The Harlequin and the Biologist

The harlequin in question was not from the series of romance novels that are rather popular, but a popular character from the commedia dell'arte that was commonly painted by Surrealist artists in the twenties. I have always been very passionate for art and a bit of a surrealist myself. I was an art major in High School and the first year of college, but I got lazy and considered parties and friends more important than my future. This only lasted till I was twenty one. After that I did what anyone with half a brain would do. I moved from Chicago to Las Vegas and attended a non accredited bible college to become a pastor. While in college I had started to have trouble with the idea of being a pastor and having to run a faith based business. I couldn’t stand the idea of getting my salary out of the pockets of the people I was trying to help. As if God’s message and his messenger require a price for their service. With only three courses remaining I dropped out of Bible College. I had already been married for a year when this happened. I still attended adult Sunday school and helped a pastor friend teach an evangelism course. I had also at this time decided to get back into my art. Reinvigorated in art I once again studied my surrealist mentors and the Harlequin was a common symbol I found interesting. After all of this I had an evangelical encounter with a Biologist. He was pleasant and showed me many truths about evolution that no Biology teacher had ever told me before. He treated me with such respect and even ended our encounter with, “But don’t just take my word for it. Go and research this for yourself.” This obviously brought me down the road where I started to question my beliefs, and after a while I had my own born again event into the fold of naturalism. I was a changed person. The harlequin and the biologist like characters from a Lewis Carroll story showed me the illogical tendencies that drove most of my thinking. Or even better I was the dim witted harlequin and the Biologist was my Il Dottore only the Biologist spoke truths not folly and nonsense. This is why I always say that the Harlequin was my guiding sage and the Biologist my saving grace. Now you know me at least you know what I want you to know about me, and that is enough.