Freedom & Fun

I went for a hike with two Catholic friends the other day. We laughed a lot and had a great time. At one point, one of them remarked, "It's great being Catholic because we always have the most fun." I couldn't help but agree.

This got me thinking. Why is this? Why is it that Catholics always seem to have the most fun?

I think it's because we try to stay steadfast to true freedom. What does it mean to be free? Well, Saint JPII once put it splendidly in his message to the UN (1995): 

"Freedom is the measure of man's dignity and greatness. Living the freedom sought by individuals and peoples is a great challenge to man's spiritual growth and to the moral vitality of nations. The basic question which we must all face today is the responsible use of freedom, in both its personal and social dimensions. Our reflection must turn then to the question of the moral structure of freedom, which is the inner architecture of the culture of freedom. 

Freedom is not simply the absence of tyranny or oppression. Nor is freedom a licence to do whatever we like. Freedom has an inner "logic" which distinguishes it and ennobles it: freedom is ordered to the truth, and is fulfilled in man's quest for truth and in man's living in the truth. Detached from the truth about the human person, freedom deteriorates into license in the lives of individuals, and, in political life, it becomes the caprice of the most powerful and the arrogance of power. Far from being a limitation upon freedom or a threat to it, reference to the truth about the human person — a truth universally knowable through the moral law written on the hearts of all — is, in fact, the guarantor of freedom's future."

When freedom is used responsibly, when it is ordered to truth and logic, one is happy. Adhering to this kind of true freedom that we are called to is difficult, for our secular society's definition of freedom can be quite different. Their freedom has limitations, and its expressions of fun can therefore be short lived. Many would scoff at me for saying that practicing Catholics have more fun than most, because we believe in sin and have to follow all those "strict rules." No, we aren't supposed to get wasted, sleep around, do whatever we want, but this is because participating in these actions ends up taking away our freedom: we become slaves to our disordered habits. Therefore, true freedom of self comes not from doing what we want, but remaining steadfast to goodness; only in goodness and truth will we be happy. If Catholics follow their calling to lead better lives, to follow the freedom of truth, then they will be awash with God's grace. And through this grace, they will experience a happiness beyond anything they can hope for.

Because of this, when happy Catholics get together with like-minded people, they know how to have true, pure FUN.

Image via Pinterest

(P.S. I do know that all Catholics, including myself, can fall to habits and vices which can put a damper on their fun. Generally, though, I think it's safe to say that Catholics who are striving to follow the teachings of the Church as well as those people outside the visible Church who try to follow their consciences and natural law, are able to have authentic fun and happiness!)

Starving for Wisdom

Wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Lacking in some causes an imbalance in others. Today, it is easy to become obsessed with knowledge and information. To discover the secrets of the universe, to uncover the depths of biology, to keep pushing the limits of science to see how far we can go. All are admirable goals; to have a sense of awe and wonder for our world is a very good thing. But if we become so obsessed with finding answers and obtaining all the information our brains can hold, there sometimes is no room left for other gifts, particularly of wisdom.  In our world, the gift of wisdom is one often overlooked. The danger is that our minds will start to drown in information, our souls left starving for wisdom. Wisdom is something that we all want, I think. But we don't always know to ask for it. It is so easy to become swept up in the moment and in the passion of discovery, with the consequences of dealing with unwise choices. One may have all the knowledge of the world, but without wisdom, one cannot know how to use this knowledge for the good of humanity.

Photo from Pinterest

Thoughts on Beauty & Art

Pictures taken at the Montreal Gallery of Fine Arts

Earlier this year I went to visit Montreal, Quebec. One day, while walking the cobblestone streets, I passed by a large, grotesque statue of a naked man - if it could be called a man. He had strange-looking, broken wings. There was a rectangular hole that went right through his torso, and out of this hole came what looked like tangled vines and a pair of grasping hands. The statue had no distinguishable face - it was simply a mass of human hands.

Looking at this statue revolted me, and made me think about how much art has changed in the past century - particularly in the past few decades. It's almost as if the entire purpose of art has flipped around. It's purpose used to be for pursuit of beauty, which reflected the truth and goodness of God and his created world. Especially in earlier centuries, it was often used to depict stories centering around the Christian faith - whether they were depictions of stories from Scripture, of saints, or of otherworldly places such as Heaven. Of course, there were also more disturbing paintings and sculptures made which depicted subjects such as visions of Hell or demonic images. The purpose of these grotesque subjects, however, was to alert people to the reality of evil which is, ultimately, a good thing. Much of the uglier art of today certainly does not have this purpose - rather, it seems to be for the enjoyment of, and the attraction to, the darker side of life.

While in Montreal, I also went to visit the city's fine arts museum. It held many wonderful galleries of art. One of my favorite exhibits was the Renaissance exhibit where a lot of Italian work was on display, as well as the Golden Age exhibits showing work from The Romantic, Baroque and Classical periods. We then came to the gallery of contemporary art. Almost immediately upon entering the room, my head started hurting. The wall in front of me was filled with massive canvasses of so much color my eyes watered from looking at it. One canvas, stretching almost the entire length of the floor to the ceiling, was entirely neon orange, with a black dot directly in the center. Another work was simply even, bold stripes of color in no recognizable pattern. In the middle of the room sat strangely-shaped furniture, sporting the same bold colors of the surrounding paintings. It was almost as if I was in the tackiest room of IKEA, except worse.

What has happened? What has art become? In our age, new ideas are encouraged - we are prodded to think outside of the boxes, to push past artistic boundaries. And this can be a good thing. But the problem is that we have lost our ideals. We have lost our concepts of beauty and truth. Today, the purpose to create art has changed. Today, its seems as though we create art for the sole purpose of being disturbing, to do everything in our power to not make something beautiful - but in a way that hides this fact by writing the word "creativity” in front of it.

I do not mean to condemn all modern art. In fact, there is some modern art that I like very much. But for the most part, our post-Christian culture no longer believes that the depiction and pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness should be vital to our artistic expressions, as was believed in former times. So the question is, can Christian artists today again take up the challenge to serve God by creating works that are truly beautiful? A great Catholic contemporary artist, Michael O'Brien, is a shining example of this kind of artist. From a letter O'Brien addressed to his fellow artists came the following prophetic words, words I wish all modern artists would heed: “Beware the current schools of criticism and norms in fiction and the other arts. Please don’t bow to them, don’t succumb to their rationale, which would bend and reshape your beautiful gift according to their subjective criteria and their blurred motives. Don’t become a victim of this colossal peer pressure. Don’t become a tool in the hands of the state, or the academy, or an art-guru, or any other dimension of the social revolution that is presently afflicting Western civilization.”

On Vulnerability

I was sitting amidst the crowd, and yet still apart. For a long while I stayed there, silently watching the group of people surrounding me, people deep in conversation and bonding through it. Though all coming from diverse backgrounds, they all had one main commonality in the faith they shared. Connections were being made, lives were blending, hearts were mending. These people, I realized, are a truly beautiful community. How wonderful it was for us all to be able to come together in unity. And what a sight for me to watch: the laughs, the tears, the stories, the hearts being poured out. It was the perfect example of the trust we put in each other when sharing the deeper bits of ourselves.

To find people we can connect with, to share our inner longings, and to be passionately zealous about our faith with others is an beautiful gift, and something so important to hold on to. It's incredible, really, to watch people bond and relate with one another.

It's something I've always had trouble with. To share myself, to let others peek into the dusty corners of my soul and mind – corners I allow few to touch but God and myself. Even then, I can still be shy. But this shyness – which has it's place, for I believe everyone should be guarded to a certain extent – can be my downfall. I have been coming to the realization lately that it's okay to let my guard down once in a while. I can turn back those dusty corners, and I can let the sunlight in.

Bit by bit, I'm learning. I'm learning that it's okay to be vulnerable. Because that's what it means to be human. It's how we live, heal, and create friendships with one other: by sharing the deeper, more vulnerable, and most beautiful parts of our souls.

Frames of summer // random thoughts

I.  I changed a few things up here, as I'm sure you've noticed. Some more changes in design will be coming, when I have some time to work on them... I'm also contemplating a new blog title, and any ideas are greatly appreciated! (Yes, I know I just did this earlier in the year but I'm already getting tired of my current name).

II.  I am feeling so overjoyed about the canonization of Mother Teresa. She was one incredible, beautiful soul and will forever be one of my greatest role models. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.

III.  Also, just a moment of recognition for Scott Hahn: I've been reading a couple of his books this summer. His words have been incredibly helpful for me and have made me want to continue learning as much as I possibly can about my faith. There is so much to be discovered, so much to be read, and I am absolutely thrilled by this. The more I learn, the more I love...

IV.  One more thing: an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit, a favourite childhood book of mine. I recently rediscovered it, and this is just too wonderful a quote not to share:

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.' 

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.  

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.' 

'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'  

'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

A Dangerous World

I just finished reading The Screwtape Letters, and so lately I've been thinking a lot about the struggle of the human will between good and evil. As Screwtape writes in one of his letters, God has created a truly "dangerous world" - a world in which "moral issues really come to the point.”

Screwtape is right, for God did make the world dangerous when he gave us free will. Free will allows us to fully appreciate God's goodness through a choice, but we can also make the choice to go in the opposite direction and walk away from Him. Each of us has been given the ability to make decisions that will affect our souls for eternity - and this can be a terrifying thing to ponder. But isn't it this very danger that makes goodness itself beautiful? For how can we fully appreciate goodness without the existence of evil? How can we see beauty without there being ugliness? How can we recognize light without darkness? There are endless examples of this intriguing truth. Our ability to discern and make choices may be dangerous, but it is this very danger that makes the reality of life all the more beautiful.

Creativity: A Lost Art?

I made an account on Pinterest about four years ago. Since then, my pins have slowly accumulated to a few thousand, a number I am almost embarrassed of. I have to say, though, that I am in love with the site. There are millions of amazing ideas on there. Most of what I pin consists of crafts and art ideas, writing prompts, hairstyles, clothes, and Catholic-related things. Through my "Apparel"  board, my sense of style has changed over the past few years, and I would say that it has definitely improved for the better. I've also discovered many inspiring Catholic writers and saints whose quotes I've pinned just because I loved them so much. And my art and crafts boards certainly have aided in motivating me to spend more time creating.

But when it comes down to it, can we really claim that Pinterest is fueling our creativity? Before the age of Pinterest (and google, in general), people's creative ideas came from all over the place. Sitting on the bus, they'd pass a lonely-looking old man hobbling down the street, and suddenly find that this old man inspired them to write a poem. Or they'd bump into a friend wearing a shawl, and they'd make a mental note to find out how to crochet something similar themselves. Or they're just sitting down and having tea in the living room, when they're struck by what a lovely still-life pencil sketch the flowers and coasters on the coffee table would make.

I'm sure that these random bursts of creative inspiration still come into the heads of Pinterest-users, and they still do for me, as well - but I don't think I can deny that I often have the urge to copy someone else's work that I find online. For example, maybe I feel like going outside to sketch the trees - but first I'd probably run a search on pinterest to look at another's use of shading techniques before I do so. Perhaps I wouldn't even end up going outside at all - I might just stay at my desk, ideas flowing from my computer screen. We can certainly learn from others, but I think that the danger that can come from copying another's work is that, if it's done too much, we will lose our own unique touch and personal style.

I think that most of us who use Pinterest regularly have to admit that it is somewhat of an addiction. Not all addictions are necessarily bad - I just believe that Pinterest, as well as all other forms of social media, must be used in moderation. Personally, something which I enjoy, and which I don't find anything particularly wrong with, is scrolling down my Pinterest feed near the end of my day. My work is finished, I'm feeling quite tired, and I just want to spend a few moments doing something pleasurable while drinking my herbal tea. In this context, I think my use of Pinterest is justified. But if I am wasting my time by just scrolling through pictures of cute puppies, or being on there when I should be doing something else, I hope I'd be able to recognize this as a mindless use of my time, and close my laptop right away.

So I guess my question is, in the long run, is the use of Pinterest contributing to the development of our creativity, or not so much?