Stephen's question

Cards on the table -- like Derek, I know Stephen Williams.  He was my predecessor in the editorial chair at Themelios and, when I took over, memorably told me it was like `selling a second hand car to a friend'.  Enough said.  I have also really appreciated his writings on philosophers such as Locke and, especially, Nietzsche, over the years -- and his latest is outstanding. 

The question he posed to Del-Boy is a fascinating one, typically simple yet typically complex and profound.

A fool is always known by his much speaking; and, arguably, the best thing Job's friends did was to sit in silent solidarity with him before they opened their mouths with such unfortunate results.  But silence has yet more significance: is not the measure of a man or  a woman their ability to sit alone, in complete silence with nothing but their own thoughts to keep them company?  Is not silence there the context for facing ourselves as we really are?  Is not that moment when all Pascalian distractions and diversions are stripped from us the very moment at which we face most dramatically what is to be human?  Or is that too solipsitic?

But enough!  Time for me put on my MP3 player and silence the unbearable silence of being.......