All things being equal, not all things are equal.
Our culture is falsely tolerant. In the interests of equality (so called) we acknlowledge the unity of all things, as though any old thing will do so long as one fellow feels it works for him. I fear this is another example of human vanity, the worst symptom of which is always the desire of humanity to take over the place of God.
What is it we will not abide? I think there is not much left except this one thing; we will not abide whatever disagrees with our narrative. We do not seem to do much thinking these days. We mostly seem to cast around until we find something or someone or some teaching to agree with our narrative. There we stop to absorb the prejudices of the “agree upon.” The world outside our narrative is now told to disagree with us is disrespect and disrespect is violence: ergo, no one cam disagree without being a villain.
Once upon a time in America the least intellectual groups still believed one main purpsoe of mass public education was to train young minds to see the difference between good and evil so they could tell the truth from erro. Now, it appears there is no truth or error, no good or evil except as the “tolerant” group deems it so. Confront them. You find out quickly how intolerant are the tolerant.
How must we know if something is real, good or true? I believe (yes, I, you get your own blog cries the individual arguing against individualism) a narrative must have come worth at each phase of life in order to ne seen as valid. That is, our “story” should be able to help us interpret birth, life, history, eternity, et Alia. If our narrative (our personal truth, once called our opinion, our story) does not work at all those points, or, worse, does not allow for any of them, then it is less helpful than a narrative able to show us the value of life, death, history, eternity. So, then, we have to look for some complimentary narrative, some other “truth.”
If we do not find that “extra” truth our argument about life or death or history or etnerity is naturally weak at the neglected point. Where we are weak is the very place we may most adamantly insist others agree with us or be exposed to accusations of violence. Young people are most susceptible to such emptiness, particularly when they are so scrupulously distracted from contact with real thought.
I think we are not doing a good job of preparing young people foe life, let alone for eternity. The various thoughtful young people who come by my table seem ready for something more than the superficial. The adoration of youth in our culture, that which extols them as heroic seems certain to fail them at crucial points and they seem to know it.
Let us give them instruction in the certain mysteries of our faith. I urge upon us the preaching of the cross as fact, as Truth with a capital T. We believe our faith is able to open up for us a way to have hope in enternity, but it is know less helpful to enable us to have a life of meaning for now. Imagine! A life of meaning for now and hope for later, a life able to assimilate meant in full truth from birth to death, with history to teach us and etnerity to beckon us. I think we have something here.