1. How many of us would love to eat a big scoop of our favorite ice cream right now? How many would love two big scoops? Oh—if we’re going, let’s go all out. Why don’t we just all just eat a gallon?

    It is interesting. We can really want something that is good—and generally good for us (calcium, energy, etc)—yet cease wanting it at a certain point. There’s a “end” to our desires, a time when we simply no longer want more of something that was desirable.

    For most of us, getting a scoop of our favorite ice cream sounded great. But a whole gallon? Probably not.  While we may have been very capable of eating more than 5 scoops, many of us would have stopped well before that. This natural dropping of desire is due to temperance, a disposition that helps to moderate our appetites.

    Ethicist Dr. Diana Fritz Cates defines temperance as “a virtue that moderates the affections of the soul…keeping them consonant with the order of reason and divine law.” Temperance is an ordering of our natural inclinations for food, drink, sexual expression, and other desires toward that which is actually good for us.

    We know some of this ordering through experience: drinking too much gives one a headache. We know some things by Divine Revelation: that marriage was given to us for one man and one woman to commit their lives to one another and to be open to having and raising children.

    Temperance doesn't come to us overnight. It takes work, just like the other virtues. Therefore, we must “deliberately” cultivate this virtue.

    Temperance affects many of our daily actions. Have you noticed how many people have legitimate problems in their lives because of intemperance? Eating disorders, drug and alcohol addictions, and obesity are just a few on the list of problems we have either struggled with ourselves, is struggling with now, or an issue someone we know faces. These struggles are so common, because our desires, or “affections”, are so powerful.


    God has given us desires for good things. We desire to eat and drink in order to continue to live. We have sexual desires in order that we can become physically intimate with another person and in order that the union of that couple might be shared with children. Temperance helps us moderate these desires for what is truly good.

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    Published in the South Gibson Star Times
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  2. Last week we met Dorothy Day, a 20th century Catholic who embodied the virtue of justice by fighting for workers, for the poor, and for peace.

    We also noted that theologian, Fr. James Keenan, SJ, defines justice as “the constant and perpetual will to render to each one that which is his right.”

    We know—innately—that there is a proper order to things: that children of a certain age should obey their parents; that animals are not as precious as human beings when a ship is sinking; and we all know that there’s just something wrong with owning excessive amounts of shoes or houses or whatever.

    So, we know what justice is, but where do we find it?

    I was once told a story about a traveling speaker. This speaker worked for a humanitarian organization in the US that often assisted the poor outside of the US. One day, the speaker was asked to talk to his son’s class about global poverty.

    The man gave his speech, and his son was sitting in the audience hall, listening to him. Then, the son became nervous. His dad had a habit of suggesting that everyone in the audience should give away half of their clothing.

    The boy’s friend asked why he was so nervous. The son replied, “Well, there goes my other set of jeans.”

    This speaker didn’t just speak about justice. He lived it, too.

    While justice is about external actions, it does require us to stop and consider, from time to time, whether there is a lack of proper order.

    It’s hard to know what “proper” is in every context. So, why not look at it from what justice is not.

    Sins against justice can be when we realize what is due to someone and still choose to do something less. Less severely, sometimes we simply miss out on being just when we are ignorant of an injustice. This happens all the time, and we are not at fault. However, we are called to do better every single day.


    A good way to become more virtuous here, then, is to do a nightly examination of conscience. Where have I taken or kept more than I needed? Who have I not thought about in love today? We can become more just—one virtuous choice at a time.


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  4. Last week, we looked at the courageous example of Nelson Mandela, a man who faced much loss and suffering to do what was right.

    To have courage is to have the strength of heart to do what is right in the face of what is so difficult. To do less is cowardice. To be act blindly is recklessness.

    St. Thomas Aquinas points out that we have to face immanent, potential death in order to be courageous like heroes and martyrs.

    We may say, “But I don’t face death too often. Can I be courageous in small ways?”

    Yes.

    We face “deaths” on a daily basis: loss of a loved one, loss of self-esteem, loss of personal freedom, loss of a dream, loss of certainty, loss of a routine... and these are very real losses.

    Think about the last time you were rejected by a date or received a letter of rejection from a university or job. The loss is real. When we know that impending “loss” or “death” in advance, our very choice to still try takes courage.

    Courage has four “integral parts.” R.E. Houser reviews St. Thomas Aquinas’ parts in his article, “The Virtue of Courage”. The parts are: magnanimity, magnificence, patience, and perseverance.

    Magnanimity is being “great-souled”—giving without holding back. It’s the elderly man who pays for all of the refreshments at the parish auction. There is a small ‘dying to self’ involved. And so there is courage.

    Magnificence is like magnanimity, but whereas the former concerns holding nothing back, the latter is about acting well in your giving. It’s the mom who, week after week, takes her daughter’s friends home from dance, and doesn’t grumble about not getting paid for gas. That, though small, is a magnificent act.

    Patience is rather easy. If I am not patient, I cannot be OK with suffering. Patience is the Dad who waits on his boy to learn to tie his shoes rather than rushing him. It takes something from us. Thus, it requires courage.

    Perseverance is the fourth and final part. Enduring difficulty takes courage Its the firefighter who fights all night or the nurse who works 12-hours shifts. Acceptance tough, lasting difficulty reveals and increases our courage.


    There are things worth being courageous for. Start with just one of the four ways. Momentary actions become routine habits, and routine habits lead to lifelong virtue.

    Publish in the South Gibson Star Times
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  5. Simplify to Amplify
    How Doing More Might Not Really Mean Doing More
    Published in Bright Ideas


    Getting to the Essence
    Dieter Rams studied architecture and interior decoration at Wiesbaden School of Art in central Germany the middle of the 20th century. After graduating with honors, he quickly found himself employed and pressured to meet high expectations at Braun.

    Braun was already a successful German designer and manufacturer of electric shavers, radios, speakers, shelving units and other household items, and even though he was surrounded by top-notch designers employed for years at Braun, Rams was named Chief Design Officer within six years of being hired. He would host his post for more than 30 years.

    What made Rams so successful amongst designers?  It was his 10 design principles held together by one powerful idea: “Weniger, aber besser,” (pronounced “VAY-negger ABB-er BESS-er”).

    “Less, but better.”

    His Powerful Principle
    Under Rams’ philosophy of simplicity, Braun exploded with success. At a time of high consumer spending and when technology was only beginning to peak above a deep and rich horizon, this young designer decided fancy casing, numerous buttons, and complicated design did not add value. Simplicity did. And Braun became a household name.

    Greg McKeown writes about Dieter Rams in a fascinating new book called Essentialism. Through telling us Rams’ story of success, McKeown makes the case that getting to the essence of a thing isn’t just about designing new products. The author begs us to consider what would happen if Rams’ philosophy for design were applied to our lives?

    Now, you may be thinking, Simplify?! I’d love to! But life as a state officer isn’t simple—it’s incredibly busy! I need to meet members, tweet chapter photos, write a blog post and a leadership workshop. I should also read even just one page of one book on that ever-growing stack of Amazon-delivered-but-never-really-touched pile of “you really should reads”. I also promised I would call home and text a student back, not to mention reviewing my keynote speech, documenting expenses, doing college coursework, and preparing for National Convention in a few weeks…

    Whew! It’s exhausting to even just read that list. It’s easy to talk about simplifying, but how can we sincerely talk about the goodness of simplicity with all that officers are expected to do?

    The Case for Simplicity
    So much of the culture around us says that the more we do, the better we are. True, if I didn’t sit down to write this article, it wouldn’t get done, and if it didn’t get written, I would miss a chance of possibly helping another person (or even just a chance for self-actualization). However, simplifying your life isn’t found in avoiding work. It’s found when we are more intentional about what we do.

    Sir Isaac Newton spent two full years thinking and writing exclusively on his physics-changing discovery of Universal Gravitation and the three Laws of Motion. Two years for the mere discovery of what could be boiled down to four lines. But these four lines made space travel possible some 300 years later.

    Bill Gates, founder of one of the largest and most productive companies in the world, took a week off, twice each year during Microsoft’s busiest seasons so he could read and think about the purpose and direction of his company. The business-connection icon, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, intentionally schedules about two full hours of solitary blank space on his daily schedule. Couples take a honeymoon so they can focus on their marriages, monks spend years in solitude before making the decision to take final vows, and most officer candidates spent months super-focused on preparation before getting elected.

    From the world’s greatest scientists, businessmen and political leaders to young couples, reclusive monks and state officers, we find that focusing on doing “less” affords us to do what we do better. Weniger, aber besser.

    A Blessing and a Challenge
    As you have probably already experienced, when you do well at one thing, you will be asked to do more things, even things that are unlike the first thing you did well. Maybe you’ll do more, new things very well, too, and if it works out, maybe you and others will benefit from your work. These are the blessings of success.

    The problem in success is that other people will never see your unique skills and talents as clearly as you can. So, only you can decide most accurately whether a new opportunity is something that you could or should be doing.

    Take state office for example. You probably showed promise as a local or regional officer. Then, people suggested you should run for a bigger role: state office. This year, after you wrote a wonderful article for newspaper or facilitated a rockin’ workshop, requests came in for more of you. It’s only natural. People will call upon good people. The challenge is that while saying Yes may be good sometimes, we will get pulled to pieces and our work will suffer if we don’t occasionally take time to simplify and refocus our lives.

    “Weniger, aber besser,” worked for Dieter Rams because he constantly asked, “What is the essence of the thing?” The same could be asked of each of us: What makes you, as a state officer in your state, uniquely inspiring and effective?

    In the November issue, we will continue this discussion of focusing in on our unique contribution to the world by looking at The 3 Criteria we should consider before doing anything.
      

    Ways to Take Time or How to Make Time for Simplifying: 
    • Journal about what you did each day at night before going to sleep. Awareness begets change.
    • Set a repeating calendar event for two hours of “refocus” time on the 1st day of each month. Feel free to move it around within that day, but do not move it off of that day. Spend time reading your journal, reviewing your goals or praying about how you’re being called.
    • Plan a two-night personal retreat before your next big task or project. Set your voicemail and email response to “I’m away, and I am happy to get back with you next week,” giving you some time even after your retreat is over.
    • Make  list of priorities as an officer and post it near the place that you often get requests. What comes first: returning communication, listening to a teammate or student, writing thank you cards, physical activity, prayer…?
    • When asked to do anything, say, “Thank you for asking! Let me make sure that’s something I could do. May I get back with you in the next couple of days?” Then, take time to consider it before responding.
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  6. In 1936 a motivated, 21-year old black man walked onto the only residential center where blacks could receive a higher education in his home country. Earning a degree at the University College of Fort Hare meant living among the African elite, and for this young man, it meant supporting his widowed mother and sisters. It also held the dream of one day realizing national rights for justice. 

    Just a year later, the blossoming sophomore was elected to represent the student body. However, many students charged the administration with particular injustices in campus life and had boycotted the mandatory election. Thus, this young man saw the boycotted election—his election—as unjust.

    While it would have given him both favor with administration and a position of influence, he declined the elected position. Twice.

    Wanting to reassert authority over the growing student rebellion, the university headmaster gave this young man an ultimatum: accept the elected position or be expelled from Fort Hare.

    That day, the young Nelson Mandela packed his bags and walked out the door of the only place which could give him a real future in South Africa.

    Nelson Mandela lived a courageous life. Time and time again, the eventual President would continue choosing to adhere to the truth, no matter the suffering he would endure. Mandela was expelled from school, and later in life, imprisoned, persecuted and alienated.

    Eventually, however, he was elected President, he became one of the most influential men for the cause of justice, and, in our age, and he is among the strongest examples of courage of our time.

    The philosopher Aristotle calls courage a desirable quality that in which it’s “vice of shortage is cowardice and its vice of excess is recklessness.”

    We see courage all the time: in a mother who chooses to keep her child born unexpectedly to her as a teenager or her partner to stay by her side; in a child who doesn’t join his friends in making fun of another kid on the playground in fourth grade; in the saintly people of our time and before that suffer painfully for the sake of something greater.

    Courage has to do with heart, having the strength of heart to do what is right in the face of what is so difficult.


    Next week, we will look at what four aspects make up courage and talk about how to grow in courage in our daily life.

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