Ways To Make You Talk?

Here is a funny story via Philokalia. When Pope John Paul II was a young priest in Poland, he was often questioned by the communist authorities who were looking for "subversive" activity.

He was asked about his positions on politics, on society, on the structures of power. He answered them at length. He spoke to them about his personal concept of man, citing some contemporary thinkers but even Aristotle's Ethics and Plato's Politics. Then he would distinguish between the ethic of values in Max Scheler and the dangers of solipsism made concrete in 'reflecting on reflection."

Of course, the functionaries questioning him understood nothing of these long monologues. And in the end they would let him go, and write on their reports, "He is not dangerous." MORE

Not dangerous? Let's see, Communism is now dead and JP2 is on his way to being a saint. These poor interrogators didn't know what they were up against. Though I must say if somebody I was supposed to be questioning started to lecture about Aristotle and solipsism, I would probably give up too.