I'm in the midst of an interesting if likely unproductive project, that of a near-simultaneous reading of the William F. Buckley family memoirs. WFB comes from a family of twelve, at least four of whom have memoirs which make prominent mention of their prodigious family. All have slightly different perspectives but, like the gospels, perhaps that lends greater truth for the diversity.I read them in part to see what went wrong for the youngest Buckley, whose life was marked by much sadness and loss of faith. She had the same parents and upbringing - or did she? She describes herself as an "only child" amid ten since she was the youngest, with six years between her and the next youngest. The primary differences between her and her siblings appear to be: a) lack of a parental bond b) growing up in a different, less stable, era and c) less sibling interaction.
It's tempting to attempt to try to separate these influences, especially in regard to the loss of faith. What caused what? But after reading Amy Welborn's post about St. Therese, it seems a fool's game. St. Therese was born in a good era (understanding that all eras are deeply flawed) to saintly (literally) parents, had great companions, no pernicious influences or errant experimentation and yet still felt strong feelings of atheism. If there was ever a "hothouse flower" in terms of nature & nurture, it's St. Therese the Little Flower. (Of course she is a saint...but faith resists forensic and empirical study.)
No comments:
Post a Comment