Hugo lands at a place that calls for seeing the infinite as foundational. The alternative he fears the most is “believing in nothing”.
I don’t necessarily disagree with this either. Though I often say we should begin with a chastened epistemology that is quick to admit just how much we do not and cannot know, I also find myself always called far beyond the bounds of a materialism that insists there is nothing more than what we see. The “Infinite” calls us, it beckons us, it lures us forward to a better future. To me, this is an undeniable experienced reality, and so it is a key part of the foundation I’ve chosen to build my life on.
I like the summary Hugo lands on here when talking about the type of spirituality he holds onto, and in that regard he feels like a kindred spirit:
…we are not among those who believe in the wretched inadequacy of sermons and the sublimity of prayer.”
I can get into that. Less sermons. More sublimity of infinity. Don’t give me a recipe for religion, take me to the edge of the unknown and invite me to commune with the universe.