BBC Program: C.S Lewis

I was always intimidated by the name of “C.S Lewis.” I had read the Chronicles of Narnia, but never really had the chance of reading his essays. From what I had heard they were definitely not children’s stories, but something that required a deep meditating mind. Thus I entered this DCM class (still a little bit scared) with the full intention of learning more about C.S Lewis. And I did; his works and, today, his life.

After reflecting upon some of his works and finally listening to the BBC, I learned that Lewis was not as intimidating as I thought. As we approached him as a human being, my intimidation was replaced by admiration. If he had been merely a genius, without flaws, successful in everything, then it would have been no wonder for me that he could have written such wonderful masterpieces of writings. However, l came to know that he was actually head strong, amazingly stubborn, sloppy in dressing , quite an enjoyer of joking, yet serious in reflecting every little thing he could think of and actually human (I cannot stop admiring God for designing such an interesting human).

When I was hearing all the comments about him from the BBC program, I had the sudden urge to know, what did he see? What was the world he saw?

Maybe it was a world full of detail, philosophy, joy, or anything I can’t imagine or something really not that special. But how can it not be special when his writings say it all?

Thus I simply thought, “It must have been a wonderful world.”

However I did not merely admire him because of his interesting combination of characteristics. I admired him because he, together with his dying wife, had been strong in the Lord even when facing sorrowful pain. So strong, in fact, that it made an everlasting impression on one of his friends. Indeed, the real reason I admired C.S Lewis as a person is because though he had felt much pain like any human being, he had clung to God in the end.

He is known as an extraordinary writer, yes, but before that, he was a human. A man who had flaws, a man that refused to know God, a man that met God, a man that felt suffering, and a man that felt joy and inspiration. Just as Professor Ribeiro said, it is important to see his life, not only his works. That’s where the essence of Lewis is. To know his philosophy completely, one must know both.