Listen now | What does it mean when we hear that incoming Harvard students don't read? Should this concern us? What kind of things will change if people no longer read books?
Mcluhan waxes and wanes in optimism across his work (at least the small bit I've read). He does argue in Understanding Media, that we stand at a unique point in history where we can be aware of the effects of Media on our modes of thinking largely due to its recent acceleration. He suggests, since we can be aware of its influence, we can tune ourselves by selectively engaging in media forms. Pretty sure it's in his chapter on Hot and Cold Media.
It appears that this is being done currently, sometimes in a self aware fashion, other not.
It may be that this ability to tune your media diet will form the basis of class structures to come. For instance, every now and then a fluff piece appears in traditional news sites on how tech CEO's keep their children in tech-free schools as long as possible. This is meant to be a piece of optimism "that the lights will stay on" so to speak.
I am also tempted to make comparisons to the priest guilds of Ur and their ability to use coniform vs their peasantry. Where in the past these class divides were underwritten by a particular technology, the new class divide will be underwritten by a culture of meta-technology.
Good thoughts. I wonder if it is the alienation that the modern world creates, that as a “positive” side effect that it allows more distance from our own sitz im leben than may have been possible in times past. I do think there will be a class divide like in old but it will more revolve around those who read AND can move in the new technical modes that will have the advantage.
It could be said that the appearance of Donald Trump is a sign that many people now "live" in a post-literate world. As far as I know he does not read books or anything with a serious content. Such could also be
At another level much (50%) of the adult population in the US are functionally illiterate and have (perhaps) never ever read a book after leaving school at whatever level (or even when they were still in school) This phenomenon could be one explanation as to why many of the people who voted for Trump are hostile towards the
dreaded literate "elites" - the know-it-all East Coast eggheads of the liberal intelligentsia who in their writings etc define and control what is culturally acceptable.
Here in Australia approximately 25% of the aging adult population in rural Australia are functionally illiterate.
This is a very real problem. Or you get kids that are taught to do math, especially in foreign countries, but are they reading literature, especially English and European literature, materials shaped by widespread literacy? I don’t think so.
I humbly suggest (with no intent to pursue this beyond this brief comment realizing that many of your good listeners may be put off), that the metaphysical reality of Transubstantian is necessary: Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the combination of the Semantic, the Logos and the material appearance of the same---as we experience it as temporal beings.
Just as men must be encouraged to care for their bodies, so they must be encouraged to care for their minds---and thus their religious sensibilities.
I use to love Protestant bookstores for their external (meaning their interior) décor, even though I am a Catholic. Catholic bookstores tend to be awash in that kind of "old-lady" feminine ambience that, for me, is like eating potpouri (a hackneyed saying of mine of which I get too much use). And for a significant period, I appreciated the more masculine wrtiting of some writers of popular, Protestant spirituality---a kind of "Promise-Keeper" phase of my life.
But I think I am sensing why men may be getting tired of even Protestant literature. The latter does a good job of helping young fathers see spirituality and opportunities to coach sons on Scriptural principles while tossing a football---again, all good. But without throwing that away, every soul (like that of the young father and the young son) also hungers for deeper understandings of Christian faith, especially as it is ̷v̷e̷s̷t̷o̷r̷e̷d̷ [vectoring] toward the comtemplative and as it now finds its travels taking it near earthly maturity and death.
For Aquinas, the pinnacle of human experience, even as a resurrected human, is capital "C" Contemplation of God, a mystical union, the Beatific Vision, that only briefly and sometimes rarely do we get glimpses of. But then, there is the Eucharist which is not so much an experience (though it can be), but a union with--oops--a Communion of God and man in this time.
Listening to you, Mary Harrington and Johann Kurtz on this subject, I relate to it very strongly. I recognize myself in the subject matter. That might seem a bit odd, given that I am the person writing these words, therefore I am literate. The way I see it, there are three main connections I have to identifying with orality or the pre-literate mind:
• A formative substrata that is primitive or uncivilized
• A serious lack of formal education
• A recent and prolonged experience of illiteracy in the society I inhabited
Beginning at age thirteen and culminating at age fourteen, I was utterly rejected by my own family and eventually by everyone I knew. My own sister orchestrated this event. I was scapegoated and cast out. I was thrown to the wolves. I was made a ward of the state, who, from my perspective, was one of the wolves. I fled.
I led a precarious existence. To give you an example, I came very close to being abducted. I was promised a life in paradise on a remote island. The henchmen surrounding my interlocutor looked very capable of the task. In a miracle of events, I evaded them. When I hear things about the Epstein girls, I know that I was almost one of them, or whatever might be the name of their prior iteration.
I embarked on the life of a fugitive, although I had committed no criminal action. I saw myself as prey to any man who might cross my path. I was a survivor. I preserved myself from exploitation. My existence was somewhat feral. I later learned the psychological term for my state of mind during that period. It’s call “fugue”, meaning “flight”. I had three rules for survival. The third rule was “Never sleep the same place twice”. That gives you an idea of the pace of my flight.
I don’t even have talk about falling into false religion and experiencing the fracturing of my consciousness, so that I lack a unitary ego state. Just what I have said already underscores what I am trying to communicate by saying that there is a developmentally formative primitive substrata of my cognition.
I remember laughing out loud at myself when I first heard you explain “integration propaganda”. The humour was in self-recognition. Oh, I thought, so there’s a name for it! It is called integration propaganda. That’s the stuff I’m constantly trying to ape, so that I could pass myself off as something almost normal.
The other ways that I relate to the pre-literate mind that you describe are pretty straightforward.
Outside of specific job training, I am deficient in education. My last completed year of formal education is eighth grade.
I spent 10 and a half years in China. I love Chinese characters and I have studied them, but I was most definitely illiterate in that world. All the signs and written material around me were only pretty decorations by my reckoning.
Next, I would like to jump forward to today. I trust you, Kruptos. I believe that I have become acquainted with your work through God’s will. I will submit to you certain strange happenings of late. I have not told anyone about them. I am able to function “normally” in the world. I see these things as participating in Christian mysticism. I think some people would label these experiences as crazy. I don’t know how you will judge it.
In fairness, and to give you an idea of my naivety, I have to make a sad admission. Up until a short time ago, I was an atheist.
I guess one good place to start might be in response to your presentation of a feminized, “head to heart”, engagement with one’s faith on an emotional level.
I don’t particularly recognize this form of participation as characterizing the sort of experiences I am becoming acquainted with. I have experienced deep emotion at times and those moments feel very productive. They unveil and they lead to something. That isn’t, though, what strikes me as mysticism in the form that I have engaged with it. Perhaps it is more in line with concepts that you introduced here as a masculine form of mysticism. However, I am finding it incredibly grounding in my female nature. Maybe there is a feminine version of the same?
I guess the simplest way to do this is to just spit it out like a list:
Prayer – I engage in it with better and more consistency as I go along. It’s like a need that gets pent up and now I feel the urge to pray at least once a day. I’ve come to understand that the thoughts that are prayed have to be made manifest by putting them into words and, personally, I find that speaking aloud is far better than speaking within oneself.
Answer and guidance from the Lord – I have moments when hear His voice in my head, providing me clarity and guidance. I always pray for discernment and ability to never mistake my own internal voice(s) for His. I believe that I have swiftly learned the tone and quality of His voice that I may hone in on it.
Visions – I have been given three different visions. The first happened a few months ago. I understand the meaning. It was given for the protection of my faith. It was a vision of the resurrection.
(By the way, these visions are not like a still life, they are like short movies, because they unfold in time. They are accompanied by physical sensations – touch, temperature, hearing, sight etc.)
The second vision also had to do with the resurrection. I don’t know the meaning of why I was shown that vision. It concerned another person. Perhaps there will come a time that I will tell that other person?
The third vision was at the crucifixion. I do understand why I was shown that vision.
Communication transmission without electronics – This one may not seem to have an overtly religious aspect. On the other hand, it was miraculous, it was orchestrated by God and it completely disbursed the confusion in my mind which I had many times presented to God.
I heard someone speak directly to me, presumably from a considerable distance. This is not a person I know really. It is more like someone I know of. His voice came through, clear as a bell, and I heard every word of a monologue that continued for something like 40 minutes. It was an auditory experience, but in my imagination he spoke into a microphone that was unplugged. I have not attempted to corroborate this experience. It felt true.
Being shown the shape of another person’s experience – Very recently, I prayed asking if a particular thing that I had done was wrong or bad. The answer (I think a day later) came in this form – I was visually shown geometric shapes that described another person’s emotional experience. The shapes were meant to occlude the contents of these emotions. It was not given to me to peer into the contents of those feelings. The shapes were suggestive of the tone and calibre of those feelings. Jesus asked me if I could see how I antagonized with the action I had done. I understood that my action wasn’t bad per se, but was having a negative effect on another person.
A supervised visitation with the dead – I think it’s a really bad idea to attempt communication into the spirit world, except for speaking directly to God the Father or his only son our saviour Jesus Christ. I had a paranormal experience a few years ago that led me to this conclusion. Maybe there are some who can make these sorts of contacts, but there is serious danger for the novice. Yet, in a special dispensation, on Christmas Eve and then again on the day after Christmas, I communed with the soul of my departed first husband. I believe I was meant to communicate a couple of messages. I think he was lost. He was in good spirits, enjoying his journeys, and this made his condition of being lost even more perilous.
The enchanted symbol – My mind is being trained and disciplined through a process that has just begun. There is a symbol of great power. I am not allowed to contemplate it. That is a lesson in itself. I must obey this. To do otherwise is to grab and to take. The symbol resides in a treasure box, under lock and key and guarded by our lord Jesus Christ. I am helpless to do other then fall under the enchantment and the revelation of the symbol when he shows it to me.
So, that is a summation of my experiences of Christian mysticism. I am new to your world, Kruptos. I am absolutely grateful for these experiences, but I must say, it is startling that so much is happening so fast. I appreciate the opportunity to lay this out to you. There’s a lot going on to not tell anyone, you know?
That is quite the journey. Thanks for sharing all of this. I do agree that your lack of formal education may make it easier to intuit God’s presence and interact with his supernatural presence. I concur that any interaction with “the dead” should be avoided. The evil one and his servants can easily deceive.
I do think that feminine spirituality is different than the male and I would hesitate counsel. Have you thought about reading Medieval women saints like Hildegard of Bingen or Theresa of Lisieux? A more modern writer and very good in terms of the spiritual life is Sister Mary Margaret Funk. She has a series of books beginning with “Thoughts Matter.” It deals with the spiritual life in general and she uses the desert fathers as inspiration. It’s a woman interpreting the spiritual writings of men. I find her writings to be a good bridge between a specifically male or female spiritual practice.
It is very kind of you to offer me your words of guidance. I feel understood. I have taken note of the authors you suggested. Thank you very much for your consideration and for your recommendations 😊
When I heard you speak on Johann Kurtz’s Becoming Nobel podcast released on December 17, 2024, I immediately and enthusiastically connected to the query presented in your conversation. You spoke about a book that I had never heard of by Walter J. Ong, called Orality and Literacy. As I recall, Johann Kurtz credited you for having introduced it to him. Also referenced was Ian McGilchrist’s book The Master and His Emissary, which has definitely influenced the way I view human cognition. I was so happy when Johann Kurtz followed this podcast with you by the podcast you reference above with Mary Harrington that explored these ideas from another angle.
I am fairly bursting at the seams with a wish to respond! At the same time, it leaves me in a kind of quandary. There are two ways with which I would like to respond.
There is much I want to explore speculatively about the current changes from literacy and towards noticing and pattern recognition. I am very keen to participate on that level. I understand that my contribution there is necessarily modest, as I lack the learning of probably every single one of your followers. Pity the reader, but that doesn’t seem to hinder my enthusiasm at all.
The other way is deeply personal. I might be wrong about this, but have the impression that where I have gone wrong in the past in providing comments on your Substack has been when I have veered into the strictly personal realm. I could take the first path and stop there or I could speak on a personal level and revisit the first path later. The former is safe, the later is potentially reckless.
I have committed the matter to prayer. The answer I feel I have received is that I am not prohibited from speaking on the matters I wish to share. I also get the sense that I am neither being strictly restrained nor guided. In other words, the next step is up to me, a matter of my free will.
I choose to plunge in as a leap of faith. I am sensitive to any indication you might provide me, Kruptos, that personal revelations are inappropriate or unwelcome. I am listening. I will correct my behaviour, if need be, accordingly.
...a Substack message is advising me to type a shorter comment... I will follow up...
Mcluhan waxes and wanes in optimism across his work (at least the small bit I've read). He does argue in Understanding Media, that we stand at a unique point in history where we can be aware of the effects of Media on our modes of thinking largely due to its recent acceleration. He suggests, since we can be aware of its influence, we can tune ourselves by selectively engaging in media forms. Pretty sure it's in his chapter on Hot and Cold Media.
It appears that this is being done currently, sometimes in a self aware fashion, other not.
It may be that this ability to tune your media diet will form the basis of class structures to come. For instance, every now and then a fluff piece appears in traditional news sites on how tech CEO's keep their children in tech-free schools as long as possible. This is meant to be a piece of optimism "that the lights will stay on" so to speak.
I am also tempted to make comparisons to the priest guilds of Ur and their ability to use coniform vs their peasantry. Where in the past these class divides were underwritten by a particular technology, the new class divide will be underwritten by a culture of meta-technology.
Good thoughts. I wonder if it is the alienation that the modern world creates, that as a “positive” side effect that it allows more distance from our own sitz im leben than may have been possible in times past. I do think there will be a class divide like in old but it will more revolve around those who read AND can move in the new technical modes that will have the advantage.
It could be said that the appearance of Donald Trump is a sign that many people now "live" in a post-literate world. As far as I know he does not read books or anything with a serious content. Such could also be
At another level much (50%) of the adult population in the US are functionally illiterate and have (perhaps) never ever read a book after leaving school at whatever level (or even when they were still in school) This phenomenon could be one explanation as to why many of the people who voted for Trump are hostile towards the
dreaded literate "elites" - the know-it-all East Coast eggheads of the liberal intelligentsia who in their writings etc define and control what is culturally acceptable.
Here in Australia approximately 25% of the aging adult population in rural Australia are functionally illiterate.
This is a very real problem. Or you get kids that are taught to do math, especially in foreign countries, but are they reading literature, especially English and European literature, materials shaped by widespread literacy? I don’t think so.
Good thinking.
I humbly suggest (with no intent to pursue this beyond this brief comment realizing that many of your good listeners may be put off), that the metaphysical reality of Transubstantian is necessary: Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the combination of the Semantic, the Logos and the material appearance of the same---as we experience it as temporal beings.
Just as men must be encouraged to care for their bodies, so they must be encouraged to care for their minds---and thus their religious sensibilities.
I use to love Protestant bookstores for their external (meaning their interior) décor, even though I am a Catholic. Catholic bookstores tend to be awash in that kind of "old-lady" feminine ambience that, for me, is like eating potpouri (a hackneyed saying of mine of which I get too much use). And for a significant period, I appreciated the more masculine wrtiting of some writers of popular, Protestant spirituality---a kind of "Promise-Keeper" phase of my life.
But I think I am sensing why men may be getting tired of even Protestant literature. The latter does a good job of helping young fathers see spirituality and opportunities to coach sons on Scriptural principles while tossing a football---again, all good. But without throwing that away, every soul (like that of the young father and the young son) also hungers for deeper understandings of Christian faith, especially as it is ̷v̷e̷s̷t̷o̷r̷e̷d̷ [vectoring] toward the comtemplative and as it now finds its travels taking it near earthly maturity and death.
For Aquinas, the pinnacle of human experience, even as a resurrected human, is capital "C" Contemplation of God, a mystical union, the Beatific Vision, that only briefly and sometimes rarely do we get glimpses of. But then, there is the Eucharist which is not so much an experience (though it can be), but a union with--oops--a Communion of God and man in this time.
I came across a prophetic book after I posted by comment.
Twilight of the Books by Caleb Crain 2007
Please read my comments in reverse order to how they appear below. Thank you!
Listening to you, Mary Harrington and Johann Kurtz on this subject, I relate to it very strongly. I recognize myself in the subject matter. That might seem a bit odd, given that I am the person writing these words, therefore I am literate. The way I see it, there are three main connections I have to identifying with orality or the pre-literate mind:
• A formative substrata that is primitive or uncivilized
• A serious lack of formal education
• A recent and prolonged experience of illiteracy in the society I inhabited
Beginning at age thirteen and culminating at age fourteen, I was utterly rejected by my own family and eventually by everyone I knew. My own sister orchestrated this event. I was scapegoated and cast out. I was thrown to the wolves. I was made a ward of the state, who, from my perspective, was one of the wolves. I fled.
I led a precarious existence. To give you an example, I came very close to being abducted. I was promised a life in paradise on a remote island. The henchmen surrounding my interlocutor looked very capable of the task. In a miracle of events, I evaded them. When I hear things about the Epstein girls, I know that I was almost one of them, or whatever might be the name of their prior iteration.
I embarked on the life of a fugitive, although I had committed no criminal action. I saw myself as prey to any man who might cross my path. I was a survivor. I preserved myself from exploitation. My existence was somewhat feral. I later learned the psychological term for my state of mind during that period. It’s call “fugue”, meaning “flight”. I had three rules for survival. The third rule was “Never sleep the same place twice”. That gives you an idea of the pace of my flight.
I don’t even have talk about falling into false religion and experiencing the fracturing of my consciousness, so that I lack a unitary ego state. Just what I have said already underscores what I am trying to communicate by saying that there is a developmentally formative primitive substrata of my cognition.
I remember laughing out loud at myself when I first heard you explain “integration propaganda”. The humour was in self-recognition. Oh, I thought, so there’s a name for it! It is called integration propaganda. That’s the stuff I’m constantly trying to ape, so that I could pass myself off as something almost normal.
The other ways that I relate to the pre-literate mind that you describe are pretty straightforward.
Outside of specific job training, I am deficient in education. My last completed year of formal education is eighth grade.
I spent 10 and a half years in China. I love Chinese characters and I have studied them, but I was most definitely illiterate in that world. All the signs and written material around me were only pretty decorations by my reckoning.
Next, I would like to jump forward to today. I trust you, Kruptos. I believe that I have become acquainted with your work through God’s will. I will submit to you certain strange happenings of late. I have not told anyone about them. I am able to function “normally” in the world. I see these things as participating in Christian mysticism. I think some people would label these experiences as crazy. I don’t know how you will judge it.
In fairness, and to give you an idea of my naivety, I have to make a sad admission. Up until a short time ago, I was an atheist.
I guess one good place to start might be in response to your presentation of a feminized, “head to heart”, engagement with one’s faith on an emotional level.
I don’t particularly recognize this form of participation as characterizing the sort of experiences I am becoming acquainted with. I have experienced deep emotion at times and those moments feel very productive. They unveil and they lead to something. That isn’t, though, what strikes me as mysticism in the form that I have engaged with it. Perhaps it is more in line with concepts that you introduced here as a masculine form of mysticism. However, I am finding it incredibly grounding in my female nature. Maybe there is a feminine version of the same?
I guess the simplest way to do this is to just spit it out like a list:
Prayer – I engage in it with better and more consistency as I go along. It’s like a need that gets pent up and now I feel the urge to pray at least once a day. I’ve come to understand that the thoughts that are prayed have to be made manifest by putting them into words and, personally, I find that speaking aloud is far better than speaking within oneself.
Answer and guidance from the Lord – I have moments when hear His voice in my head, providing me clarity and guidance. I always pray for discernment and ability to never mistake my own internal voice(s) for His. I believe that I have swiftly learned the tone and quality of His voice that I may hone in on it.
Visions – I have been given three different visions. The first happened a few months ago. I understand the meaning. It was given for the protection of my faith. It was a vision of the resurrection.
(By the way, these visions are not like a still life, they are like short movies, because they unfold in time. They are accompanied by physical sensations – touch, temperature, hearing, sight etc.)
The second vision also had to do with the resurrection. I don’t know the meaning of why I was shown that vision. It concerned another person. Perhaps there will come a time that I will tell that other person?
The third vision was at the crucifixion. I do understand why I was shown that vision.
Communication transmission without electronics – This one may not seem to have an overtly religious aspect. On the other hand, it was miraculous, it was orchestrated by God and it completely disbursed the confusion in my mind which I had many times presented to God.
I heard someone speak directly to me, presumably from a considerable distance. This is not a person I know really. It is more like someone I know of. His voice came through, clear as a bell, and I heard every word of a monologue that continued for something like 40 minutes. It was an auditory experience, but in my imagination he spoke into a microphone that was unplugged. I have not attempted to corroborate this experience. It felt true.
Being shown the shape of another person’s experience – Very recently, I prayed asking if a particular thing that I had done was wrong or bad. The answer (I think a day later) came in this form – I was visually shown geometric shapes that described another person’s emotional experience. The shapes were meant to occlude the contents of these emotions. It was not given to me to peer into the contents of those feelings. The shapes were suggestive of the tone and calibre of those feelings. Jesus asked me if I could see how I antagonized with the action I had done. I understood that my action wasn’t bad per se, but was having a negative effect on another person.
A supervised visitation with the dead – I think it’s a really bad idea to attempt communication into the spirit world, except for speaking directly to God the Father or his only son our saviour Jesus Christ. I had a paranormal experience a few years ago that led me to this conclusion. Maybe there are some who can make these sorts of contacts, but there is serious danger for the novice. Yet, in a special dispensation, on Christmas Eve and then again on the day after Christmas, I communed with the soul of my departed first husband. I believe I was meant to communicate a couple of messages. I think he was lost. He was in good spirits, enjoying his journeys, and this made his condition of being lost even more perilous.
The enchanted symbol – My mind is being trained and disciplined through a process that has just begun. There is a symbol of great power. I am not allowed to contemplate it. That is a lesson in itself. I must obey this. To do otherwise is to grab and to take. The symbol resides in a treasure box, under lock and key and guarded by our lord Jesus Christ. I am helpless to do other then fall under the enchantment and the revelation of the symbol when he shows it to me.
So, that is a summation of my experiences of Christian mysticism. I am new to your world, Kruptos. I am absolutely grateful for these experiences, but I must say, it is startling that so much is happening so fast. I appreciate the opportunity to lay this out to you. There’s a lot going on to not tell anyone, you know?
That is quite the journey. Thanks for sharing all of this. I do agree that your lack of formal education may make it easier to intuit God’s presence and interact with his supernatural presence. I concur that any interaction with “the dead” should be avoided. The evil one and his servants can easily deceive.
I do think that feminine spirituality is different than the male and I would hesitate counsel. Have you thought about reading Medieval women saints like Hildegard of Bingen or Theresa of Lisieux? A more modern writer and very good in terms of the spiritual life is Sister Mary Margaret Funk. She has a series of books beginning with “Thoughts Matter.” It deals with the spiritual life in general and she uses the desert fathers as inspiration. It’s a woman interpreting the spiritual writings of men. I find her writings to be a good bridge between a specifically male or female spiritual practice.
Again, thank you for sharing.
It is very kind of you to offer me your words of guidance. I feel understood. I have taken note of the authors you suggested. Thank you very much for your consideration and for your recommendations 😊
When I heard you speak on Johann Kurtz’s Becoming Nobel podcast released on December 17, 2024, I immediately and enthusiastically connected to the query presented in your conversation. You spoke about a book that I had never heard of by Walter J. Ong, called Orality and Literacy. As I recall, Johann Kurtz credited you for having introduced it to him. Also referenced was Ian McGilchrist’s book The Master and His Emissary, which has definitely influenced the way I view human cognition. I was so happy when Johann Kurtz followed this podcast with you by the podcast you reference above with Mary Harrington that explored these ideas from another angle.
I am fairly bursting at the seams with a wish to respond! At the same time, it leaves me in a kind of quandary. There are two ways with which I would like to respond.
There is much I want to explore speculatively about the current changes from literacy and towards noticing and pattern recognition. I am very keen to participate on that level. I understand that my contribution there is necessarily modest, as I lack the learning of probably every single one of your followers. Pity the reader, but that doesn’t seem to hinder my enthusiasm at all.
The other way is deeply personal. I might be wrong about this, but have the impression that where I have gone wrong in the past in providing comments on your Substack has been when I have veered into the strictly personal realm. I could take the first path and stop there or I could speak on a personal level and revisit the first path later. The former is safe, the later is potentially reckless.
I have committed the matter to prayer. The answer I feel I have received is that I am not prohibited from speaking on the matters I wish to share. I also get the sense that I am neither being strictly restrained nor guided. In other words, the next step is up to me, a matter of my free will.
I choose to plunge in as a leap of faith. I am sensitive to any indication you might provide me, Kruptos, that personal revelations are inappropriate or unwelcome. I am listening. I will correct my behaviour, if need be, accordingly.
...a Substack message is advising me to type a shorter comment... I will follow up...
I am so glad Johann and I are being used to help you in this journey.