Friday, October 9, 2009

Going around or going somewhere?


I have an older brother, which makes me the younger brother ... duh! Stay with me there’s a thought and story here . . .
When we were growing up and older, my brother was really into sports as a participator ... I was (still am) a spectator, you gotta have them you know.
His bedroom walls were “decorated” with hand-written motivational ruminations. Many inspiring, others challenging, some my first exposure to oxymorons, and the one I best recall - a confusing and “extra-biblical” sign stating . . .

“Blessed are those who go round in circles, for they shall be known as wheels”

Recently I’ve been ruminating on the circular interface of virtues (generally called values these days) and actions . . .

Virtues exist . . .
  • Virtues are held by persons and communities . . .
  • Virtues shape actions . . .
  • Actions enhance and support commitment to have and hold existent yet dynamic virtues . . .
But that’s not the “end of the sequence” . . .
  • The optimal circular action between one's outer life actions and inner life virtues/values is "inner to outer" . . .
  • If I allow the reverse, outer to inner, I do a “wheely” . . . I "spin-out"
  • If I function inner to outer I can be a “wheely” . . . I will be going somewhere . . .
“Blessed are those who live from the inside out, for it can be seen where they are going is where they come from”

Don’t assume thinking by cyclical-reasoning is advocating circular-reasoning . . . so much for this encyclical