I can imagine that the title of this post alone would have most people wondering what those three things could possibly have in common, but the answer is both simple and yet not so obvious that it is not worth discussing. I hate folding laundry and have made an agreement with my wife that if I wash the laundry she will fold it. My duty then is clear, the dirty laundry should be never pile up and my wife should never have to run the washing machine. I think I have come to a realization, my wife does way too much laundry. I have realized over the last few weeks that it is not the large decisions in life that shape who we are, it is the thousand small decisions that we make every day without even thinking. Those decisions shape how we appear but more importantly, those decisions shape who we are and how we appear to others.
Socrates talked about how we wish to appear to others but I think he may have missed the boat about what is important. I don't think your reputation should be the issue, but the person you are regardless of reputation is far more important. One of the things I enjoyed about Jean Luc Picard was his insistence that doing the right thing was more important than doing the correct or more political thing. This often caused him to face difficulties that a lesser man would have avoided. This ability is easy to portay in a TV character but much harder in the day to day world of actual life, perhaps because it is made up of many small decisions that are meaningless in the grand scheme of things but those decisions shape us none the less. I spoke in an earlier post about Mary Ann Glendon declining the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame due to President Obama making a speech there and I am sure that it was not an easy decision for her to make. But perhaps it was easier than I think it might have been because of her making many smaller decisions before that one so that she had a firm set of principles and prior decisionmaking to guide herself. Hard to believe that those three subjects were connected but they were; how you do laundry is part of who you are and although it is important to have a good reputation as the quote from Socrates indicates, I think being more like Jean Luc Picard or Mary Ann Glendon and doing the right thing because it is the right thing is more important. Many things shape who you are and many small things can make as big a pile as one large object, maybe even a larger one over a lifetime.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Star Trek and Socrates
I read the last post and it caused me to consider the quote that is now my signature when I send an email:
"The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
Socrates.
Once again I am forced to ponder the choices I make and have made in the past. Only this time it is what I desire to appear? I have an avocation as a firefighter-emt that is just about the most important thing in my life, I have been a volunteer firefighter everytime I have a chance and have worked as an EMT and that is when I have been happiest. If I had to describe what I desire to appear it would be a good firefighter-emt, that was an easy question to answer, the harder part is persevering and not let the size of the mountain to be climbed stop my trying to finish the climb despite the distance still to be climbed.
I would love to have a discussion with Jean Luc Picard about the quote above and wonder what he would have to say.
"The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
Socrates.
Once again I am forced to ponder the choices I make and have made in the past. Only this time it is what I desire to appear? I have an avocation as a firefighter-emt that is just about the most important thing in my life, I have been a volunteer firefighter everytime I have a chance and have worked as an EMT and that is when I have been happiest. If I had to describe what I desire to appear it would be a good firefighter-emt, that was an easy question to answer, the harder part is persevering and not let the size of the mountain to be climbed stop my trying to finish the climb despite the distance still to be climbed.
I would love to have a discussion with Jean Luc Picard about the quote above and wonder what he would have to say.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Star Trek, Philosophy and Life
Yesterday I spent part of my day watching the movie Star Trek X: Nemesis and couldn't help noticing a couple of things that struck me about the film. The first is that the Trek films don't seem to have a lot of religous belief as part of the plot lines, but this film raises and tries to answer some pretty deep philosophical questions about what man believes at his core. This film's main antagonist is a clone of Jean-Luc Picard who is consumed by hatred and ultimately dies as a result of that hatred. There is one scene in the movie that struck me because Picard talks about what makes the two individuals different is not just their experiences but their choices. The film makes the point that the choices we make influence who we are as much and maybe more than our experiences.
We can choose to choose to better ourselves or fall prey to our hatred and anger. I find that I often allow myself to be controlled by anger rather than strive to be better. I do not consider myself different from most people so that this is probably a fairly frequent occurence and I wonder how much better we could make this world if we were more aware of the choices we make and don't let anger and hatred control us. I know that I allow anger to control me far more often than I should but striving to be better than I was yesterday is a foreign concept to me. I tend to lose such higher aspirations in the daily grind of day to day events. I guess that is part of the problem, how does one remember the stars when you are staring down at the ground?
We can choose to choose to better ourselves or fall prey to our hatred and anger. I find that I often allow myself to be controlled by anger rather than strive to be better. I do not consider myself different from most people so that this is probably a fairly frequent occurence and I wonder how much better we could make this world if we were more aware of the choices we make and don't let anger and hatred control us. I know that I allow anger to control me far more often than I should but striving to be better than I was yesterday is a foreign concept to me. I tend to lose such higher aspirations in the daily grind of day to day events. I guess that is part of the problem, how does one remember the stars when you are staring down at the ground?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Large Disconnect
One thing has become very clear to me and that there is a very large disconnect between what the church teaches and how most Catholics live their daily lives. I will freely admit that I am a poor example of what a Catholic should be; I miss going to Mass more often than I should, and let’s not talk about going to confession. The one part of the Mass I identify with most is when we proclaim “Lord I am not worthy, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” I know when I am not able to receive communion so I don’t, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to. But I also realize that the way I live my daily life contradicts much of what the Magisterium teaches.
I don’t think I am alone in this however, and the recent speech given by President Obama only makes things worse. He did nothing more than try to deny that there is an absolute moral standard that we must try and follow. Instead we should simply try and find common ground and if we cannot then agree to disagree. The bishops have come out and said that we as Catholics should not support gay marriage, but how do you deal with your next door neighbor who cannot see his partner of 15 years in the ICU because only “family” is allowed? How do you tell him after fifteen years in a committed relationship he doesn’t deserve to be married? I have been divorced once; does that mean I shouldn’t be allowed to marry again? I followed church teaching and received a decree of nullity before remarriage. I understand that there are moral absolutes but I like many people have an awfully hard time living up to them and the many of the bishops of the church today don’t seem to be doing much better. Yes I am referring to the sex abuse scandals that broke in 2002. I was furious when I read of what happened and what was done to cover it up. I mention this only because many times when you state your position it quickly becomes indefensible because of this scandal. I for one have feet of clay and know that I fail miserably to live up to what the Magisterium teaches and so do they, but I digress.
I read the book Render Unto Caesar by Archbishop Chaput of Denver, and it calls for a high standard of behavior by both lay and clerical Catholics. It is nothing short of a call to Holiness, like his earlier book Living the Catholic Faith: Rediscovering The Basics it calls for a similar response from the reader. I will admit that my problem is sustaining the response on a daily basis that is the problem. I will tell you right now that holy is not a word that anyone has ever used to describe me, you can be assured of that! And that for me is a huge problem because I know that an erratic witness is probably worse than no witness at all. I am a child of my age, moral relativism is something I am very comfortable with because it is the standard used by much of the world today and cannot be disputed simply because the common reply is “Well, that’s the truth as you see it, I don’t.”
I wish that I could say that I have the answers to all the questions I have raised in this short piece, but I don’t. I think the best thing I can say is that I will struggle in my faith journey the best I can and be grateful for the help that I have in priests like Archbishop Chaput. A call that demands a response is infinitely better than the uncertain call of moral relativism. I may never be a holier person but can’t help believe that the struggle may at least help me to be a better person.
I don’t think I am alone in this however, and the recent speech given by President Obama only makes things worse. He did nothing more than try to deny that there is an absolute moral standard that we must try and follow. Instead we should simply try and find common ground and if we cannot then agree to disagree. The bishops have come out and said that we as Catholics should not support gay marriage, but how do you deal with your next door neighbor who cannot see his partner of 15 years in the ICU because only “family” is allowed? How do you tell him after fifteen years in a committed relationship he doesn’t deserve to be married? I have been divorced once; does that mean I shouldn’t be allowed to marry again? I followed church teaching and received a decree of nullity before remarriage. I understand that there are moral absolutes but I like many people have an awfully hard time living up to them and the many of the bishops of the church today don’t seem to be doing much better. Yes I am referring to the sex abuse scandals that broke in 2002. I was furious when I read of what happened and what was done to cover it up. I mention this only because many times when you state your position it quickly becomes indefensible because of this scandal. I for one have feet of clay and know that I fail miserably to live up to what the Magisterium teaches and so do they, but I digress.
I read the book Render Unto Caesar by Archbishop Chaput of Denver, and it calls for a high standard of behavior by both lay and clerical Catholics. It is nothing short of a call to Holiness, like his earlier book Living the Catholic Faith: Rediscovering The Basics it calls for a similar response from the reader. I will admit that my problem is sustaining the response on a daily basis that is the problem. I will tell you right now that holy is not a word that anyone has ever used to describe me, you can be assured of that! And that for me is a huge problem because I know that an erratic witness is probably worse than no witness at all. I am a child of my age, moral relativism is something I am very comfortable with because it is the standard used by much of the world today and cannot be disputed simply because the common reply is “Well, that’s the truth as you see it, I don’t.”
I wish that I could say that I have the answers to all the questions I have raised in this short piece, but I don’t. I think the best thing I can say is that I will struggle in my faith journey the best I can and be grateful for the help that I have in priests like Archbishop Chaput. A call that demands a response is infinitely better than the uncertain call of moral relativism. I may never be a holier person but can’t help believe that the struggle may at least help me to be a better person.
Monday, May 18, 2009
My Reaction To President Obama's Speech
President Obama's speech was very well done and he went well out of his way to make himself sound very reasonable and that anyone who opposes his view of the world is obviously not being reasonable, that seemed to be the primary point of his speech. He is a champion of relativism and this of course puts anyone who argues with him as an ideologue that refuses to be reasonable.
The Catholic Church is a very reasonable organization, but one that realizes that there are lines that must not be crossed, such as taking the life of those unable to protect themselves. Our current President is one of the most pro-abortion individuals in government today and as such the Catholic Church must oppose him in this area, the document issued by the USCCB Statement on "Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" was written to make this clear but seems to have been twisted by individuals to excuse just the opposite.
I will admit that I have some conflict in this area because I agree in principle with thinkers such as Archbishop Chaput, but I find myself unable to stand in front of someone and say YOUR getting an abortion is wrong. What I am saying is that although I cannot disagree in principle, on an individual basis it is much harder to follow the teachings of the Bishops. I am sure that Archbishop Chaput would have an answer for me as to why I am wrong to say this but I don't know what it is and I am by no means any kind moral witness as a Catholic. That is a personal failing and not really important to the topic of this post but fodder for another day.
Moral relavitism in a horrible dilemma for many people simply because there is no way to argue against it, I am far less educated than an Archbishop and simply don't have the certainty of belief that Archbishop Chaput or Francis Cardinal George seem to possess. In the previous paragraph I made reference to my own ability as a moral witness, perhaps that is the problem, until the church can roll back the level of moral relativism in the pews and teach with a consistent voice, situations such as one of the most pro-abortion presidents receiving an honorary degree from a Catholic university will continue.
But there is a far more important problem I think, that of how does the average person in the pew combat the moral relativism that they must deal with on a daily basis? The presidents speech was a masterpiece of excusing everyone from following absolute rules of right and wrong and dismissing the abortion disscussion to one that can never be reconciled so we must agree to disagree. I find myself torn in two different directions, one side struggling with priciples that I cannot live up to when confronted bya single mother that doesn't want a baby and tells me I have no right to tell her what to do and a church that doesn't always do a good job of explaining why and how those principle should be applied in individual situations. So that I can in the words of Archbishop Chaput " . . . actually live the faith with courage and consistency."
The Catholic Church is a very reasonable organization, but one that realizes that there are lines that must not be crossed, such as taking the life of those unable to protect themselves. Our current President is one of the most pro-abortion individuals in government today and as such the Catholic Church must oppose him in this area, the document issued by the USCCB Statement on "Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" was written to make this clear but seems to have been twisted by individuals to excuse just the opposite.
I will admit that I have some conflict in this area because I agree in principle with thinkers such as Archbishop Chaput, but I find myself unable to stand in front of someone and say YOUR getting an abortion is wrong. What I am saying is that although I cannot disagree in principle, on an individual basis it is much harder to follow the teachings of the Bishops. I am sure that Archbishop Chaput would have an answer for me as to why I am wrong to say this but I don't know what it is and I am by no means any kind moral witness as a Catholic. That is a personal failing and not really important to the topic of this post but fodder for another day.
Moral relavitism in a horrible dilemma for many people simply because there is no way to argue against it, I am far less educated than an Archbishop and simply don't have the certainty of belief that Archbishop Chaput or Francis Cardinal George seem to possess. In the previous paragraph I made reference to my own ability as a moral witness, perhaps that is the problem, until the church can roll back the level of moral relativism in the pews and teach with a consistent voice, situations such as one of the most pro-abortion presidents receiving an honorary degree from a Catholic university will continue.
But there is a far more important problem I think, that of how does the average person in the pew combat the moral relativism that they must deal with on a daily basis? The presidents speech was a masterpiece of excusing everyone from following absolute rules of right and wrong and dismissing the abortion disscussion to one that can never be reconciled so we must agree to disagree. I find myself torn in two different directions, one side struggling with priciples that I cannot live up to when confronted bya single mother that doesn't want a baby and tells me I have no right to tell her what to do and a church that doesn't always do a good job of explaining why and how those principle should be applied in individual situations. So that I can in the words of Archbishop Chaput " . . . actually live the faith with courage and consistency."
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Thoughts On President Obama Recieving An Honorary Degree At Notre Dame
I find myself in an interesting position and have 79 Catholic Bishops and one ambassador to thank for this fact. I initially thought is was a wonderful idea that ND was going to have the president speak at commencement this year and felt it was a feather in Notre Dame's cap that he said yes. I figured that the granting of an honorary degree was a reasonable thing given the stature of a sitting president as a public figure.
Then the bishops began speaking out and I will admit that I ignored them until Archbishop Chaput of Denver spoke out, not because of any dislike of those bishops but because I have had the pleasure of hearing Archbishop Chaput speak many times and know from having met him on several occasions that he is an intelligent and reasonable man not given to unreasonable opinions. I had been forced to rethink my position and agree that the awarding of an honorary degree is an unnecessary affirmation of his pro abortion views and not in keeping with Catholic teaching.
I think the final straw for me was however, the decision of Mary Ann Glendon to decline to accept the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame. I have received very few awards in my life and nothing even remotely close to an award such as the Laetare medal. I can only imagine what it would be like to receive such an award and cannot conceive of declining it. This act on her part convinced me far better than any bishops speech ever could. I can only remotely understand what declining this honor must have done to her on a personal level and she has earned my respect and admiration for what she has done. I just wish I could say that I had her kind of principles. Thank you Madam Ambassador for giving me something to strive for.
Then the bishops began speaking out and I will admit that I ignored them until Archbishop Chaput of Denver spoke out, not because of any dislike of those bishops but because I have had the pleasure of hearing Archbishop Chaput speak many times and know from having met him on several occasions that he is an intelligent and reasonable man not given to unreasonable opinions. I had been forced to rethink my position and agree that the awarding of an honorary degree is an unnecessary affirmation of his pro abortion views and not in keeping with Catholic teaching.
I think the final straw for me was however, the decision of Mary Ann Glendon to decline to accept the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame. I have received very few awards in my life and nothing even remotely close to an award such as the Laetare medal. I can only imagine what it would be like to receive such an award and cannot conceive of declining it. This act on her part convinced me far better than any bishops speech ever could. I can only remotely understand what declining this honor must have done to her on a personal level and she has earned my respect and admiration for what she has done. I just wish I could say that I had her kind of principles. Thank you Madam Ambassador for giving me something to strive for.
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