Listen here:
Acedia, or soul-weariness, is a word that has its roots in antiquity. But to poet and author Kathleen Norris, the concept is every bit as relevant to us nowadays as it was to ancient civilizations. She explains why in this conversation with Tapestry host Mary Hynes.
The Oxford Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church defines acedia as “a state of restlessness and inability either to work or to pray.” Norris sees it as a kind of spiritual morphine, and she knows its effects first-hand. In her new book, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and A Writer's Life (Riverhead), she recounts her own experience of soul-weariness and reflects on the concept’s relevance to modern society.
First aired October 26, 2008 on Tapestry. [runs 47:43]
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Comments
It is somewhat ironic that Norris calls this work by a 4th century monk the "first western psychology." I suppose this is useful for marketing purposes - but she should check out a book written 700 years before that called the "Ethics." I've heard the Bible has something to say (?) about human psychology as well.
Posted by: scott | November 20, 2008 01:45 PM
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