Food for Thought
Matthew Kelly, a Catholic writer in his talk titled, The Better Version of You states that one of the critical ways in which you can judge a society's progress is by the tales that are being told. In the past, especially during our country's revolutionary period the tales that were often told were stories of heroism, inspiration, virtue, conquering tyranny, and of achieving freedom. (Think of Thomas Paine's Common Sense) During World War II the similar types of stories were being told. In ancient Greece and Rome during their glorious periods epic tales of heroism and virtue were the norm. (Just think of Homer's The Odyssey)
So what are the stories that are being told by our current society? Unfortunately in our current culture the stories that are being told are bereft of morality and virtue. Some examples of these are Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Twilight etc. Even though these tales are excellently written, morally they are bankrupt, they don't inspire virtue, civic duty,responsibility etc. So what's the problem with this? On the surface nothing, but beneath the surface these types of tales are a reflection of our moral state as a country. It is famously recorded in history that ancient Rome during its collapse in the 4th century A.D. was plagued by corrupt emperors, senators. But greater than all of these threats was the general culture whom had an insatiable desire for entertainment, which was manifested in the brutal gladiatorial events. Also symptomatic of this decline was the fact that during the end of the Roman empire most of the military was made up of mercenary soldiers instead of Romans. In previous decades the greatness of the Roman War machine was the fact that most of the soldiers were Roman citizens, grateful, and prideful to be serving the empire. In contrast the general Roman population during its decline was more content to be entertained than to serve the greater good of the empire. As long as the gladiatorial games were going on they were happy, as long as they did not have to fight their wars they were OK. The sad legacy of this was that while the general Roman population was being entertained to death, their empire was slowly crumbling, rotting from within.
Now I am not against entertainment and the occasional diversion. Entertainment and recreation are a necessary part of living a balanced life and taken in its right context are necessary. But when our entertainments become our obsessions then the danger is that morally we will be too weak to challenge, to rightfully hold our leaders accountable and to take the appropriate actions to make a difference. Unfortunately evil knows no rest, evil is highly opportunistic, seizing, preying upon any form of weakness. Ultimately a society is only as good as the stories that are being told. So what are the stories that you are telling or listening to on a regular basis?
So what are the stories that are being told by our current society? Unfortunately in our current culture the stories that are being told are bereft of morality and virtue. Some examples of these are Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Twilight etc. Even though these tales are excellently written, morally they are bankrupt, they don't inspire virtue, civic duty,responsibility etc. So what's the problem with this? On the surface nothing, but beneath the surface these types of tales are a reflection of our moral state as a country. It is famously recorded in history that ancient Rome during its collapse in the 4th century A.D. was plagued by corrupt emperors, senators. But greater than all of these threats was the general culture whom had an insatiable desire for entertainment, which was manifested in the brutal gladiatorial events. Also symptomatic of this decline was the fact that during the end of the Roman empire most of the military was made up of mercenary soldiers instead of Romans. In previous decades the greatness of the Roman War machine was the fact that most of the soldiers were Roman citizens, grateful, and prideful to be serving the empire. In contrast the general Roman population during its decline was more content to be entertained than to serve the greater good of the empire. As long as the gladiatorial games were going on they were happy, as long as they did not have to fight their wars they were OK. The sad legacy of this was that while the general Roman population was being entertained to death, their empire was slowly crumbling, rotting from within.
Now I am not against entertainment and the occasional diversion. Entertainment and recreation are a necessary part of living a balanced life and taken in its right context are necessary. But when our entertainments become our obsessions then the danger is that morally we will be too weak to challenge, to rightfully hold our leaders accountable and to take the appropriate actions to make a difference. Unfortunately evil knows no rest, evil is highly opportunistic, seizing, preying upon any form of weakness. Ultimately a society is only as good as the stories that are being told. So what are the stories that you are telling or listening to on a regular basis?
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