The Three Types of Givers

Today is Christmas Eve; it is the beginning of the Christmas season (at least liturgically speaking, in the evening). In our more secular culture, today caps off the "season of giving" that precedes Christmas.

Much has been said (much more eloquently than I could put it) by wiser men about the religious aspects of Jesus coming to earth in the form of a child. 
The end of the "season of giving" behooves us to take a look at what exactly constitutes giving, who gives to others, and how these men and women give to others.

There are three types of givers in this world: humanitarians, philanthropists, and “givers.” All of these people give of themselves to others in some fashion.

The first type of giver is the humanitarian – one who dedicates his time and energy to help those in need. The humanitarian is the missionary, the doctor, the activist. He feeds, clothes, shelters, and clothes others directly,  devoting himself directly to helping his fellow man.  

The second type of giver is the philanthropist – an individual who gives thousands or even millions of dollars to people in need of assistance or charities which distribute this largess. He is usually too engaged in business affairs to help the poor through direct action, so he gives money in lieu of time.

Both of these callings are noble indeed, and those who engage in them should be encouraged to continue in their spirit of sacrifice. The world needs men who devote their lives to giving themselves to others. 

But there are dangers in both of these callings. There is always the danger to seeking too much praise in these professions (especially philanthropy). More subtle is the danger of entrenchment – of thinking that one’s duty to the suffering ends with time or money. Total self-gift is the true path to Christianity – and the danger of careerism in humanitarianism or narcissism in philanthropy that poisons both these professions is strong.

Few of us have the drive to be humanitarians or the money to be philanthropists. Most of us have lives and families that we must devote ourselves to; we are too poor to be philanthropists and too busy to be humanitarians.

But all of us can be "givers." Givers lives their daily lives in service to those around them. A giver gives generously of his time to those in need; he sets aside what money or food he can spare to those in need. At the same time, he serves his family and his friends to the best of his ability. A giver serves all men he meets in a manner that allows him to help all in some way; prudence and generosity are his hallmarks.
He still goes about his daily business; he wins not the plaudits of the media or awards for his generosity. His mission is silent, but no less necessary than that of the humanitarian or philanthropist.

The call to be a giver is the mission of most of the Christian laity. We Christians must be in the world but not of the world; we must be servants to all. It is especially appropriate that during this Christmas season, when Christ gave Himself the ultimate gift to humanity, we should be called to emulate His total self-gift, by serving others in whatever way we can.  

Merry Christmas, readers!

Saying Goodbye...

The Mayans were right about the end of the world - at least concerning my career.
I left my job on Friday. I've been working for more than a year and a half at my first "real" job, and it felt very odd to leave. It was very exciting walking in the door the first time. Then the rhythm of the daily grind set in, and it became second nature to pop in and out of the office.
And now, after twenty months, it finally came time to depart. The act of leaving itself was surprisingly simple; I cleaned out my cubicle and took a quick tour of the office to say goodbye to some close friends, and then... left without looking back. Maybe the realization will hit me later that I am gone for good. It hasn't yet.
But leaving will hurt in more personal ways. Saying goodbye to my coworkers, whom I've spent a long time in the trenches with, was very difficult, mostly because I couldn't adequately express to them how thankful I was for their presence and their support. Good men and women are pleasant to be around, and I had many pleasant conversations with my coworkers. I'm not the easiest man to get along with, and they bore my quirks with grace and good humor.
But now, the bond of kinship wrought by close proximity is to be tested. I have found that farewells are strangely permanent events. Everyone promises to stay in touch and visit, and maybe in a few cases, this actually happens. But what usually happens is that people drift away, and friendships are sundered by separation. Yes, Facebook, e-mail, cell phones, (and now Twitter) creates the illusion of connectedness. But aside from a few stray "likes" and the occasional e-mail, the wall of coldness wrought by separation is erected. Former friends become strangers.
I know that people move on with their lives to bigger and better things. I know that others must increase, while I must decrease. And God knows that I am a master of burning bridges. But friendships are meant to endure. If any of my friends at the office read this - here's hoping this goodbye marks merely a change in proximity.

A Look at the Military Profession

The very profession of soldier is an interesting paradox. Soldiers are warriors called upon to fight and even kill for their countries if necessary. However, they are defenders of their homeland, called upon to keep peace. 

Christianity is largely composed of paradoxes; the Christian attitude towards the military profession is no exception to this rule. Christianity seeks peace, but praises those who are called to protect their homeland.

The Bible speaks favorably of soldiers and uses military metaphors frequently. Christ praised the Roman centurion for his faith. St. Paul spoke of putting on the “armor of God” to withstand the assaults of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11). The Church accordingly praises worthy Christian men at arms; Christian soldiers such as St. George and St. Martin of Tours have been canonized. In the medieval era, the Church praised holy wars and crusades in defense of Christendom.

But the Bible also demands peace; Christ Himself is the Prince of Peace, who exhorted His apostles to put up their swords when He was taken in the Garden of Gethsemane. During the medieval era, the Church instituted the Truce of God to prevent Christian knights from killing one another. Pope Benedict XV became famous for his efforts to encourage peace during World War I.

The profession of soldier is an honorable profession. Men were created by God with the charge to cherish and protect what they love. The military is the perfect profession for the fulfillment of this desire; men, through soldierhood, are given the opportunity and blessing to serve a cause higher than themselves.

In America, many fall into two harmful extremes when it comes to the military profession. The first is to treat all soldiers as heroes, to view all soldiers as selfless protectors of the free world who continuously put themselves in harm’s way for the good of the world and for humanity. The second is to see soldiers as deluded fools or monsters who willingly place themselves in the service of an American empire which rains down oppression on humanity. Both of these extremes are wrong.

The idea that American soldiers are stormtroopers in the service of an evil empire is lunacy. America, for all its failings, still (generally) shows much more moral sense than the rest of the world. American soldiers, as a whole, are masters of their field and consummate professionals. American soldiers are trained incredibly well, and tasked with extremely delicate situations which they perform to the best of their ability.

However, hero-worship of soldiers is ingrained the American psyche. The idea that “every soldier is a hero” is false - members of the military are not infallible. Some individuals use the service as an opportunity to engage in cruelty or violence. War crimes are not mere chimeras, and must not be swept under the rug.

Men and women in uniform should not be deified solely on account of their profession. Nor should they be condemned as villains for the stupidity of their commanding officers. Soldiers are engaged in a noble profession – and should be treated accordingly. But when they fail, they must be treated as other fallen men.

The Misnomer of Political "Conversation"

Faithful readers of this blog have noticed that I’ve gone on a truth binge when it comes to linguistics. This emphasis on linguistic truth is partially based upon my obsessive love of honesty, to the detriment of other virtues. 

But this emphasis on truth is also because words have meanings. When words are misused (deliberately or otherwise), confusion reigns. A society where even language becomes a source of confusion is a polarized society, where partisans can scream the same words at each other but mean completely different things.

Thus, when the term “conversation” gets tossed around when talking about certain political issues (gun control comes to mind), I get incredibly annoyed. Political operatives don’t want “conversation” when dealing with political topics. They want their own position made into law. When a politician or activist demands “conversation” about a subject, what he really means is that he wants the position he supports made official public policy.

Now, open advocacy of a position is more than acceptable – everyone has opinions, and everyone has the right to argue those opinions. But calling such advocacy "conversation" is ridiculous.

For “conversation” in this day and age far too often is the equivalent of a monologue or a shouting match. Both sides of certain issues remain locked in their respective bunkers and scream at one another from the safety of their ideological foxholes. 

On other issues, one side has all the microphones, and shouts talking points at their foes until the political enemy is cowed into submission. 

Either way, "conversation" is increasingly a misnomer, when it comes to political speech.

Ecumenical Christmas Carols: A Puritanical Christmas!

In the spirit of Christmas and Christian ecumenism, I present this glorious Christmas carol, suited for orthodox Puritans circa 17th century! It should be sung to the tune of Deck the Halls.

A Puritanical Christmas

Deck the halls with monochrome stuff!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

'Tis the season to be quite gruff!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Don we now our gray apparel!

Fa la la, la la la, la la la!

Burn the fool singing the carol!

Fa la la la la, la la la la! 

See the blazing fool before us!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

He tried to be merry on Christmas!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Follow me, now, without pleasure!

Fa la la, la la la, la la la!

Christmas is for heaping treasure!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

The Predictable Aftermath of Tragedy

Another tragedy took place yesterday. The recent shooting in an element Connecticut, where over 20 children were killed by a gunman, has once again brought America sorrow - at least, for a short time.

For the aftermaths of tragedy follow a depressingly predictable pattern. Our chattering classes will talk about the need for gun control and mental health and the need to come together and other tragedy-related policies for a few days. After a period of about 3 days to one week, the same chattering classes will go back to ranting about important things such as the doings of celebrities and the gaffes of politicians. Nothing will change.

I don’t mean to be cynical – but the painful, honest truth is often brutal to hear. And the truth is that the world is awash in death which very few care about or do anything to stop. 4,000 unborn children a day are killed by abortion; there is little to no mourning for them. Children starve in Africa every day; nothing tangible is done. In a culture of death, a few more deaths should not surprise us.

Mass shootings are awful. They are, unfortunately, largely unavoidable in a society where guns are readily available to deranged people who can enter “gun-free zones” at will and fire away. And they are predictable in a society which glorifies violence in fiction and encourages it against our most vulnerable populations.  

The Danger of Balancing Acts

I just finished my final exam and am finished with graduate school for the Fall 2012 semester! Deo Gratias!
Now I can concentrate on my writing for my employer - until I leave that job next week. The whirlwind continues, with insane amounts of travel during the holiday season.
And then the tornado of activity slows to a crawl - in January, I will be able to study full time for one whole semester, without distraction. And I am very, very glad for this opportunity to focus on my studies.
This may sound like a venting post - and it is one. I don't like being stretched in all directions like Gumby by my worldly cares. No one does. Though it may be necessary, trying to serve two masters is never easy, and always spiritually dangerous. To be a true Christian, one must be willing to give his all in all things - and multitasking hinders one's ability to do so by encouraging distraction.
This past year and a half has taught me the spiritual perils of multitasking, even for good and noble purposes. I could not complete my job and my studies to the best of my ability, to my everlasting shame. Both goods that I pursued conflicted with one another, distracting me from full devotion to my assigned tasks.
Distraction is a constant danger in the spiritual life. There are the constant temptations to distraction during prayer, which are unavoidable. But we tend to surround ourselves with distractions - TV, video games, Internet, technology. We try to have it all and do it all - and we bury ourselves under a web of cares.
As Christians, we should attempt to eliminate distractions from our lives to the best of our ability, including good things. Spiritual distractions should especially be avoided.
The appeal of the contemplative and religious life for one seeking to love God better is obvious. Such a life is comparatively free from the distractions of day-to-day living. As St. Paul eloquently stated in First Corinthians: "The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his thoughts are divided." (1 Cor 7:32-33)
It has proven very difficult for me to serve two masters on earth. How much more difficult for the Catholic to attend to earthly and spiritual cares simultaneously!