Acoustic Words
The Stories of Stephen M. Larson
ON THIS PAGE
- A general introduction to the essays.
- Choose one of thirteen essays.
- Two plays are available to read in this section
- A bit of flotsam and jetsam, some serious and some whimsical, that washed up on the shores of my cerebral cortex when I wasn't looking.
- Have a little fun -- on me!
THE ESSAYS
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A literary composition usually dealing with a subject from a limited or personal point of view. © 2000 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved. |
Some of the essays in this section were originally published as columns in our church newsletter. I'll be adding more as something occurs to me.
To read one of the essays, simply click on the title, below. Depending on your browser, this will either open a seperate window, or it will send you to another screen. To return to this page, either close the new window, or click on your browser's back button.
CHOOSE AN ESSAY!
To read one of the following essays, just click on the title. The essay will open in a new window.
In Search of the Perfect Church
The Legend of the Lone Christian
Where Is the Lord God of Elijah?
Will There Be Sorrow in Heaven?
The Plays
Choose a play
Four Scenes of Christmas
Basically, four one-act plays giving four very different looks at Christmas, all brought together in the final scene.
Legacy
A young woman has to come to terms with the memories of her late, emotionally absent father.
Where's the Ark?
A slapstick comedy, with echoes of everything from Laurel and Hardy to Raiders of the Lost Ark to Law and Order. The Ark of the Covenant has been rediscovered. Unfortunately, it disappears again while on tour, and a local pastor has to figure out how to get it back with the help of a top investigator of missing antiquities.
This play is being prepared for posting; it may take some time, I fear.
Winged
What if a winged man were to suddenly appear in an evangelical Bible Belt church? This screenplay looks at the questions of acceptance and tolerance.
This piece is undergoing extensive revision and will be posted when it's finished.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Just a few things that crossed my mind at one time or another:
- The first rule of understanding men and women:
- "Everything a woman does is carefully calculated to drive a man completely insane."
- The second rule of understanding men and women:
- "Everything a man does drives a woman equally insane, but for him, it comes naturally."
There is nothing so beautiful or so powerful as the tears of a strong man.
Humans need love. This is a fundamental truth. Humans need physical affection. This has been proven time and again, often to great sorrow. Humans need this affection as much from their own sex as from the opposite, especially while growing up. This, too, has been demonstrated in the laboratory of Life.
It takes a great deal of trust to allow physical affection; one is most vulnerable physically, emotionally and psychologically during an intimate moment. And since sexuality is the most intimate and vulnerable form of physical affection, it is the highest gift one may give another.
Given the above, it is only logical that a monogamous relationship is the ideal, and that promiscuity goes against that logic, cheapening the gift. However, using the same givens, homosexuality is equally as logical as heterosexuality; and monogamous bisexuality (only one partner of each sex), since it permits the exchange of that gift with either sex, is the most logical of all.
At this point, though, the structure begins to crumble. For if monogamous bisexuality is the ideal in sexual expression, then each man - or woman - will have two partners. This will result in , at best, a closed system of four (two men and two women); at worst, an endlessly interwoven chain. Either way, the potential for infidelity or jealousy can destroy any and all relationships. And, especially in the chain, the preciousness of the original gift has again become cheapened, making monogamous bisexuality little better, in the long run, than promiscuity.
Thus, the more one attempts to find a truly fulling sexuality on one's own, the more one becomes entangled in confusion and pain. Only the introduction of God into the equation can change the results.
Why is it that people say, "It goes without saying", then go on and say it?
People talk about a disease-ridden patient's "heroic battle for life" as though it were based on some courageous decision to live no matter what pain or other cost they may have to face. While this is sometimes true, that battle is more often rooted, not in courage, but in fear. The patient would rather face the known pains of life than the unknown terrors of a death for which most are totally unprepared. There is nothing "heroic" in that.
Anyone who constantly insists "It's the thought that counts" has clearly never told a creditor he's thinking of paying him.
Progress is often perceived as something which should bring immediate joy and prosperity and comfort to all. This is seldom the case. Progress is more often a slow, agonizing journey of suffering and loss.
A child progressing to adulthood takes years to achieve that goal - years of physical pain as muscles stretch and baby teeth drop out and the broken bones of youthful clumsiness knit themselves into controlled strength; years of emotional pain as trust is betrayed and rewon and friends and family are forever lost through tragedy or apathy; years of social pain as artificial boundaries of class and race and other useless categories are enforced and tested.
So, too, with progress in industry or art or relationships or any other part of life. Old traditions, like baby teeth, may be clung to only because they are familiar or because they represent pleasant memories - never mind that these traditions are loose in their sockets, unable to grow with their surroundings, incapable of meeting the newer, more strenuous demands placed on them. Weaker systems may sometimes be broken as they attempt to meet new challenges without the necessary skill; their only hope is to grow stronger. Boundaries must be tested, strained, and sometimes broken. And those who cling to the old ways and will not change may have to be left behind.
None of this is pleasant, but though we may have to turn back and repair some damage done foolishly in our zealous quest for maturity, we must also be prepared to suffer growning pains on our way to joy, prosperity, and comfort.
Sometimes a little madness is all that stands between you and insanity.
DEFINITIONS:
- Herbal Tea: A perfectly decent British custom siezed by some young American upstart and run through California.
- Vanity License Plates: A means of defining one's entire identity in seven letters or less.
- Pedendostomatiasis: A condition in which one's foot is wedged firmly in one's own mouth. Completely incurable, it can often be chronic and will occasionally reach epidemic proportions.
Play a Game
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 Skywire
Take control of the cable car and get the passengers to safety. |
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