So, Mr. Corrigan and I have been chatting a bit, and it's interesting how some points slip by when one's head is full of glorious visions, the blood flowing at the thought of storming the gates of ancient cities. So, a word on living metaphors:
I, in certain moments, speak a certain way. And sometimes I think I'm successful in rousing certain emotions in certain people. Now, this is all well and good, and it is my position that the blood gets roused by certain visions because of the virtue of the vision (and not so much my merit... this is in fact important, as I'll get to later.)
Mr. Corrigan recently posted about the Governor General's Award, and how a very virtuous society gave theirs back. So, let's talk about that.
So far I've heard some fairly ringing words about marching forth with Johnson to some wondrous conquest. Thank-you, the sentiment is lovely. But, people, have you taken a look ahead to see where I'm going? Follow me, fine, but you do so at your peril because in me you'll find a rather fallible fellow, a very fallible fellow. Further, if you base anything on a single personality then your attachment lasts only so long. Shoot higher, folks. Do you dare follow the Christ, for example? Because all of the glory of the history I talk up is a reflection of Him. All the Crusades were waged by men who bowed at His feet. And that bowing doesn't mesh too well with the modern mind. There is in that bowing a rather profound letting go of a lot of things.
We wonder at the example of St. Thomas More, executed at the word of Henry VIII for being true to the Church. But are you prepared for the derision he faced? A recent comment caught my eye, in which a young man I respected said he was prepared to be accused of arrogance. That's fine, and many who read this would say similar things. But are you prepared to suffer arrogance? Because that's what the world has for you if you take up the banner of Christ.
Consider: The return of the Governor General's Award Mr. Corrigan cited. That's something that makes my blood sing; it's so noble, so right. But the vast majority of comments I've found mock it. Many are even openly angry, claiming that these Catholics are trying to impose their morality on Morgentaler. Go ahead, dig around and see some of the poisonous things people have said. And yes, you might say that this happens because people don't have a clue it's also true that they are in the majority. And when the majority think you're nuts, well- good luck.
So, Mr. Johnson and the walls of Constantinople. Let's turn that into metaphor, shall we? When I talk about Constantinople what I'm really talking about is taking something back that used to be ours. The same is true of Western civilization. The walls of the West have been taken, the barbarians are within the gates and they are us. So how do we take this proud citadel back? How do we rally beneath the flag of the Church and take back what was lost?
The answer is by being it, living it. You want to be something other than what our industrial-political-consumerist society wants you to be? Try going to Church. You want to fight back against the dying of the West? Consider the priesthood.
I find it fascinating that in this age of "individualism" that everyone is the same, and that our tolerance for people who genuinely think differently is so poor. And yet adolescents ache to be different, yet don't really DO anything different. So? Do it. Do something radical and different and break from the way the West lives. Pray. Read. Think about what the world could be like if there were more breathing, believing, loving Christians.
And as for Chesterton, because Mr. Corrigan and I will refer to him often, remember that none of his opponents found him arrogant. On the contrary, they found him to be one of the humblest men they had met and even his most strident political and philosophical opponents loved him for his brilliance, his warmth, and especially his humour. This is a fight you will win through only the most difficult way, a revolution and reconstruction of the self in the name of God. It is glorious precisely because it is so low and humble, I should say humbling.
Clear?
7 comments:
As usual, I think of a point, but in my unclear way of vague concepts that make no sense outside of my head, and then Mr. Johnson goes and makes it perfectly. That's why some of my most compelling arguments I simply stole from him.
Your storming the gates of Constantinople metaphor is something that I yearn to be able to do. I want to do that, I want to be like that. But there's still a part of me that wants to go the easy way. It's more like I want to honestly want that, but I don't yet. I guess I've taken the first step in realizing what I'm missing in such a regard, but I haven't gotten past that. I'm not sure how to move forward.
So how does one take that desire and turn it into actual actions and thought? Especially when their one resource, their favourite and most trusted teacher, has yet t give them that promised reading list??? :P
our society is commiting moral and cultural suicide, yes?
it's not something of the limb, the whole body is infected. would it not be wise to just let this body die, it's venom negated by the turn over of the earth, and let the seeds, that strive so hard to be, grow? instead of trying to save the world, to change it, just endure, so when the soil has run fallow for a few years, we can just grow? for surely, if this age of poisoned thought does not run through its course and die, the rest of the good world shall fall. just a muse.
Garvin, to use Chesterton in a very loose quote. "We must hate the world enough to know that it needs change, but love it enough to see that its worth changing." We cant simply just float by and wait for our "neo corrupt roman empire" crumble and hope that we will again have what happened in the 5th century with the Church. We have the instruments of change (our knowledge, given to us by Legate Johnson and the Church) albeit we could always use more fodder to throw. But we just need to want it badly enough. I believe the world is worth saving and can thus be done. I've come to the realization that people dont like to hear the truth or Truth. The world does not like us and thinks they dont need us. But we must trudge on. I'm going to allude to Lord of the Rings for a moment here. When Aragorn, after fighting off the armies of Mordor at Minas Tirith, he decides to strike out at the heart of this evil, the Black Gate itself. He could have, like every other king, accepting societies norm, beat Saurons legions of orcs and just waited while he built up his army again, and rinse and repeat. Similar to what is going on in our society today where we think we are doing something awesome, beating something, but not really ready to make a sacrifice for it. Aragorn, the freshly made king, instead makes a suicide mission to attack the Black Gate. Why, some may ask. Obviously he couldnt do anything himself. But the point of the matter is he is willing to die for something that is good and pure in this world, "to give Frodo this one chance". Ergo, you call yourself Catholic, but your are betraying one of the core points of our faith. Hope. You dont believe the world is worth saving, but the Catholic faith calls us to hold on to hope, to the very bitter end. Hence why the martyrs of old died by the lions in the Coloseeum.
Jeremy Whipple
i never said the world isn't worth saving. it was more of a "let this pestilence that we have run its course", more of a rising from the ashes kind of sentiment. i said that those that chose not to be saved and willfully ignore what needs to be done, that those that listen and feed off the lies because they don't dig truth; let THEM die, not the world. as i stated somewhere in that rant, let the soil run fallow and gain back its nutrients so that when some worthy seed falls upon it, it grows and learns truly from this age.
to reiterate; i have faith in the world, not in this age of poisoned thought.
But we have that worthy seed. The catholic teachings. And it seems your reponse seems almost cowardly would you not agree Grav? I mean, what you are proposing is a shirking away from the issue, when in fact we need to face it. In our age we try to create as many illusions (drugs, alcohol, excuses) to deal with problems rather than face it with courage.
it very well is. but it wearies me so to hear statements like "let's go burn down churches and convens, and say that's for two thousand years of oppression! turn the other cheek fuckers!" over and over again from the friends that you love with all your heart, for all the times they beat at you like clubs with their fallacies. gods below it would please me to just let them lie.
I had a good point and my post got deleted or was never posted or someway or another disappeared into the nether-regions of the internet, and now I can't remember what it was.
Garvin, I know exactly what you mean. But just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not worth it. The easy way is in this case definitely not the right way. Kind of obvious when stated like that, I know, but you need to look at the implications of a simple statement like that and realize it is very true. You cannot allow yourself to lose faith in humanity's ability to be saved. Even in one single persons ability, especially if that person is important to you. Not only do you risk losing that person, but you also are losing yourself. Because the right thing to do is to keep trying, and if you give up, knowing what the right thing was and choosing not to do it... well that's no good. You have to keep doing the right thing for yourself and for those you are trying to help, even if it's hard. When you lose faith, look to God for strength and courage to keep fighting.
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