HAPPINESS REQUIRES RULES

As I watched the vigorously contested Champion’s League soccer contest that determined the European soccer champion for the year, it occurred to me that soccer is a wonderfully simple game to play and to watch as a spectator. While there is complexity, nuance, and intricate strategy at various levels of the game, nonetheless the basic rules are simple and easy to understand for both player and fans. This simplicity actually enables both on the field and sideline coaching strategies and tactics to be implemented. What fun exists in such a game! And all of this fun exists within and because of a few basic rules.

Soccer employs a few basic rules.

• Boundaries of the field are clearly set and enforced.
• Unfair play is penalized.
• The sizes of the goals are set and are equal for both sides.
• The on and off side rules are clear.

Within these simple, easy to understand rules, there exists an invigorating mayhem, complexity, creativity, and pure fun. The same can be said of American football and baseball.

Consider what would happen if the basic rules did not exist. What if no definite boundaries of play existed or if unfair play was allowed. The players and fans would be prisoners of an oppressive anarchy. Fun, creativity, and freedom would be loss.

That which is true for soccer or other games is also true for the “game” of life. Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church, understands the need for some basic, immutable, unchanging rules which free man to live truly creative, free, rewarding, and fun filled lives. The Ten Commandments and the teachings of the Catholic Church are clear, simple to understand, and are in concert with man’s basic nature. Love one another, love God, and avoid actions that harm oneself or others. If man follows these simple uncomplicated rules of the game, there are timeless opportunities for personal creativity, freedom, and pure enjoyment.

Yet many in the modern world, including all too many Christians and Catholics, have decided to change the rules of the “game.” Killing the innocent in favor of the false notion of “choice”, the ending of the marriage vows just to “try something else” or “to liberate oneself”, and redefining marriage are all an attempt to change the basic rules, which, when observed by man, enabled man to thrive creatively and happily.

It is vital that man embraces the basic rules set for his benefit. These timeless, simple, easy to understand rules of the “game” free man to attain his highest fulfillment.  As G.K. Chesterton noted, “It is easy to let the age have its head: the difficult thing is to keep one’s own.” ( Orthodoxy pg 107.)

Will the modern world keep its head, retaining and observing the simple, clear, God given rules that lead to true freedom and joy or will it surrender its true freedom for the chaos of false freedoms?