Friday, January 20th

"The Inner Ring" was an enjoyable piece by Lewis, though not quite as profound, I thought, as his other works. It's not that he didn't say anything inspiring...more so, it's that what he did say was quite obvious to me already: people will do anything in order to be accepted. I don't really have much to say about the essay, actually.

I guess I will mention one thing that stood out to me in the section from Screwtape Letters:

(Screwtape writing to Wormwood)
"Sooner or later, however, the real nature of his new friends must become clear to him, and then your tactics must depend on the patient's intelligence. If he is a big enough fool you can get him to realise the character of the friends only while they are absent; their presence can be made to sweep away all criticism."

I suppose I've come to this trap many times...and still struggle with: befriending people and telling myself "I'm not sure about them", but then quickly "sweeping away all criticism" when I'm around them...I rationalize, I excuse, I say "I was being too hard on them."

Perhaps I wasn't.

Noelle