The deeply rooted puritan moralizing that led to the prohibition has morphed into a sort of health-centered lifestyle that ignores happiness, virtue and the greatest good and rather focuses on avoiding the greatest evil, which has been recognized in the modern world as death.

Death can't be avoided. It is inevitable, and, I would argue, not a bad thing. It is better than living forever in a world such as ours. This doesn't mean that life isn't a great good and inherently dignified and worth protecting. But if we consider death to be the greatest evil, than there is nothing that is worth us dying for. The idea that there is something worth dying for is really important. If there is nothing that transcends our own valuing of our life, I think that our lives are really shallow and the basis for preserving them is only in that they exist already. Then there is no impetus for the good of creating more life.

I would argue that the end of man is to know God and not just to avoid death. And knowing God and, hence, happiness is found not in avoiding and ignoring all things that can be abused, but rather in being firmly in the world and yet of a different substance.

All that to say, it is healthiest for man to consume 400 calories per day (the consumption of excess calories are hard on your body). But that is not the good life. Living forever while barely moving so as to not waste energy cannot be the end of man. Rather, grappling with life's pleasures and learning which ones are legitimate and how to enjoy them in moderation is the active life that can, if excellently lived, result in virtue.

Lord, Help my Unbelief

What is the role of will in relationship to belief? Is belief a passion that we undergo or is it something that we choose? As I approach Easter, I wonder if I really belief that the bread and wine become the mystical presence of Christ. Am I too ingrained in Pentecostal ecstatic experience of Christ throughout the world to see a special place for that presence in the Eucharist? Do I see bowing in front of the tabernacle as idol worship? It isn't even clear to me: isn't it only the Lord who can discern the thoughts and the motives? But will the belief come or am I acting against my conscience? Aristotle pointed to a person's actions as most indicative of his beliefs and motivations. So what is indicated by the fact that I feel a bit silly genuflecting outside of the pew?

Rant (Second in an Occassional Series)

How is one to stop being a pushover? This has been my goal for several weeks. Most of the advice to keep me on this track, however, is given by my friends. Which makes me an even worse pushover, I think, since not only do I give in, but I give in to someone who is purportedly trying to help me out. This all just seems like too much work, frankly.

An additional point: As far as I can tell, women will always hate men pursuing other women who are not them, as long as they 1) are single and 2) have been at some point, no matter how briefly and remotely, attracked to the man in question. This lives women wanting to complain and finding no way non-psychotically to articulate their complaint. Even if the girl has dumped the boy. (Here I wander into non-psychotic territory: we want non-stalker guys to see something in us that they love and really go after that with determination. No settling for being dumped.)

2nd Sunday in Lent

Walking between the bloody halves of meat,
The signant seal upon the covenant;
The blood spilled over onto Abram's feet.

He took this covenant upon Himself
When, in between Moses, Elijah, He
Transfigured in an instant; Majesty!