Chappy Secular New Year!

I am occassionally presented with the following question: if I could travel back in time, what past event, mistake, decision, etc. in my life would I change? As tempting as it may be to change a number of mishaps and indiscretions, I always conclude not to change anything. In so doing, I of course avoid the horrors of a science fiction time paradox. I also am recognizing the fact that if I changed anything about my past, I'd no longer be who I am today.

This does not, however, mean that I wouldn't change anything about myself - I am continually striving to make myself better as I move forward in life. I think many people want to make changes, be it to exercise more, be more diligent in a hobby or work pursuit, spend more time with loved ones, be more understanding, or simply shave more often. Often, getting started is the hardest part of such changes, and thus we discover the beautiful thing about an arbitrarily chosen date on the calendar to represent the start of a new year.

This New Year's Day, what changes will you start to make? Perhaps this New Year's we should all strive not just to improve ourselves, a righteous task in and of itself, but also to improve the world as a whole. Each day people suffer at the hands of others. Many go hungry while others feast. The world lives divided because of small differences like skin tone or differences in the name we use for God. I myself am no saint, nor can I honestly say I am out there fixing each of these ills to the limit every day. However, I try to live my life towards noble goals in hopes that one day I can fix all these ills. It all starts small, each of us, one person at a time. This New Year, begin to live your life in a way that makes you proud to be who you are, and then encourage others to follow your example. In time, may God give us the strength to repair the world.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year.

Family Ties

"Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about." - Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park

As many of us are now gathering with our families to celebrate various holidays and vacation times, I thought it a good time to reflect on what family really means. So often the term family is used without consideration for the actual meaning. Obviously it refers to the nuclear group of blood relatives with whom we live. Often, it also refers to the larger blood relatives distributed about the world. It includes those we love most, even if not related by blood (i.e. spouses). It includes our beloved animal friends in many homes, too.

How do each of you define family? I particularly challenge readers to think about the conventional wisdom that families share common beliefs and values, as I'm not sure that is true - siblings often walk different roads through life, spouses come from different ethnic backgronds, and I have met very cases where someone sees eye-to-eye with their in-laws.

As you gather together around a warm fire or tasty meal this holiday season, take a look around. Ask yourself why you sit with the people you see. Think about who else you might wish were with you. Reflect on how much you care for your loved ones, your family, your friends, and all humanity. For remember, we are all one family, and we must all stick together.

Happy Holidays to all!

Happy Holidays

The holiday season (as per secular definitions) is upon us. How will you be spending your time off? In what holiday observances will you engage? How will the holidays affect your daily life and your outlook on things? What meaning does the holiday season hold for you? How do your holiday observances connect you with a religious community? Most importantly, as commercialism bombards us, where do you find God during this season?

Good Acts to Follow

"Go and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:37)

Following up from last week, my wife asked why not pose the question of why people do GOOD things? Certainly, Aristotle's reasons may still apply, but is not there more?

The topics of good, altruism, generosity, and the like are complicated matters for psychologists and philosophers. While I'm not an expert on these subjects, it seems that, more or less, philosophers argue whether human nature is inherently evil, beast-like, selfish, or a blank slate - none of the academics seems to think it's inherently good. Psychologists seem to always be able to root everything back to selfish motivations - even the purest altruist seems to do things because it makes them feel good (endorphin junkies!).

I say, so what? What if everyone and everything IS selfish? Doesn't the ends justify the means? Not to mention, there's TONS of easier ways to feel good! Something drives good people to do things the hard way. Granted, it could be an overdeveloped sense of judging the reward by how hard it is to attain. However, it could also be that there is some greater good in the world with which some people feel connected. I propose that good is God.

If you know it's wrong, why do it?

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." - Aristotle

Artistotle poses an interesting explanation for why good people sometimes do bad things. Certainly several of those motivations might account for such activity. If, however, we continue to do bad things, do we eventually become bad people? At what point does it stop being human fallibility and become "bad" per se. Is repenting each time enough? Is believing in God enough? How do intent and action differ here, and what role does each play in the status of our eternal souls?