"The more often [a man] feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."
//C.S. Lewis; The Screwtape Letters
I first came across the Screwtape Letters when I was in secondary school. My uncle had just bought a copy and he was raving about it, telling me to read it when I had the time. He loaned me his copy and I finished it within a few weeks. At that time, I was more of a voracious reader, of the type to press on through a book, consuming the words but barely understanding the ideas. And with something as sharp and sophisticated as the Screwtape Letters, I always knew I would have to read it again when I got older to understand it properly.
So I finally got the chance to go down to Tecman when I was free to get a copy for myself. And I'm taking it slow this time, reading it chapter by chapter, sometimes going over one chapter again when the writing style and ideas got a little bit too much for me. And I have to say that the sting of Lewis' words don't fade away with time. All the things he said are still as important and relevant today as they were 70 years ago.
It's a surreal and strange experience to see things from the Devil's viewpoint and be forced to constantly reflect on my life. At some points, the book made me laugh out loud, at other points, it made me uncomfortable because it confronted me with some of the things I do that are not exactly all that noble. In any case, I'm not even halfway done with this book yet but it caused me to be a lot more aware of the things that happen around me. So get it and read it, I think it'll help you, whether you're a believer or not.
"The more often [a man] feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."
//C.S. Lewis; The Screwtape Letters
I first came across the Screwtape Letters when I was in secondary school. My uncle had just bought a copy and he was raving about it, telling me to read it when I had the time. He loaned me his copy and I finished it within a few weeks. At that time, I was more of a voracious reader, of the type to press on through a book, consuming the words but barely understanding the ideas. And with something as sharp and sophisticated as the Screwtape Letters, I always knew I would have to read it again when I got older to understand it properly.
So I finally got the chance to go down to Tecman when I was free to get a copy for myself. And I'm taking it slow this time, reading it chapter by chapter, sometimes going over one chapter again when the writing style and ideas got a little bit too much for me. And I have to say that the sting of Lewis' words don't fade away with time. All the things he said are still as important and relevant today as they were 70 years ago.
It's a surreal and strange experience to see things from the Devil's viewpoint and be forced to constantly reflect on my life. At some points, the book made me laugh out loud, at other points, it made me uncomfortable because it confronted me with some of the things I do that are not exactly all that noble. In any case, I'm not even halfway done with this book yet but it caused me to be a lot more aware of the things that happen around me. So get it and read it, I think it'll help you, whether you're a believer or not.
