All's well

After an intense few days of reading philosophy (Justus Buchler, The Main of Light), my mind has requested a change of fare, so I'm reading an action mystery (Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island). What a relief to sink into a world of dialogues and lies. The cool altitude of the Buchler's treatment of poetry is followed by the steaming swamps of Lehane's imagination.

What I've only today begun to realize is that for the last several months with increasing intensity I've seen the standard elements of mystery fiction play out with regard to my solar energy credit sale travail: five distinct characters with obscure relationships and responsibilities, missing messages, denials of involvement, doubtful assurances, fog and obfuscation regarding time lines and processes, confusion! frustration! a corpse, despair! a stab in the dark, a smoking gun, off-stage accusations, an ultimatum, confessions, oops! an unsuspected stash of cash, repentance and restitution, the body back in business and quite well, as are all things that end well.

The straightforward  face-to-face of encounter becomes a maze when so many are linked regulatorily or contractually. Where is the 2nd person You in this tangle, this knot? Even companies and bureaus have their human faces, but what about the corporate entities. Can these be addressed? Buchler calls these 'natural complexes' and the employee or workers therein, the traits of those complexes--considered from a certain perspective. From a different point of view, the people are the complexes, each existing in the larger order of the solar energy field. Should I direct blame or commendation to individuals or institutions, or both? Maybe this problem entailing a matrix of multiple interactions is more characteristic of encounters today than, say, man and snake such as written about yesterday.

Can institutions as such practice hospitality, friendship and exploration? The idea is not, prima facie, absurd. Is it genuine hospitality, friendship or exploration if done by someone at the behest of and rewarded by an institution? I'm inclined to attribute to institutions something which can be construed as like 'character,' in their policies, missions, styles--Doctors without Borders, for example, vs ISIS.

In any case, the case is almost closed. I have been taught a  lot, and have several notes of thanks to write, especially to she whose work and words made my face suddenly luminous with surprised joy.