"and the sad old men, those who are unhappily married, drop to their knees in garages, bathrooms, & motels asking God to help them understand the need for love.. unbelievers, every last one of them.. who is this god with whom they plead? he is an old man with a long white beard like a waterfall.. why do they, adult & intelligent men, behave so ridiculously? they seem forced to their knees by a palpable burden of pain."
just came across the above in John Cheever's journals & thought i would post it to see if it elicits any comments.
I just wonder why they are unhappily married? Happiness is a choice. You can be grateful for all you have, or you can hate all you have. You can take what you want and leave the rest. It's up to you. Why look to a God.
"Happiness is a choice"? i think there a few million ppl who would disagree with you on that one.
i suppose looking to a god that they don't really believe in is an act of desperation
Beats the he'll out of me..
Cheever was an interesting guy. an alcoholic for most of his adult life, who found success fairly late in life.
his journal goes into the 1980s i just completed the 1960s. he had a troubled marriage which was getting close to loveless by his late 50s. be interesting to see how things work out for him in his later years.