Back in January, I posted blogs associated with my reviews of Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion trilogy: I tend to keep a notebook handy whenever I read a novel so that I can keep track of the characters and their relationships, along with plot details that I find noteworthy. Sometimes I come across a word or phrase or observation that I jot down because it stirs something within me that I want to think upon further. Such was the case in my reading of the Song of Albion books.One of the characters, Simon Rawnson, underwent a radical transformation between the beginning and end of the story. When we first met Simon, he was a graduate student at Oxford University. As we came to know him, we saw him as wealthy and privileged, intelligent, quick-witted, and charming. However, we also saw a bit of an ego and an acerbic bite to his point of view. He was always ready to engage folks either to put them in their place with his depth of knowledge on any given topic, yet he revealed a noticeably jaded and world-weary individual.
Ultimately, Simon made his way to the Celtic "Otherworld". Initially we were lead to believe that this was some crazy mistake, however, it eventually became clear that he made his way to this realm with a particularly dark and calculating plan. A plan that lead to untold chaos, rebellion, death, pain, and suffering. A plan that nearly lead to the destruction of both that parallel dimension as well as our own. Lawhead provided the following description of Simon that really stuck with me:
"In Simon we see where cynicism, egotism, and rebellion lead once the humor is gone. When we first meet him, he is an amusing guy whose jaundiced view of the world is quite entertaining. But at some point the stakes get high, and the question is: how will this person respond?"
Now, whether or not you are familiar with the Albion trilogy books or not, I think that I have provided enough background to make this question relevant as a general query. When the stakes get high, whether they be in demanding honesty, loyalty, duty, consistency, or integrity, how will you respond? Will you think outside of yourself or will you remain ever mindful of the needs of others?
