Failure of Free Will Defense: Poetic Justice

Matt Harvey

Odd . . . he doesn't look evil.

(Image from Matt Harvey Website)

Much as I hate to admit it, Kevin Kim is completely right. God cannot be omnibenevolent. Why not? Because, according to Jack Malvern, writing for Times Online (May 19, 2010), the Wimbledon Championships has an official poet: "Pressure is on as poet warms up for Wimbledon service"! Be forewarned of this occasional 'poem':

Grandest of Slams

By Matt Harvey

Excuse me. I'm sorry. I speak as an Englishman
For the game of lawn tennis there's no better symbol than
Wimbledon

The place where the game's flame was sparked and then kindled in
Where so many spines have sat straight and then tingled in
Wimbledon

Where strawberries and cream have traditionally been sampled in
Kids' eyes have lit up and their cheeks have been dimpled in
Wimbledon

Where tough tennis cookies have cracked and then crumbled in
Top seeds have stumbled, have tumbled, been humbled in
Wimbledon

Where home-grown heroes' hopes have swelled up and then dwindled in
Wimbledon

The Grand Slams' best of breed, it's the whizz it's the biz
The temple where physics expresses its fizz
There's one word for tennis and that one word is
Wimbledon

Copyright Matt Harvey, The Championships Poet 2010

God forbid that this 'poem' be written! But oh, too late for that. Yes, the 'Good' Lord knew that this would happen! And He allowed it, despite foreknowing that we would suffer through this thing without good rhyme or reason. Matt Harvey should never have been given the "significant freedom" to make such a dreadful mistake. Ours is a possible world that ought never to have been actualized.

But perhaps this 'poem' is redeemable? Can it justify its creation by teaching us something in our suffering and thereby make us better persons?

Let's see . . . the word "in" rhymes with itself seven times. Seven! Truly malicious, using a sacred number in this unholy fashion!

Then, there's the at least more honest use of "Wimbledon," which rhymes with itself six times, the number of imperfection, of evil!

And since these two words are wrought to rhyme with each other, we have thirteen all together, another evil sum, the number of those present at the Last Supper and thus a symbol of betrayal, of evil at the world's beating heart.

But perhaps this 'poem' can serve as a bad example? Hell, no! Its evil is so quotidian, so mundane that we can learn nothing, not even to avoid it, for the banality of its evil infects us all . . . or will, if this post goes viral.

I concede defeat, Mr. Kim. This 'poem' is the proverbial straw that breaks the theodicean camel's back. This wretched verse has made things worse. There's just too much evil in our world, brought on through the needless suffering occasioned by this 'poem.'

God is therefore not omnibenevolent.