Insightful. Powerful. Thought-provoking, Garrett. I especially loved this: “That is our beautiful plight in life. It is the tension within the spirit of Man: we dream up the furthest but can only reach so far. No matter how much progress you make, you will always be the same distance from the horizon.” This is a universal perspective that applies to all, no matter what faith, if any, that one might possess.
Thank you, James! I appreciate you reading, and it's clear we have similar tastes. You always seem to pick out my favorite lines. That last sentence, about always being the same distance from the horizon was something I'd thought about before but had never been able to put so clearly. It came out as I was drafting, and I'm glad it resonated with you.
Hilarious: "Our road-raging Uber driver cursed at a not-so-good Samaritan while some Christians sang over the radio about how God's everlasting love works through us all."
Garrett, lovely essay with such a potent closing remark: "think of yourself as an all-seeing moral judge." Our society, though we think we're sophisticated and orderly, lives on the brink of chaos. In COVID times people acted like barbarians, hoarding so many supplies that some people had nothing. This is partially understandable as people were scared and times were tough, but if more of us walked through the world discerning right from wrong and doing our best to uphold moral law, regardless of the actions of others, the world might be a little bit better of a place.
Haha thank you, Jack, for reading and sharing your thoughts! I tend to think that a lot of problems could be solved by us having stronger cultural values about individual responsibility, especially when it comes to issues of ethics. I find we are more likely to meet expectations than we are to do wrong. So, let’s expect each other to do the right thing, and support each other so that we can all strive for that ideal: moral perfection. As soon as you start deferring to the culture or the Church or your friends to decide what you ought to do, it’s easier to make excuses and rationalize immoral behavior, as if the fault for your actions lies anywhere other than with you.
(Thank you for your thoughtful comment. It got me thinking.)
My pleasure. And I absolutely agree. Your actions are always yours to own. Complete responsibility and accountability. When you start to waver from that belief, in my lived experience at least, things can get messy really quickly.
Insightful. Powerful. Thought-provoking, Garrett. I especially loved this: “That is our beautiful plight in life. It is the tension within the spirit of Man: we dream up the furthest but can only reach so far. No matter how much progress you make, you will always be the same distance from the horizon.” This is a universal perspective that applies to all, no matter what faith, if any, that one might possess.
Thank you, James! I appreciate you reading, and it's clear we have similar tastes. You always seem to pick out my favorite lines. That last sentence, about always being the same distance from the horizon was something I'd thought about before but had never been able to put so clearly. It came out as I was drafting, and I'm glad it resonated with you.
Hilarious: "Our road-raging Uber driver cursed at a not-so-good Samaritan while some Christians sang over the radio about how God's everlasting love works through us all."
Garrett, lovely essay with such a potent closing remark: "think of yourself as an all-seeing moral judge." Our society, though we think we're sophisticated and orderly, lives on the brink of chaos. In COVID times people acted like barbarians, hoarding so many supplies that some people had nothing. This is partially understandable as people were scared and times were tough, but if more of us walked through the world discerning right from wrong and doing our best to uphold moral law, regardless of the actions of others, the world might be a little bit better of a place.
Haha thank you, Jack, for reading and sharing your thoughts! I tend to think that a lot of problems could be solved by us having stronger cultural values about individual responsibility, especially when it comes to issues of ethics. I find we are more likely to meet expectations than we are to do wrong. So, let’s expect each other to do the right thing, and support each other so that we can all strive for that ideal: moral perfection. As soon as you start deferring to the culture or the Church or your friends to decide what you ought to do, it’s easier to make excuses and rationalize immoral behavior, as if the fault for your actions lies anywhere other than with you.
(Thank you for your thoughtful comment. It got me thinking.)
My pleasure. And I absolutely agree. Your actions are always yours to own. Complete responsibility and accountability. When you start to waver from that belief, in my lived experience at least, things can get messy really quickly.
So well structured and written. So much for me to think about. Sharing this on my FB page - I want everyone to read it and ponder.
Thank you for reading and sharing, Jo Ann! I spend a lot of time on structure, so it's encouraging that this one flowed well for you.