As I ran on the C+O Canal the other day, I was reminded of a theological thought. See, Ultrarunning is very conducive to long, deep thinking triggered by the happy convergence of mental stimulation, physical stimulation, and sheer time to ponder.
My old good friend Marvin from St. Louis used to say that tooth decay was sufficient proof that there was no God.
To Marvin's argument I add the photographic proof below: a poison ivy vine, thicker than my arm, growing on a silver maple tree along the C+O Canal. The muddy Potomac River oozes by in the background.
[photo by Gary]
If you have ever had a bad case of poison ivy (or for our Western Ultrarunning compadres, poison oak), you know there is nothing to compare with that special kind of torment. Imagine thousands of mosquito bites, all erupting in weeping pustules (man, I love that word!), all over your body.
If these two examples don't blow the "loving God" theory clean out of the water, I don't know what would.
Of course, your theological mileage may vary.
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