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The pictures above are from Turkey and Israel.

The picture on the left is from the Asklepion in Pergammum, a city in modern day Turkey (First-Century Asia Minor). Here are some screen shots from Google Earth (the pin is located where the picture was taken).

The picture on the right is from hiking trails behind En-Gedi on the shore of the Dead Sea, Israel. The pin is located at the entrance to the wadi of En-Gedi, one entrance to the desert trails.

The images and the paths reflect the paradox of the human existence. One path is wide, and modern, the other is narrow and primitive. One leads to advancement and innovation, the other leads to tradition and heritage. One leads to the gymnasium, and to philosophy while the other leads to the synagogue, and communities of faith. VIA seeks the collaborative value of these two worlds, and believes that truth transcends by being immanently present in both. And while this could simply be another way of illustrating the tension and relationship between Athens and Jerusalem (the interplay of head/mind/reason, and heart/will/emotions) I am reminded of Alexandr Solzhenitzen, who has been quoted as saying,

The line that divides Good and Evil runs not between nations and parties or physical armies, but right down the middle of every human soul. [1]

And so for me, and for this blog, the mind, the heart, the soul, and the body are themselves also caught between two worlds. The images of the two paths also portrays a very real sense of conflict within my very existence; the desire to do good, and the desire do evil. And from that tension arises a hope that the former wins out.

I hope that posts (and comments) on this blog reflect that reality honestly, and without pretense. I encourage us to wrestle with these various issues, being as aware as possible of this tension within us. And, may we choose the path that best realizes the highest collective values and ethics of humanity because, unfortunately, there is a “broad road that leads to destruction” and many have traversed that path. VIA treads carefully, desperately desiring to walk the “narrow road that leads to life,” and I hope that more than a few will find it.

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[1] Quoted in Peter Kreeft, Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them? (Ignatius Press, 1995), 97.