Day 10

"What do you like to do alone and why are these solitary activities?"

Bad question, since I'm usually alone, and so practically everything I do I do alone. This is partially due to a quiet, solitary temperment, and partially due to the fact that I don't have a whole lot of friends (at least not nearby). So, sad as it is, I'm alone most of the time.

Most things I'm more comfortable doing alone, but don't mind doing in a group. A few things I much prefer to do with someone, and a few others I much prefer to do alone.

Reading is an obvious one. When I'm with someone, I like to talk or actually do something to emphasize that "hey, I'm with someone now! Better make the most of it." Reading, therefore, is a pretty much solitary activity for me, since it seems rude or at least odd to be with someone and have your nose buried in a book.

Exercise I much prefer to take alone. I don't want to be comparing myself to someone else while I'm working (though, admittedly, I can think of some exceptions).

Writing I definitely prefer to do alone, since I'm easily distracted and it takes a good deal of focus to get in "the zone."

Practicing my violin, though this is more a case where I think everyone else would like me to do it alone, since it gets pretty ugly sometimes.

Praying. This may make me a bad Catholic, but I much prefer to pray alone in private, or at least not specifically with someone. That is, I've never really enjoyed it when someone says "come on, let's pray together." I prefer to "wrestle with God" privately, rather than in a group, and I tend to experience His presence better that way. This doesn't apply to Mass, obviously.

Finally, when I'm stressed or upset I typically prefer just to retreat from everyone else and let it 'drain out' of me. Sometimes, particularly for really major problems, I like talking it out with friends, but more often I just prefer to back out and let it run it's course in private.

Day 9: The Greatest is Love

"The Greatest of these is Love: Why?"

Seriously? You're making me justify St. Paul's conclusions?

Just kidding; I enjoy the intellectual stimulation.

There are a number of reasons why Love is a greater virtue than Faith or Hope. For one thing, Faith and Hope are both temporary virtues: we won't have either in Heaven, because both depend on things unknown. Faith is "the belief in things not seen," the divinely-inspired step extension beyond the intellect. Hope is the expectation of God's goodness; the trust in what God will do in the future. But in Heaven we will see God face-to-face, so there will be no need of Faith, and we will experience all bliss, so there will be no Hope. But there will still be Love, and indeed the fulness of Love. Faith and Hope will both have served their purpose, but Love will only just be getting started.

Another reason is the fact that Love, more than the other two, deals with the will; the core of our being. Faith and Hope both deal more with the intellect and only are tangenitally attached to the will. Love, however, is entirely an act of the will and so has the greater effect on our souls.

Finally, Love is the virtue of God, while Faith and Hope are virtues given by God. This is related to the first point, but when we are acting out of Faith we are not being like God, since God has no Faith since He is all knowing and no Hope since all time is present to Him. To Love, however, is to be like God; to live in His life. Therefore, since Love is more God-like, Love is greater.

Day 8: Favorite Day

What was your favorite day this year and why?

I'm taking this to mean 'this past year,' since this year is less than a month old.

I'd say my favorite day was, if I remember correctly, Nov. 10th. In any case, that's the one that springs immediately to mind. The day started out with Mass, after which I met my dear friend AnnMarie and we went to brunch, where we spent a good couple hours talking politics. I don't know about you, but I love talking politics with someone who a). is well informed, b). shares most of my views, and c). is luminously beautiful.

After we parted, I went to the dojo for some semi-one-on-one training with a couple of black belts, where I spent an hour and a half or so working with sais. Then, having had a fine and interesting work out, I went to my parent's house to hang out with my best friend Tim for a few hours.

This day stands out as being both active, but not overwhelming: there was a lot going on, but I enjoyed all of it and I finished up feeling like I had really accomplished something. Of course, I always like hanging out with Tim, and any day I get to see AnnMarie automatically jumps a grade, so combine both of those with Mass, serious-though-not-strenuous intellectual stimulation, and a solid, though not overwhelming workout and what you have is a very good day indeed.

Day 7: Manhood Pt. 2

"What men in my life exemplify the qualities listed in Day 6?"

I've been fortunate enough to know a number of great exemplars of manliness in my own life. In the interest in space, however, I'm going to confine myself to three who particularly stand out:

My Father: The best example of manhood I know is my father, who exemplifies the qualities of strength channeled through duty. My father has always been there for us all while we were growing up. He never failed to tell us that he loved us, or to make it known that he would always support us.

My College Latin/Honors Teacher, Prof. Smith: Probably the finest scholar I ever knew, Prof. Smith was a large, white-bearded man who could control a class effortlessly while simultaneously dropping a classical philosophy of education as the uncovering of reality. I'd say I learned more from him in two years than in my entire prior education.

My Brother-in-Law, Seth: My brother-in-law  is an excellent example of Catholic manhood. He works as a mason (the job, not the secret society), plays guitar, and farms with my sister, their beautiful daughter, their dog, and a dozen or so chickens. Together they comprise the best example I know of a truly Catholic lifestyle.

P.S. I'm sorry this one took so long; I'm generally not very comfortable talking about people I know so directly online. I'll try to blog more regularly in the future.

Day 6: Manhood

     Day Six: Describe your image of the ideal man (Jesus excepted).

       This was a complex question that required a good deal of thought and reflection. Here’s what I have come up with.

            The chief duty of a man is to provide and protect. In the most basic family unit the mother bears and raises the child while the man provides food, shelter, and defense for her while she does so. Therefore the key virtue of man could be said to be strength; strength channeled through devotion. I believe that every quality a man can posses will ultimately boil down to this formula: strength channeled through devotion.

            The ideal man, therefore, will have a very specific purpose to his life, one which will direct his energies in a particular direction. In addition, he’ll have or seek to develop the ability to fulfill his purpose.

            Now, the purpose that drives the man’s devotion must be a worthwhile one; if it is too limited or insignificant it won’t allow him to develop his strength and he will atrophy. If it is impractical or utterly unattainable he won’t be able to properly pursue it (since you can’t use an illusion to guide yourself). If it’s an unworthy or morally deficient goal, it will warp his strength or turn it into ruthlessness and cruelty (the image I have is of a cannon; if it’s pointed at the correct target, it’s effective. If it’s mishandled, it’s just destructive).

            So the ideal man will devote himself to a worthwhile purpose, which will nurture his strength and cause it to increase, bringing him closer and closer to achieving his purpose.

            That’s in the abstract. Dialing down a bit closer to earth, the ideal man would look something like this:

            He is a professional; whatever his particular occupation is, he is an expert at it. In the face of opposition he holds his ground firmly, yet calmly; he accepts no insult, nor does he insult anyone. He is supremely sure of who he is and what he believes and is comfortable with himself. If he has a family, they are his first priority. He never lies, he never cheats, he never compromises his principles.

            If you met him, you would find him a pleasant, engaging acquaintance. He would strike you as someone who is at peace with himself and who knows his place in life. There would be no bitterness about him, whatever his current situation. If things were going badly for him, he probably wouldn’t mention it, or if he did it would be in an off-the-cuff, disinterested manner. If things were going well, he might tell you how grateful he was. He might be talkative and friendly, or he might be taciturn and reserved, but he would always be polite and never give offense.

            You would come away with the impression that this was someone you could depend on; someone who seems to have figured out something you haven’t. You would certainly consider him a friend worth having, and you would pity the man that made him an enemy. For you would sense that, however polite and friendly the man might be, here was someone who could never be bullied or intimidated into submission. Here were great reserves of strength that could be directed on any obstacle with devastating force, and woe to the one who tried to be an obstacle to this man’s purpose.

            There’s a quality about the ideal man that is hard to capture in words: a sense of solidity, the slightly intimidating impression that this is someone you could never move or manipulate. At the same time, though, you enjoy spending time with him because of his engagingly good nature. The ideal man inspires not only liking, but respect in those who meet him. It’s a similar effect to when we encounter, say, a waterfall, or a thunderstorm, or a beautiful piece of music. It’s the sense that here is something that is closer than most things to how it ought to be: a clearer-than-usual image of God.

Day 5: Pets

Day Five: "Why might you want a pet? What kind of pet would best suit your personality and lifestyle? Why?"

First of all, sorry for the extremely long delay between Day 3 and...er, Day 5. I was hung up on Day 4 ("What is your favorite William Carlos Williams poem from your Christmas present last year?"), partially because I needed to review some of the poems, partially because, honestly, WCM isn't really my favorite poet. But more on that later.

Perhaps it's because I've always had at least one pet growing up, but they've always jsut seemed a part of life. The few petless periods have generally been understood as transitory stages; getting over the loss of a previous pet or getting settled in before acquiring a new one.

I love having pets. I love animals in general, and having one around permanently is even better. Pets are like little extra outlets of love; they're less rewarding than people, but they're also easier. You get to love and delight in them without fearing that they'll take offense or abandon you, and you get the satisfaction of caring for someone.

As for what kind of pet I would like, well I love dogs, but I don't think one would suit my present lifestyle very well since I'm away from home for most of the day. I think at the moment the pet that would best fit my personality and lifestyle would be a snake. I love snakes and I've been considering getting one as a pet for a while now. Probably either a Royal Python or a California King would be about right (I'm leaning towards the python at the moment).

My only concern with getting a snake is the feeding. I don't think I'd mind so much, but I do wonder whether heating frozen mice might render my apartment olfactorily uninviting to guests.

Who's a pretty boy then?

Day 3: Imagine You Are a Baby

Imagine you are a baby. Look around the room - see everything for the first time! Describe.

There’s a space…a space outside me! I wonder if there’s anything outside of it? There’s definitely an end to the space though: white borders all around. There are big blocks in front of all the borders too: some of them are very flat, others kind of stick out a little. Most of them have different colors on them, especially the ones that stick out. One of the flat ones is kind of odd; it glows a little it’s nice to look at. Then in front of that there’s a weird black thing; it doesn’t really have a shape. I don’t think I like that one very much, it's a little scary. Whatever I’m sitting on sure is comfortable, but it keeps moving whenever I move. I’m not sure I like that. There’s some grey stuff beneath me, that must be another border. And on it there’s a group of lumpy little objects; they don’t look very interesting. There’s also a curvy black thing. Maybe it’s the same sort of thing as that other black thing, the one I didn’t like? This one is much nicer looking. There’s also a curvy brown thing a little ways away from it. That looks like the most interesting thing in the place: I’d like to roll it around a little and see what happens. Oh, and there’s a green thing in front of the flat glowing block. It’s moving a little, but it looks interesting. Actually, it looks kind of tasty. I'd like to try out that curvy brown thing now...

Day 2: Eat an Orange in Sections

For Christmas my sister made me a small notebook with a series of day-to-day questions to think and write over. And I am now finally getting around to starting on it. I'm beginning with Day 2 (since Day 1 more involves commenting on her blog).

Day 2: Eat an orange in sections. Describe the tastes & textures!

Cool, very stringy, and soft. Smooth and with a very slight tang, but not so much that it is unpleasant. The pieces break apart very easily in the mouth and seem to slip down the throat with very little fuss or worry. The sensation is less of cutting the pieces up with your teeth and more of compressing the juices out of them, leaving them deflated and of swallowable size. The taste is quite agreeable; cool and liquid, though I’m not a huge fan of the feel of the squeezed out, stringy bits of orange that remain in my mouth after the tasty juices have been already ingested. That, and the outer rim of the pieces has a most disagreeable texture and appearance to it, like mold, making the sight of them rather unappetizing. Furthermore, as time goes on the tanginess builds up and becomes more noticeable and more of a problem. On the whole, though, I found the experience to be tasty and refreshing.