I've been reading a lot of Thomas Merton lately. Merton was a Trappist monk, as well as a gifted writer, but he was also a radical thinker who did not allow himself to be confined to the boxes of his religion. He was very open, tolerant, and accepting...a great man.
Read his stuff if you get the chance.
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I love monks. Always have. I have a folder in my favorites called "Monks" where I save cool sites about monks. I even have a few monk chant CDs. I guess you could say I'm a monk groupie. :-)
When I was young, I used to wish I could be a monk, but since I wasn't Catholic and I wasn't a man, it was pretty much a moot point. So, sometimes, I would wish to be a nun instead.
But monks always seemed so much cooler than nuns to me.
Here's why, from my admittedly limited point of view:
1. Monks are relaxed...Nuns are uptight.
2. Monks train dogs, tend orchards, and keep bees...Nuns teach school and work in hospitals.
3. Monks are warm and smiling...Nuns are scary and stern.
4. Monks are permitted to live in hermitages and take vows of silence...Nuns travel in packs and seem to be perpetually scolding people.
5. Monks wander around in scenic countrysides...Nuns live cloistered in cities.
6. Monks get to wear comfy brown robes with rope belts...Nuns have to wear starched black and white outfits with binding headgear.
Monks rule!
