Cathedrals
“When you’re thinking, please remember this: excessive pride is a familiar sin, but a man may just as easily frustrate the will of God through excessive humility.”
“Do you agree with this statement Doc?”
“Ken Follett couldn’t have put it better”, As always the agreement came from having read the book himself. What I liked about this new friend of mine, was the combination of education and experience that shaped his personality.
“Ken Follett has written it from experience”, the blue eyed Dr. Kal Clarke replied. His voice was the rush of aqua falling from the mountains. I hadn’t anticipated the baritone, what with having seen him on his daily jog; our first few meetings were just staring at each other, the quietude only made him a mystery to be solved.
“Explain Doc”, I promptly wanted to listen to his take, his excitement always mesmerised me.
“God made me a neurosurgeon, I know I am good, more than the average good, but if I use this knowledge only to do surgeries, that would give me fame yes, but how do I market myself in this age of tough competition? So, I shed all my humility, and I go ahead and talk at seminars, write research papers and also put my findings in a book to make my legacy immortal. And I know for sure that God wants me to acieve my life goal in this way. In simple words, if you have it, then somewhere you will flaunt it!”
“Well said Doc, you do know how to use those twists and turns inside the cerebrum”, , the man was not humble at all but nor did was he soaked in hubris. His merely spoke what he thought.
Intelligence cannot be faked; its a life lesson when you meet new people.
“I am intrigued by the middle ages”, I smiled and said.
“What in particular, Chuisle mo chroi”, he asked, his eyes crinkled as his smile reached the deep blue irises.
“Really, Outlander fan, are you Doc?”
“Not really, but I do love the Gaelic endearments”, his smile widened.
“Enlighten me with its meaning, then” I had loved the way his baritone changed into whisper, soft and caressing, when he had uttered those words.
“Pulse of my heart”, he replied, his eyes reflecting the truth of the words.
“Well, what does a neurosurgeon have to do with the heart”, I tried to lighten the intensity and hide my blush.
“The heart and the brain should both be in agreement, mo chuisle, now tell me what interests you”, he said.
“The papal influence in Europe, the power of the papacy, and their way of life”, I said.
“The cathedrals always inspire a sense of awe. The Cantebury Cathedral was first built by St Augustine in 597 CE. Ofcourse it has been damaged and rebuilt through the ages, but the wonder is it still stands today and is a prominent place of worship, I enjoyed the silence at mass, during my visit in 2001”, his eyes brightened as he spoke, revisiting the magnificent cathedral.
“I prefer the silence in a church, it communes you closer to the almighty. Each religion teaches you something valuable, Christianity teaches ways to converse with God through the medium of silence”, I said.
“I agree”, he said, irrespective of whatever religion we follow, religion is mostly inherited, like our genes isn’t it?”
I adored the way he put his beliefs into words.
“Murder in the Cathedral, Doc, do you know why I speak of it when you tell me about Cantebury?”
“Thomas Becket, Mo Cuisle, the archbishop of Cantebury was murdered in the cathedral, he said. But you talk in terms of literature I know, tell me more.”
The murder in the cathedral, is a drama written in verse by T.S.Eliot, a most engaging play.
The last temptation is the greatest treason
To do the right deed for the wrong reason, I mouthed my favourite lines.
Kal gave me that fond look, when he was impressed by my talk, the eyes alight with respect openly admitted and a hand on his heart, as a sign of acknowledgement given to wisdom.
“Why were the bishops and the papacy so powerful”, he asked.
“Because the people believed that they were the medium to reach God.” And also in the dark ages, which was highlighted by illiteracy, the monastics, were refined due their knowledge of Latin. They could read the holy texts; infact their day was divided in between meditation and copying of these texts in an attempt to preserve the history of the west. The use to sit on tables known as Scriptoriums, copy the texts on parchments, illuminate the texts and prepare manuscripts to be read by generations to come.
The rulers naturally were dependant on the papacy, as readers and writiers who wrote the king’s decree.
“Aye, I have heard of the papal deposing power, the power of the Pope to depose a monarch from his reign”, he said.
“But I like the service to the community done by the monks, I said. Destitutes, the hungry, those in search of employment, did get temporary shelter in a monastery, thus escaping death due to starvation.” An entire village could flourish under the tutelage of a good Prior”.
“That said, the exquisite workmanship of the cathedrals makes me wonder how the masons did it without digital technology”. The flying buttresses for example”, he said.
“Tell me more about them Doc,” I quipped enthusiastically. Ken Follett said, “The most expensive part of the cathedral are the mistakes”.
“The buttress is nothing but arches built from the walls upto the foundation of the cathedral. They held the weight of the stone walls thus allowing the building of very tall cathedrals. Some experts muse that the masons must have got the idea by studying the insides of a human skull, the bones do make arches to hold the inside matter”, his eyes always lit up like pure morning sunshine when he spoke of such wonders of the world.
“No doubt doc, a neurosurgeon would appreciate that similarity.”
The morning walks were not only improving my physical health but were fodder for my intellect. a succour which come from being able to talk to a person whose interests made him sooo interesting.
“See you mo cuisle”! Kal was off to the surgery. “Adeui till we meet again!”, he touched his heart.
Until tomorrow……… I said, looking at his mop of hair, flying in the wind.
