Byron's Babbles

I am so loving that I picked G. K. Chesterton as my next Marion E. Wade Center author to read and study. I’ve already read Orthodoxy and am about to finish Heretics. Both of these books are outstanding and I have come to appreciate Chesterton’s unique style of writing. I must admit it is not easy ready for me. I have had to go back over passages multiple times to ponder what he was wanting the reader to learn from his content. One such passage was in Chapter XIV of Heretics when he was comparing life to a novel.

Chesterton told us, “People wonder why the novel is the most popular form of literature; people wonder why it is read more than books of science or books of metaphysics. The reason is very simple; it is merely that the novel is more true than they are” (p. 82). As a person who has come to learn a great deal from works of fiction, I believe Chesterton was arguing that novels tend to reflect human nature and real life more accurately than specialized scientific or philosophical texts.

By saying the novel is “more true,” Chesterton meant that it captures the complexities, contradictions, and subtleties of everyday human experience in a way that abstract theories or factual accounts might not fully do. Essentially, novels resonate with us because they mirror the genuine messiness and richness of life, making them highly relatable and understandable to our own messy and unpredictable lives.

Chesterton went on to say, “But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any rate, should be settled for us without our permission. If we wish life to be a system, this may be a nuisance; but if we wish it to be a drama, it is an essential.” He was reminding us that for life to feel meaningful and exciting, like a novel, some aspects of our lives need to be beyond our control. While having a predictable, orderly system might offer comfort, it can also make life feel dull or monotonous. We need to embrace the unpredictability and surprises, that are outside our influence. These unpredictable moments, while sometimes unwanted or inconvenient, turn our lives into a vibrant story.

While it is important and necessary to have goals and plans we need to remember some things are outside our control and impact our stationary life goals. Many look at their life and career as moving up a ladder. I have always said it really is more of a lattice. Imagine life without some surprises. While we will never know exactly what that would be like, I have to believe it would tend to feel tame and unfulfilling. Life would certainly lack the fiery possibilities that arise from facing the unknown or overcoming obstacles.