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Despair or Hope A Choice

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DESPAIR or HOPE   A Choice

He had it all….great wealth, fame, possessions, the admiration of many, the attention and embrace of many women, the thrill of revitalizing old industries and the creation of new enterprises, a contributor of millions of dollars to charitable causes. Observers would call his life a full and successful one, despite failures in his marriages and some enterprises. Yes, he had done it all! Yet as he approached the age at which he knew the end of his life would be coming, he was uncomfortable and even dispirited as it dawned upon him that all his accomplishments might actually be meaningless in the end.  Was his inevitable death really the end? There must be something more. A sense of despair began to enter into his consciousness. Frustrated, although he moaned about death, he feared and trembled more about the sense of nothingness after death.

The despair he was beginning to experience and which was haunting him was not the despair of the average man, who despairs over financial or family issues. His despair was deeper and far more worrisome than the despair about money or other material items. His despair was about the onrushing entrance into nothingness….the end of everything, no new challenges to overcome, no successes, just nothing. There was no hope in his life for anything after death. His despair was becoming more all-encompassing each day. “Why isn’t there more?” he agonized.

His frustration grew as he contemplated the millions of people who felt no despair as death marched towards them. So many seemed to have hope for the life after death; for them death was not the end but only a new beginning. He tried to dismiss the religious among them as superstitious or stupid or having been sold a lie. Yet he knew differently; many of those religious individuals were very intelligent, perceptive, and reasonable people. They all had one thing in common….Hope, a hope for a fulfilling future after death, a union with God. The hope that he witnessed in his religious acquaintances was a rock solid certainty, a guarantee that God’s promises will be fulfilled. The promise would be God Himself and the guarantor of this promise is the risen Christ.

Although he would not allow himself to believe in God, yet so many people did believe in the divine. Were they correct in their belief in God and the hope for eternal life? Such a thought was contrary to his core belief system. Yet was it not possible or, even likely, that so many people are correct in their belief in the existence of loving, eternal God? Was their hope for the future well founded? Could he move himself to actually believe in God? Was faith in God possible for him? If he answers yes, then he has begun his journey to a new life. If the answer is no, then despair is the victor and hope is rejected….and nothingness is his future.  The choice is his.

Suggested Readings

“Josef Pieper: An Anthology” published by Ignatius Press  Chapters 9 and 10

“Fundamentals of the Faith”, by Peter Kreeft , Ignatius Press, Chapter 29 “Hope”

“The Treasure of Catholic Wisdom”, edited by  John H. Hardon, S.J.  Fulton J. Sheen’s essay on “Hope”

 

Clarity

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CLARITY

The dictionary definition of the word clarity is “clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.” Or to state it in another manner, clarity is “the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye or mind.” When decisions are required, all people claim to seek clarity regarding the issues involved in the decision making process. It is a great benefit for individuals to be able to discern precisely the issue or decision presented to them. Unfortunately, clarity frequently escapes people, resulting in decisions being made that actually prevent people from achieving their objectives. Clarity or clearness is elusive. Unfortunately, in many instances, the lack of clarity occurs because people are more comfortable with ambiguity; to some this lack of clearness seems to provide an escape from the responsibility for the outcome of their decision.

Often individuals have a vested reason to obscure clarity from another individual. A salesman for a television product may receive a greater commission if he obtains an order for a newer version of the television, even though the customer is really interested in a basic and lower costing product. It is to the advantage of the salesperson to confuse the customer to change the customer’s vision of clarity to a different product. Thus throughout all of our daily lives there are forces and individuals who seek to cloud a person’s view of clarity.

As much as they pontificate about the clarity and rightness of their positions on political issues, few, if any, politicians really desire to present to their constituents a clear picture of their position on issues. They prefer ambiguity. Since they want to appeal to a large cross section of the voting public, many politicians purposely try to confuse the public about their positions on important issues. Clarity in politics is almost non- existent. It is very difficult for the individual voter to fully understand the precise issue at hand and the position of any particular politician.

On the other hand, possessing a clear unequivocal view of an issue often presents an individual with a clear choice that has to be made…. must be made. Frequently an individual comes face to face with the clearness of an issue when he is presented with a clear choice…possibly a choice he does not want to face. Often, in these instances, he would prefer ambiguity and confusion so as to avoid making a choice.  In the case of the taking of a life of an unborn child, it is clear that the child is a human being. Thus when one proposes to end the life of the unborn human being, one must face the reality that one is killing another human being…one who possesses the genes of the mother and father. In cases such as these, the individual does not want to face the clarity of the issue; it is too difficult to admit the ending of a life of the innocent. Thus clarity is avoided at all cost.

Thus real clarity faces several obstacles.

  • The desire of one or more persons to obstruct real clarity.  I.e. politicians, abortionists, etc.
  • The desire of an individual to avoid clarity because of the difficult choices that the individual may want to avoid.
  • An inability of the individual to have the necessary information to form a clear picture of the issue.

On many occasions, when a person or an organization presents a clear picture of an issue or idea for acceptance or rejection, they are met with hostility. Many people do not want to face the fact that their positions on an issue may be untenable under a clear examination. Others just do not want to tolerate any position that is counter to their own. Emotion often takes over and hatred commences for the individual or organization that is presenting clarity and the clear choices that must be faced. Frequently the hatred becomes vitriolic and violent.

An organization that offers clarity in it teachings and thus encounters the most hatred and opposition is the Catholic Church.  Many people hate the Catholic Church because its teachings on God, Jesus Christ, sin, hell, abortion, marriage, and numerous other issues are clear. These teachings force people to directly meet the prime issues of life, which often directly challenge their own beliefs and values. Even individuals within the Church, including people in senior clerical and lay positions, tremble at the clarity of the Church’s teachings on key issues. Thus rather than making a decision to accept the teaching or leaving the Church, they attempt to obfuscate the issue so as to appear to be in harmony with the Church’s official teaching, while, in fact, attempting to confuse the issue.

Clarity offers individuals the opportunity to contemplate an issue directly and then make a decision on it. However, in far too many issues, people would prefer obfuscation and confusion to clarity. They can avoid the real issue … their own unwillingness to accept the consequences of making a decision. A true Catholic will learn the teachings of the church regarding fundamental matters of faith and morals and make decisions based upon the clear unequivocal teachings of the church.  However, far too many “Catholics” do not want to accept the clarity offered by the Church’s magisterium. Oh, cowards that we are!