“And surely it would be the height of absurdity to say that we must accept submissively such usurpers as God sends in anger, but must pertinaciously withhold our obedience from usurpers whom He sends in mercy. Grant that it was a crime to invite the Prince of Orange over, a crime to join him, a crime to make him King; yet what was the whole history of the Jewish nation and of the Christian Church but a record of cases in which Providence had brought good out of evil? And what theologian would assert that, in such cases, we ought, from abhorrence of the evil, to reject the good?

On these grounds a large body of divines, still asserting the doctrine that to resist the Sovereign must always be sinful, conceived that William was now the Sovereign whom it would be sinful to resist.”

Excerpt From
The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 3
Thomas Babington Macaulay

There are in life many instances of sophistry. The absurdities are evident throughout daily and professional discourse. It is specious reasoning, the use of fallacious arguments, quibbling, equivocation. Whether it is the history of England or the record of Christianity (or even a blink at Key Lime pie and a baked apple cider donut) casuistry goes a long way to vindicate the real motive behind one’s thinking.  In law it is called taradiddle; that is, baloney, bilge water, bosh, drool, humbug, balderdash, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle. It is the cunning use of logic, oratory and loquaciousness to achieve a preferred goal. It has proven to be particularly useful to those in power to maintain their erstwhile point of remuneration perhaps even at the expense of losing power. The more important achievement is the preservation of lucre.

Not having ever had to compromise my financial buoyancy by casting aside or assuming a moral, political or other social adhesion, I confine my instance of sophistry to last evening’s dalliance with brown sugar crust and moist leaven flour. There’s a time for concession. And I apologize for the introduction of this study of desserts with the less digestible rubbish promoted by both politicians and religious leaders to sustain their own dominance and profit. I have obviously had little to do with either crowd of people. Though I will say that the history of the alliance of church and state is long-running,

But back to indulgence. The Beckwith Kitchen in Carleton Place produced a unique Key Lime pie with the similarity to a cheese cake without losing the usual winning features of a traditional Key Lime pie such as the sharp lime taste.  The cheese cake likeness added substance to the normal gooey centre of the pie; and the brown sugar baked crust was superb! We further distinguished this particular exploit with a baked apple cider donut.  Once again the dough was moist and rich without being overly sugary.

Indulgence, for its fullest expression, must of necessity be infrequent. It has those elements of extravagance and pampering.  But when the draw bridge is lowered to permit entry of the immoderation, the gratification is assured! Sweets are not a regular component of our larder. When we decide it is time for a treat we commit. Pies for example have only two pieces; viz., my half and your half. We’ve learned to surmount the need for sophistry to explain the appeasement. It represents a certain folly and abandon to remorselessly embrace an indulgence. Another of the privileges of old age, wanton disregard!

The latter is especially gratifying when so many former ellipses have expired or been corrupted. I learned today not to expect the arrival of a new Lincoln Corsair PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). The Ford Motor Co has lost track of the production of my order (made last October). If one can believe the sophistry surrounding the production of the vehicle in Kentucky there is a combination of issues affecting the product; namely, supply constraints, software problems and on-going performance concerns. In all it made for a distasteful absorption; one which I declined.  Nor do I imagine I will readily readapt the prospect given what appear to be rampant growing pains.

In the result our current direction is not so much along the path to indulgence as it is upon the straight and narrow. There is no question that lately we have addressed an uncommon collection of changes, most of which have wrought singular satisfaction. It is time now to relax upon the balcony overlooking the nearby river and burgeoning agricultural fields. I am content to linger upon the identity of existing detail without adding ingredients. The yellow heads of the dandelions colourfully persist for the moment, like a blanket of artistry upon the uncultivated earth. The overflowing edges of the river preserve their declining presence along the river’s shores, making a spectacle of blossoming trees underwater. The horizon is boundless and high. The geological plateau is evident.