In a matter of weeks, our worlds have been upended and reforged. Because of the Coronavirus, we now attend classes virtually and work from home–which are modifications that help us to maintain our typical schedules. But when we’re through with those responsibilities, we find ourselves still at home, with several hours left of our day, feeling boredom and hunger that no number of visits to our kitchen cabinets or pantries, or hours spent binging on our favorite Netflix TV shows... Read more
“Do you believe in God, doctor?” “No, but what does that really mean? I’m fumbling in the dark, struggling to make something out. But I’ve long ceased finding that original.” “Isn’t that it, the gulf between Paneloux and you?” “I doubt it. Paneloux is a man of learning, a scholar. He hasn’t come in contact with death; that’s why he can speak with such assurance of the truth, with a capital T. But every country priest who visits his parishioners... Read more
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, took the risk once again of dropping an album spontaneously. Chucking the conventions of album promotion out the window (as he also does with the conventions of gender and genre lines), he boldly announced on February 14th that he would shut down his Twitter until the release of the new album. It wasn’t until two weeks after when Jimmy Fallon asked him directly that he revealed that his second solo album YHLQMDLG... Read more
By Guest Contributor Dr. Jaisy Joseph Come and see. Fr. Luigi Giussani tells us that Christ’s words to Andrew and John belong to “the Christian formula, the Christian method.” In this method, we discover an invitation that waits on our freedom to enter into deeper intimacy with Christ and with others. Such was my experience when I first met Rose Tomassi and she told me about the New York Encounter exhibit she was working on. As someone who is fairly new... Read more
I met Danielle (DL) Mayfield last year when she spoke on a panel about serving others without taking on a “savior complex.” She shared her experience of aspiring to become an evangelical missionary as a teen, and how her encounters with her immigrant neighbors challenged her understanding of what it means to share the Gospel with others. I was particularly moved by how she spoke about the need for neighborliness in an increasingly individualistic culture. I asked Danielle to answer... Read more
So since people are up in arms over this Harry Potter debacle…and seeing as I’m an ex-Potterhead, I thought I’d weigh in. I’ll start by saying that I got involved in witchcraft and occult practices after reading Harry Potter when I was about 10 years old. That being said, I’m not the kind of Catholic that thinks that readings stories about witches and spells is intrinsically evil, and that Harry Potter should be forbidden. But I definitely don’t think that... Read more
I finished the last post in this series with an open question. The existential conundrum that Bad Bunny conveys in his music–between an attitude of complacency/distraction and openness/seeking truth–represents the experience of many who are on the cusp of Gens Y and Z (millennials and the iGen). This teetering between poles can prove exhausting…Where can they find respite? What are the options available to them? One is that of the Nueva Religion: optimistic nihilism. Accept that meaning is not created... Read more
In the previous article in this series, I pointed out the tension between Bad Bunny’s “New Religion” of optimistic nihilism and his desire for objective meaning. I proposed that this tension represents the great existential conundrum faced by those on the cusp of Gens Y and Z. In this article, we’ll look at how this tension is expressed in his lyrics (note that the translations of these songs from Spanish to English are either my own or from Genius). Estamos... Read more
The music of Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, popularly known as Bad Bunny, features catchy trap and reggaeton rhythms produced by Latin America’s finest. Known for his norm-bending sense of fashion (nail polish, all-seeing eye on his forehead) and highly symbolic music videos, Bad Bunny’s craft and persona speak to the distinct sensibilities of his generation. In an interview with Complex magazine, El Conejo Malo presents himself as a voice for the ideals of those on the cusp of Gen Y... Read more
I was inspired after reading Chris Arnade’s piece on “Back Row America” in First Things to reflect on the distinct styles of devotion among different socioeconomic and ethnic lines. Arnade writes that Like most in the front row, I am used to thinking we have all the answers. On Wall Street, there were few problems we couldn’t solve with enough smarts, energy, audacity, or money. We even managed to push death into the distance; with enough research and enough resources—eating right,... Read more
Cracks in Postmodernity
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