love is
+sharing of life most of all. I don’t know if I have ever read it
+somewhere, but the unit of love for measurement of it is one bit,
+unit of information. And yes, I understand operational security,
+but absolute isolation from everybody else, and complete secrecy
+about his thoughts is not only stupid (because a bus factor of
+the Order of Phoenix was essentially one) but it also testifies
+to quite a dysfunctional personality. So, yes, for all his talks
+about love being the biggest magic in the world, he was saying it
+as somebody who knows love only from afar, not from his personal
+experience.
+
+Also, if you are telling me that he couldn’t be in love with
+anybody because he was carrying a torch for Grindelwald all that
+time, in the same manner, Snape was carrying the torch for Lily,
+I don’t believe you. I don’t trust that one either (it seems
+quite obsessive and unhealthy not to be able to grieve through
+that loss in eleven years at least to the level that one is not
+bullying a son of your former lover), but at least Snape’s love
+I can rationalize. Carrying a torch for the equivalent of Hitler
+or Putin for ninety years is a sign of a seriously disturbed
+personality, in my opinion. Love is not sickness, and when your
+crush turns out to be a horrible monster, a normal person grieves
+for a while mostly for the lost hope and goes on with his life.
+Not keeping flame for another **ninety** years.
+
+So, I am not into evil!Dumbledore or the manipulative!Dumbledore,
+just into his rather a flawed personality. Not morally, but
+psychologically.
+ 
+.. _`Anger and Albus Dumbledore`:
+    https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/wbpd47/comment/ii8f6ec/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
diff --git a/faith/nezlorec-krali.rst b/faith/nezlorec-krali.rst
index 4e39006..3e2c295 100644
--- a/faith/nezlorec-krali.rst
+++ b/faith/nezlorec-krali.rst
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ křesťanů k politice.
    křesťany důvodem, proč se raději tváří, že lidi v moci
    postavení (od pana prezidenta až po poslední úřednici na
    místním úřadě) jsou monarchové z Boží milosti, a oni si mohou
-   zakrýt oči před tím co takový člověk dělá a před svou
+   zakrýt oči před tím, co takový člověk dělá, a před svou
    odpovědností.
 
 #. Prezident České republiky není absolutní monarcha. Biblický
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ křesťanů k politice.
       povinností. To je v případě českého prezidenta překvapivě
       málo (čl. 62 Ústavy). Jedná se o různá jmenování
       (profesoři, velvyslanci, vláda), amnestie a aktivity
-      v rámci zákonodárného procesu. Můžu si o nic mnohé myslet
+      v rámci zákonodárného procesu. Můžu si o nich mnohé myslet
       (a třeba o amnestii pana prezidenta Klause nebo o různých
       vyznamenáních udělených panem prezidentem Zemanem si myslím
       mnohé), ale v zásadě je nám nezbývá než je respektovat
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ křesťanů k politice.
       jak si ulevuje, tak ho nezavraždím, maximálně mu ustřihnu
       kus pláště (1Sa 24). Používám tohoto absurdního příkladu,
       abych ukázal, že úcta biblických postav ke králům byla
-      velice omezena. Rozhodně co se týče kritiky izraelských
+      velice omezena. Rozhodně, co se týče kritiky izraelských
       a judských králů se toho můžeš dočíst velice mnoho
       a rozhodně bych se neodvažoval tvrdit, že všichni ti, kteří
       kritizovali někdy často katastrofální vládu biblických
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ křesťanů k politice.
       v její válce na Ukrajině (i proti vlastnímu ministerstvu
       zahraničních věcí a ministerstvu národní obrany tvrdil, že
       na Ukrajině a Krymu nejsou žádná ruská vojska; teď tuto lež
-      přiznala i Moskva, pan prezident se za tyto lži nikdy
+      přiznala i Moskva, náš pan prezident se za tyto lži nikdy
       neomluvil, i když poté co se svým podílem na okupaci Krymu
       vytahoval i pan Putin, tak tuto skutečnost musel také
       připustit). Máme v PCF několik lidí z Ukrajiny a tak se mi
diff --git a/faith/reconcile-tradition.rst b/faith/reconcile-tradition.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..642450a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/faith/reconcile-tradition.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+Reconciliation with tradition
+#############################
+ 
+:date: 2022-07-07T09:59:56
+:status: draft
+:category: faith
+:tags: KChO, PCF, 
+ 
+One of many surprises I have experienced after 1989 was how
+different was trajectory of development of different
+post-Communist nations. And what was even more shocking was how
+much these trajectories followed their previous history and
+tradition. It is widely accepted by historians that pre-War
+Czechoslovakia was truly exceptional island of democracy in the
+Central Europe (with serious problems in its policy towards
+national minorities). Polish regime of general Pilsudski was more or
+less democratic, but it has some very unpleasant characteristics:
+part of the opposition was quite violently and probably
+unlawfully persecuted, it was quite militaristic, but overall it
+was more or less democratic free regime, and its glory is shining
+lot on the background of the following horrible regimes, Nazi
+occupation and Communist regime. Hungary regime of admiral Horty
+was not even pretending to be democracy. In 1989 we started from
+quite similar starting places, all of us coming fresh from the
+oppression of Communism, and it was shocking how twenty years
+later we are in quite similar places. Czechia is still more or
+less functional democracy, which so far managed to resist all
+attempt to destroy it (and we have still problems with our only
+remaining national minority … Roma), Poland is again democracy
+with serious problems in the division of powers, rule of law and
+freedom of press (opposition is not violently oppressed,
+thankfully), and Hungary is an authoritarian regime which doesn’t
+even pretend much.
+
+My teenage daughter came to me couple of weeks ago and shared
+with me her constant feeling of unease with her classmates. She
+felt weird how she was exceptional among her peers as not having
+divorced parents and not being separated from them. I could just
+affirm her observation, because I was in her age exactly in the
+same position. And marriage of my parents was not always rosy,
+exactly in that age my parents were struggling through strong
+conflicts with one another. My father wanted to buy a house and
+move to another part of Prague, while my Mum wanted to stay.
+Their arguments were sometimes so loud that I couldn’t stay in
+our home, and I have to run away. However, somehow they managed
+to stay together, and I could never be enough thankful to them
+for this example. Yes, our marriage with Markéta is sometime
+a bit loud and we have sometimes struggled with our arguments,
+but so far from God’s mercy we are still together, twenty-five
+years later.
+
+Czech nation has to be one of the biggest specialists in starting
+from scratch again. After the renewal of the very existence of
+our nation, language, etc. our ancestors started from the middle of the
+nineteenth century rebuild Czech industry, Czech politics started
+on the municipal and regional level and since then until the
+early twentieth century they managed to get Czech lands to the
+level of that mentioned pre-War democracy and economically
+Czechoslovakia was among ten most developed industrial nations in
+the world. And then the First World War came and lot of what was
+build was destroyed together with security and business
+environment of the Austrian empire. Czechs (and Slovaks, where
+the situation was even more complicated, because they were
+largely missing on the development of the second half of the
+nineteenth century. It took twenty years to reestablish economy,
+bringing up new leaders of both nation and industry, and then it
+was destroyed by even worse Second World Wars. And we can
+continue: starting again in 1945, 1968, and after 1989, fifth
+time in hundred and fifty years. No wonder there is a lot of
+hopelessness and collecting enthusiasm to start again is
+complicated and painful process.
diff --git a/faith/soul-bonds-arranged-marriage.rst b/faith/soul-bonds-arranged-marriage.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75deec2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/faith/soul-bonds-arranged-marriage.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+Soul bonds and arranged marriages
+#################################
+ 
+:date: 2022-06-16
+:category: faith
+:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment
+ 
+Comment on the Reddit thread “`Soul bonding fics with depth?`_”
+by ZappyFence discussing “`Error of Soul`_” by Materia-Blade)
+
+> Can you elaborate? As someone who read it, I'm still not sure
+> what people mean when they say this.
+
+In the end every soul-bond fanfiction story is a story of
+imposed/unintended relationship.
+
+We, here in Europe (and consequently in America, and from that
+via Hollywood to the whole world), are persuaded under the
+influence of our individualism (and perhaps the Romantic movement
+of the early 19th century) that the best reason why to build
+a life-long marriage is mutual infatuation with each other, and
+that the best spouse anybody can find is the one which we find on
+our own in strict isolation from anybody else.
+
+The often quoted claim (which certainly originally was `not by
+Albert Einstein`_) “The definition of insanity is doing the same
+thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” (or
+I like the alternative formulation of the same thought: “If you
+always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve
+always gotten.”). Insisting on this individualistic romantic love
+as a foundation of marriage, despite almost half of marriages
+ending in divorce, says something about the collective insanity
+of our civilization.
+
+It wasn’t always so and what’s even more interesting, not
+everybody hated it. I am a Czech (a man, if it matters), and
+I live in Prague, but I attend an English-speaking international
+church here, so I have friends from all over the world. I have
+been haunted for long time by talk I had with a slightly
+distraught and sad lady in her twenties, who was from India
+(somewhere around Pune). She was sharing how sad and depressed
+she was: not only from the general homesickness and insecurities
+of life abroad, but also, how she put it, that she would like to
+find a boyfriend and she misses help of her parents in looking
+for him. That actually stunned me: it doesn’t have to be either
+the fight with a marriage arranged by Lady Catherine de Bourgh
+and her total domination, or clear individualism and everybody
+only for themselves, it could be cooperation and family helping
+one of its members.
+
+I think better soul-bond stories could investigate this issue.
+The book by the Christian missionary Walter Trobisch “`I loved
+a girl`_” (highly recommended) cites an African wife who said
+“You, Europeans, put a hot pot with a stew on cold table and hope
+it will stay hot as long as possible; we put a cold pot on stove
+and it will heat up”. And that’s the perennial question about
+what makes a good marriage: compatibility of spouses or their
+willingness to work on their relationship? What’s more important?
+I have been married for over quarter of century, and I still
+don’t know the answer to this question.
+
+Could Harry and Hermione in this situation just sit down and
+decide, that they didn’t want to be together, but now when they
+have to be, could they make their marriage work? Could they be
+happy together nevertheless?
+
+I think it would make a great story, but I am not able to write
+it and I would prefer if it was written by somebody from
+a culture where arranged marriages are still common.
+
+.. _`Soul bonding fics with depth?`:
+    https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/vcwxmc/soul_bonding_fics_with_depth/
+
+.. _`Error of Soul`:
+    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8490518/2/Error-of-Soul
+
+.. _`not by Albert Einstein`:
+    https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/23/same/
+
+.. _`I loved a girl`:
+    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1931475016
diff --git a/faith/thou_shalt_not_suffer_witch_live.rst b/faith/thou_shalt_not_suffer_witch_live.rst
index fdb65ee..eb2af64 100644
--- a/faith/thou_shalt_not_suffer_witch_live.rst
+++ b/faith/thou_shalt_not_suffer_witch_live.rst
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ although we are not completely certain how exactly it was done.
 *menakhesh* has very complicated meaning. According to some it is
 just a generic term for any divination by observing signs and
 omens (Strong’s Dictionary). According to other (Czech Bible
-commentary, Wikipedia) this word derives from the word for snake,
+commentary and Wikipedia) this word derives from the word for snake,
 and as a verb it literally translates to hissing. It could mean
 either some kind of whispering or murmuring incantation, or it
 may signifies a snake charmer.