Looking Back

As I was reading Coles' chapter titled "Looking Back," I realized that I had been doing the same thing when I wrote about my relationship to religion. On page 174 Coles' speaks about how Tolstoy appreciated a certain innocence that he felt is unachievable after expanding his intellect. Tolstoy wondered whether "the intellect wasn't more of hindrance than an aid to human relatedness, to our moral life." To him 'intellect' might present an obstacle to both religious faith and being able to trust other people. I relate a lot to his feelings of having lost something. The firm belief that I used to have seems like something that will stay in the past - despite how uncomfortable that makes me feel. Like I said when we began our conversation about science, while science gives us many benefits, it also takes away certain aspects.