I remember as a child, my parents would limit the amount that would be lavished upon me. I certainly was not deprived of anything. Chocolate, good food, toys, trips out to the park, all these would be common occurrences.
Good things would be measured, if they were not there was every chance that I would take them for granted.
Above all, they did not want me to become 'spoiled'.
I am sure we have all seen it, someone who has everything but cares for nothing.
This is reflected in peoples' attitude toward material things. When things are not received as beautiful and useful objects worthy of thanks, they become 'mere things', commodities.
Of course this is encouraged by the people who sell the things because as long as people are unsatisfied with what they have, they will always want more.
For example, I recently was given an Apple iPhone for my birthday. Wonderful, it has made things much easier to keep in contact with those I love. Less than a month later, the updated version was released. Though I knew better, I still had a nagging feeling of envy, something which has been instilled in me for over two decades.
Even though the updated model is not dissimilar from the model I have, I know that if I were to get the updated version, I would not be satisfied. Infact, I would probably be annoyed at myself for playing into the hands of those who feed upon this cycle of novelty and envy.
One of the remarkable things about the Christian life is that, through the Eucharistically minded vision, all things are made beautiful. The world is a wonderous gift which celebrates God. I do not mean this in the "look at how beautiful that sunset" way, but on a more every day basis. The food we eat, the sleep we have, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe; it is all restorative to ourselves and holds us together as community.
For a person to eat well, the food must be farmed. To be clothed, someone must grow the plant to make the fibre, which is then spun and knitted or woven into a textile, which is tailored to make the final object. Everything is manufactured, and this speaks of community.
When we, as consumers, fail to see the chain which leads to the finished article, the object becomes dehumanised and of no intrinsic value other than 'fashion'
Everything becomes disposable, and in so doing, we desensitise ourselves to the co-operation of living, as well as our duty to support those who labour for us.
A world without people, without relationships, is a lonely place.
The French existentialist philosopher John Paul Satre famously wrote "Hell is other people".
I refute that, "Hell is isolation".
Satre was saying that it is our interpersonal relationships which cause us the greatest misery and despair. Though there is certain torment in that, it is favourable by far than isolation. This is because all existence is found in relation.
What good is a gift it can not be given?
What use is love if it can not be shared?
And so I return to my first point.
When we receive to the satisfaction of our own desires and are blinded by the objects to the point where we cannot see the creative act behind them, it is a sad thing. It is a sad thing because that part within us which has delight in receiving the gift as an act of love becomes idle. A state of entitlement and self-worth develops; this in turn causes a person to fail in relating to people. People in themselves become commodities. This leads to dystopia.
It is thanks to a post on another blog site that I was encouraged to write this article.
"The Dream"
Good things would be measured, if they were not there was every chance that I would take them for granted.
Above all, they did not want me to become 'spoiled'.
I am sure we have all seen it, someone who has everything but cares for nothing.
This is reflected in peoples' attitude toward material things. When things are not received as beautiful and useful objects worthy of thanks, they become 'mere things', commodities.
Of course this is encouraged by the people who sell the things because as long as people are unsatisfied with what they have, they will always want more.
For example, I recently was given an Apple iPhone for my birthday. Wonderful, it has made things much easier to keep in contact with those I love. Less than a month later, the updated version was released. Though I knew better, I still had a nagging feeling of envy, something which has been instilled in me for over two decades.
Even though the updated model is not dissimilar from the model I have, I know that if I were to get the updated version, I would not be satisfied. Infact, I would probably be annoyed at myself for playing into the hands of those who feed upon this cycle of novelty and envy.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde
One of the remarkable things about the Christian life is that, through the Eucharistically minded vision, all things are made beautiful. The world is a wonderous gift which celebrates God. I do not mean this in the "look at how beautiful that sunset" way, but on a more every day basis. The food we eat, the sleep we have, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe; it is all restorative to ourselves and holds us together as community.
For a person to eat well, the food must be farmed. To be clothed, someone must grow the plant to make the fibre, which is then spun and knitted or woven into a textile, which is tailored to make the final object. Everything is manufactured, and this speaks of community.
When we, as consumers, fail to see the chain which leads to the finished article, the object becomes dehumanised and of no intrinsic value other than 'fashion'
Everything becomes disposable, and in so doing, we desensitise ourselves to the co-operation of living, as well as our duty to support those who labour for us.
A world without people, without relationships, is a lonely place.
The French existentialist philosopher John Paul Satre famously wrote "Hell is other people".
I refute that, "Hell is isolation".
Satre was saying that it is our interpersonal relationships which cause us the greatest misery and despair. Though there is certain torment in that, it is favourable by far than isolation. This is because all existence is found in relation.
What good is a gift it can not be given?
What use is love if it can not be shared?
And so I return to my first point.
When we receive to the satisfaction of our own desires and are blinded by the objects to the point where we cannot see the creative act behind them, it is a sad thing. It is a sad thing because that part within us which has delight in receiving the gift as an act of love becomes idle. A state of entitlement and self-worth develops; this in turn causes a person to fail in relating to people. People in themselves become commodities. This leads to dystopia.
It is thanks to a post on another blog site that I was encouraged to write this article.
"The Dream"
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