A few weeks ago I read the book On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs by James Schall, an academic and Catholic priest. It was a great read and I appreciated his relationship with books, authors and stories. I need to start reading fiction so that I can have a similar relationship - non fiction just can't do that the same way. He also had some extensive Latin quotes which encouraged me to study it.
My favorite quote came from G.K. Chesterton (someone else I should read) "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
Schall suggested that peace is not something that you can pursue. Instead, peace is a result of right ordering. Recently, all things seem to come back to order. I have always seen order as something boring or uncreative. However, I am beginning to see the value of order and pattern and how creativity can bloom from that. A disordered life is not peaceful - why have I been trying to avoid this??
He also argues that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. In other words, some things are worth doing just because they bring joy, beauty, grace and love to your life. He uses the example of dancing. Most people will never be great dancers but does that mean we shouldn't dance? This makes me think of Robert Fulghum talking with kindergartners - where everyone is an artist or a dancer, but by the time they reach high school only the "good" ones do it. I want to start doing some things badly - drawing, dancing, singing, etc.
One of his favorite quotes is becoming one of mine, "It is only the time we 'waste' with our friends that counts" from The Little Prince. I am trying to de-junk my life and become less busy so that I can make my time count by wasting it on friends and others. This is tough to do because there seem to be so many "things" to do. I want to choose relationship over activity.
He also discusses self discipline and ruling over oneself. It used to be understood that the person who was most "free" was the one with the most control over himself and the "unfree" are those ruled by their pleasure, money or power. Oh, how far we have fallen. This reminds me of Charlotte Mason explaining that the strong willed child is not the child who insists on their own way, but the one who is able to exert their will and choose the good over what they want.
Schall covers many topics, these are just a few that struck me. I look forward to reading Another Sort of Learning which is an expansive booklist of sorts. I hope to catch more of his spirit of engagement with the authors and thoughts through the ages and find some suggestions about what to read next.
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