Editorial September 24, 1990 Issue

The unlearning experience

Allison W. Phinney, Jr.

Sometimes a line from an otherwise unremarkable book sticks with you.

Several years ago a bestseller called Bright Lights, Big City told the story of a young man drawn into drugs and a bright lights lifestyle. Eventually, his family's love breaks through, and he realizes what he has been losing. Taking stock of his own life, one morning after having been up all night, he watches the sun rise over the Hudson River. He says, "I could see there was a new world to be discovered. You just had to take it more slowly. You had to learn to do things all over again."

The words say something profoundly true, in a way that goes far beyond their bestseller setting. We do have to learn to do things all over again. It may be one of the most basic lessons of Christianity.

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