Stream o' Conscious Thoughts

I love that the Pope surprised his “handlers” by finding time to write a book about Jesus in between his duties. I forget where I read about it, but you almost got the sense the Pope was writing underneath the covers at night lest his minders chastize him with “you need your sleep Pontifus Maximus; you have an ad limina tomorrow.” That's an overly romantic view since I think he wrote a lot of it before he became Pope but still...

I appreciate those who manage well despite a great differential between their learnedness and their environment. It must be slightly alienating. I mean, imagine Steven Riddle and Bill Luse down there in the intellectual desert of godforsaken Disneyworld? Or Jeff Culbreath out there in boonies? It reminds me of that conquistador of conservatism – Russell Kirk – out there in Mecosta, Michigan. How many an eyebrow raised at his decision to live there and yet there is something pure in that. Would Kirk be Kirk if he lived in NYC?

Ten Prayers God Never Says No To

You know a book that Jeff Miller & Dawn Eden endorse is likely to be good, though I do agree with Jeff that the title is offputting (sounded Jabez-ish).

But I had heard the author speak about the book on Ave Maria radio & was impressed. Picked it up as a Mother's Day present.

Last Week's Conf. Call

Was forced to go to a “earnings conference call” at 9:30am last week. My boss stopped by at 9:23 to round me up. I was sure some horrible mistake was made and so reacted calmly. I said that I was not invited to the meeting since it wasn’t on my calendar. I showed him my Lotus Notes calendar to verify the absence of the meeting. If only the Palestinans and Jews had Lotus Notes! Lotus Notes is highly respected at my company – the final word, the scriptural equivalent of Meeting truth. If you’re not invited you are not obligated under the pain of sin to go.

He saw the absence of notice and agreed, if reluctantly, and understood that some awful mistake was made. (Probably by my discarding the original meeting notice without reading it, truth be told.) But I went anyway, magnanimously, spurred perhaps by the Friday penance of foregoing my morning donut. Penance tends to beget penance which is probably why I don’t initiate penance as much as I should.

The meeting was scheduled for three hours which was as long as the tour intended for Gilligan & his fellow travelers. Traditionally the most painful part is known as the “ice-breaker”. This is where we go around the room and expose ourselves in some non-physical way. It’s not as bad as having to go up and do the Macarena by yourself but it’s almost as dumb. Last time we had to describe ourselves using two letters in our first name. I chose the formal “Thomas” – more letters than “Tom” – and picked the “a” as “assiduous”. I picked the “a” also for “alcohol”, saying how I loved beer (I was thinking how I’d really like to have one right about now). Several others subsequently chose alcohol thus confirming the essential rightness of my choice.

At this meeting we were given another choice: would we like to listen to Dave talk about financials, and all the dullness that that implied, or would we like another ice-breaker? I, with a great majority of my faithful co-horts, raised our hands affirming Dave & his dull financials. Our leader was exasperated: “You guys really are geeks!”

Being called a geek was far better than having to suffer through an ice-breaker (which, by the way, ought to be tested by the CIA as a way of getting terrorists to talk) so I was pleased.

The conference call with the Wall Street analysts began promptly on time. Our leader put it on speaker phone. The CEO or President or CFO or Somebody Really Important led off with preambulatory remarks. He talked with amazing precision; not a false note. There is such a seamlessness to good corporate speech. They never stumble over a word and are never at a loss for words; there is a sort of winsome quality to it all, a sort of “striving-ness” to it. There’s a religious cast: the evergreen promise to get better – to improve sales or decrease expenses (which seem to be the major options). And get better we will since you can’t promise too often before losing your credibility.

But tis true these leaders are great talkers with a preternatural smoothness. You almost hope for a stumble in the way people used to watch Dan Rather in case he did something crazy. They are never, ever rough or harsh. An analyst can say something rude and our leader will show no emotion. He will either confide that we were taken by surprise by that event, or that we were not surprised by that event and that we are working proactively on that.

At first it was a kick to hear these voices from the epicenter in lower Manhattan, from the representatives of the great brokerage firms of yore. Now it’s a bit less so. You mostly just hope they’ll say something particularly impolitic or provocative. I wonder if our fearless leaders ever regret “going public”. Becoming a public company is where the action is, they say, and action is where it’s at by defintion. They thrive on this stuff. It’s the blogger equivalent of being linked by Amy Welborn or Mark Shea. You ain’t nobody till you’re listed on the Exchange. The problem is that once you are you’ve sold your soul. Now you’re living three months at a time, on Wall Street's leash, killing your future earnings so that you can make this quarter’s.

The conference call ended abruptly as there were suddenly no more questions. At this point our leader hung up the phone and we reverted back to our regular meeting. He briefly threatened the reinstatement of the ice-breaker since the conf call was unexpectedly short. I tried to save the day. Normally I never talk in meetings with someone two levels above me. Keeping a low profile is the key to corporate survival after all. But when he asked for questions about the call I raised my hand.

Emboldened by coffee and the fact that it was a Friday I said that I was surprised by the fact those analysts were surprised. After all, we couldn’t predict every picayune sales or expense fluctuation. I suggested that forecasts were as much art as science- after all, how could you really predict human behavior? We were raked over the coals by one analyst for not predicting that sales would be slightly down but how can you predict sales with precision until you actually market something?

Our leader said (rather flatly I thought; he’s obviously not destined for greatness since real leaders let you know you’re wrong while allowing you to think you were brilliant nonetheless) that the forecasts are science and not art. But he never really addressed my essential point that humans are not completely predictable. I know we have these fabulous algorithms that are statistically unimpeachable, but I still think there is unpredictability inherent in the human. My gosh, we’re always being surprised by things in our business – doesn't that suggest either incompetence or an underlying unpredictability?

So let this be a warning to you, the blogging public. See how blogging effects you? You begin to think you're an expert on things you know little about...

Links

The International Theological Commission's document on the hope of salvation for unbaptized infants is now online here.
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And a link within a link: The 7 Habitus recommends:

Vultus Christi

I must call your attention to a relatively new blog to St. Blogs done by a Cistercian monk in Rome. It is titled Vultus Christi and I think it is one of the best, certainly one of the most beautiful, blogs I have seen in a long time. Fr. Mark’s choice of art work, and its sheer profusion on his site is remarkable creates a virtual feast for the eyes. Fr. Mark also seems to have a knack for posting on things that I happen to be thinking about and questioning. One of his first posts was on lectio divina, Holy Reading, and the appropriate use of Scripture when engaged in this form of prayer; he was kind enough to provide a very helpful post when I questioned his insistence of following the daily lectionary during daily lectio, rather than having a focus on, say, an entire book. Then, recently, he has done at least two posts on the Rosary, this last really got my attention.

Ale Friday

(Inspired by Eric's award-winning Brews You Can Use column and the fact that a friend sent me the picture below and the fact that I have nothing else to post.)

There is nothing like an ale.../nothing in this world.../there is nothing in this world that is anything like an ale!

(--Sing to tune "There is Nothing Like a Dame" from the musical "South Pacific").


Here I demonstrate the proper way to hold a pint (or 'point' as the Irish say).

New Drinking Game: Chug Every Time You Notice Liberal Bias

Ach! No - heaven forfend - for we'd be drunk all the time.

Sure it's like shooting fish in a barrel, and no one takes the mainstream media seriously anymore, but it's even easier than normal. All you have to do is just look at how the Republican debate is being framed compared to the Democratic debate.

Ham o' Bone said that a Yahoo! Headlines article last week began with how the Democratic contenders would be discussing "weighty matters". The AP story on Yahoo! Headlines for the Republicans began today: "Ten Republicans, one stage, 90 minutes — just enough time for Rudy Giuliani, John McCain (news, bio, voting record) or Mitt Romney to make a major gaffe..."

Since liberal media bias is reflexive they're always having second thoughts except in moments of pique or when obviously caught in it. Apparently the AP felt remorse this time because Bone noticed they quickly changed it (Bone had to work offline & go back to his cache'd copy to find the original.) First copy:

GOP candidates prepare for debate By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 3, 6:29 AM ET

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Ten Republicans, one stage, 90 minutes — just enough time for Rudy Giuliani, John McCain (news, bio, voting record) or Mitt Romney to make a major gaffe as underdog rivals scramble for relevancy during the first GOP presidential debate Thursday.

The three heavyweights were expected to boast of their own past accomplishments and outline their visions for the future, mainly playing it safe as they seek to start distinguishing themselves from one another eight months before the first GOP primary votes are cast.

Note the usage of the words "boast" & "gaffe"...Drink up matey! Moments later, the link refreshed as:

GOP candidates prepare for first debate

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - The Republicans get their chance tonight. Ten GOP candidates for president will square off in a 90-minute debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

The debate is being sponsored by MSNBC and The Politico.

We could play this game all day, but let's go to the New York Times. For the Democratic debate last week Adam Nagourney wrote breathlessly:

Countdown to the Debate in South Carolina
By Adam Nagourney

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Is Bill Clinton in town?

The answer is no, contrary to rumors sweeping the campus. But it seems like every other person in the Democratic world has descended upon the South Carolina State University campus for the first big event on the Democratic nominating calendar: a debate, sponsored by NBC, featuring all the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

It begins at 7 p.m., and it is moderated by Brian Williams, and lasts for 90 minutes. The good news? No opening or closing statements by the candidates. Each candidate will have 60 seconds to respond to Mr. Williams. Rebuttals, at Mr. Williams’ discretion, will be limited to 30 seconds, and the debate will end with a lightning round of no-doubt very random questions of the who’s-your-favorite Beatle (or have you ever smoked marijuana) variety.

Can you feel the excitement? Can you feel the love? Hey, drink that shot!

How about the Republican equivalent, by the same writer:

Tonight, Live from Los Angeles …By Adam Nagourney

LOS ANGELES — The Republican presidential candidates are gathering this evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library – at the invitation of Nancy Reagan – for their first debate. It begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time, lasts for 90 minutes, and will be broadcast on MSNBC, which is sponsoring it with Politico.com. The moderator is Chris Matthews.

Here are a few things to watch out for tonight:

THE PITCH: To what extent are the candidates going to be playing to a national audience rather than a California audience? All the candidates are well aware that California, which has moved its primary from June to Feb. 5, is going to play a significant role in determining the Republican White House nominee. There are issues that are important here — the environment and global warming, energy conservation, stem cell research –- that are not as important in other states where Republicans are competing.

Note how deft he is! Managing to mention pet liberal issues in the first few sentences! Good thing this isn't a real drinking game else we wouldn't be able to drive.

Letters of C.S. Lewis

After the joy of reading Walker Percy's and Flannery O'Connor's letters, this book of C.S. Lewis's letters proved irresistible. Flipping at random:

To Allan C. Emery on the reason for the fairy-tale version of the Passion in The Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe:

We approach the real story in the Gospels with the knowledge that we ought to feel certain things about it. And this, by a familiar psychological law, can hinder us from doing so. The dutiful effort prevents the spontaneous feeling; just as if you say to an old friend during a brief reunion 'Now let's have a good talk' both suddenly find themselves with nothing to say. Make it a fairy-tale and the reader is taken off his guard. (Unless ye become as little children...)

To Mary Willis Shelburne:

Yes - it is sometimes hard to obey St Paul's 'Rejoice.' We must try to take life moment by moment. The actual present is usually pretty tolerable, I think, if only we refrain from adding to its burden that of the past and the future. How right Our Lord is about 'sufficient to the day'. Do even pious people in their reverence for the more radiantly divine element in His sayings, sometimes attend too little to their sheer practical common-sense?

To Stuart Robertson:

On this point as on others the N.T. is highly paradoxical. St. Paul at the outset of an epistle sometimes talks as if the converts whom he is addressing were already wholly new creatures, already in the world of light, their old nature completely crucified. Yet by the end of the same epistle he will be warning the same people to avoid the very grossest vices.

Of himself he speaks sometimes as if his reward was perfectly sure: elsewhere he fears lest, having preached to others, he should be himself a castaway.

Our Lord Himself sometimes speaks as if all depended on faith, yet in the parable of the sheep and the goats all seems to depend on works: even works done or undone by those who had no idea what they were doing or undoing....For practical purposes, however, it seems to me we must usually live by the second visiton 'working out our own salvation in fear and trembling' (but it adds 'for' - not 'though' - but 'for' - 'it is God who worketh in us').

And in this temporal process surely God saves different souls in different ways? To preach instantaneous conversion and eternal security as if they must be the experiences of all who are saved, seems to me v. dangerous: the very way to drive some into presumption and others into despair. How v. different were the callings of the disciples.

Acquiring My C.I.T. ("Curmudgeon in Training") Degree

The mind reels: George Tenet knew 9/11 was in the works in the summer of '01. He knew terrorists were taking flying lessons. ("Gee, Rocky, I think they must be up to something!") And yet...9/11 happened. God love Tenet, but what's the lesson? Perhaps that bureaucrats are not entrepeneurs? An entrepeneur would've found a way to translate the information he possessed into action. For my money, it's worse that he knew about 9/11 than that he (or the CIA) thought that there WMDs in Iraq. But as Hitchens wrote, "The problem used to be the diametrically opposite one. The whole of our vaunted 'intelligence' system completely refused to believe any of the warnings that Saddam Hussein was about to invade and occupy Kuwait in 1990." Perhaps the CIA should be called the "Central Anti-Intelligence Association"; as a contra-indicator they have a decent record.

This is part of a much larger picture though. The larger picture is that every profession is beginning to show canyons of incompetence. During the '70s Robert Ringer said something like job quality is declining so fast that you'll look like a star if you're merely competent. Definitely a prophet.

Take journalism, please. (Thanks Henny Youngman! We stand on the shoulders of comedic giants*.) The once respected profession is rife with bias, fraud, and ignorance - it's all there, a potent cocktail of disinformation. The journalistic ethos seems to be to search for anecdote in service of your agenda. And most journalists know nothing about religion or economics, which colors just about every single thing they write.

What else? Well...remember when Nasa could launch rockets and nothing fell off that wasn't supposed to?

Did you know that the S.A.T. had to be dumbed down to keep the scores from sliding too precipitously?

How in the world can you not have an evacuation plan for New Orleans when everybody & their brother knows they get hurricanes down there? Mind-boggling. And blaming Bush for state & local incompetence is also mind-boggling.

Is it me, or were there more CEOs like Lee Iacocca than Ken Lay back in the old days?

And did you also know that the bishops botched the priest scandal, that my job scores are inflated, and that doctors sometimes take off the wrong limb?
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* - Speaking of comedic giants, I must figure out a way to work Michael Scott's brilliant "that's what she said!" into a post.

Spiritual Economies - Part Deux

If, to mangle Chesterton, orthodoxy is like dancing on the head of a pin, then Aidan Nichols, writing on the thought of Benedict XVI, expresses well the paradox of the spiritual economy and the necessity of preaching both the scarcity principle as represented by the cross and the ubiquitous model of life eternal:

"Truly, truly I say to you, that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone but if it dies, it bears much fruit."...By losing himself, he affords access to true life. To be fruitful, all self-sacrifice requires the mediating acceptance of the 'other' who is at once mankind's divine Other and yet completely one with it in its humanness: the God-man.

But no account of salvation would be evangelical in which the principle of "being-for" was left without its complementary law, the 'principle of excess'. Here too we have a principle rooted in the cosmic creation, where life 'squanders a million seeds in order to save one living one'...Only a lover can understand the 'folly of a love to which prodigality is a law and excess alone sufficient'. Yet in contemplating human love, we see that man is a being for whom excess is, paradoxically, a necessity.

Nixon on Iraq during the Gulf War

An all-out hawk, Richard Nixon was sure Hussein would be a threat after the Gulf War. He also knew what lay ahead - civil war - and seemed to recognize the need for the country to be partioned. From Crowley's Nixon in Winter:

Nixon was distressed. "There are a number of problems with this cease-fire coming now...They're [the] classic problems in the aftermath of a war. First, what is the fate of Hussien? It's a grave mistake to leave him in power. Second, there was no word directly from him on this case-fire, so why should we let up?"

Nixon believed that although the military and political objectives had been achieved the United States should have kept the pressure on Hussein and left him unable to rebuild his armed forces and resume his dictatorship.

After the war, Hussein began brutally tamping down dissent. The debate within the Administration was whether or not to leave the Afghan rebels hanging since some said it the Administration had encouraged them to rebel and thus was responsible for helping:

The chaotic situation in Iraq that this debate spawned indicated to Nixon that we should have advanced to Baghdad while we had the Iraqi troops in a rout, removed Hussein, and destroyed more military hardware.

The second point of debate was the question of where our policy was caught up in its own contradictions. We called for Hussein's overthrow but opposed Iraq's dismemberment; we called for the Iraqi people to rise up against Hussein, but we were unwilling to help them do the job; and if we did not assist the rebels, Hussein would stay in power, and normal relations would be impossible, but if we did help them, we would involve ourselves in their civil war.

Nixon argued that the United States should have removed the source of the turmoil root and branch...The rebel uprisings in Iraq were the logical extension of the American-led war against the Iraqi people's oppressor, Saddam Hussein, but the United States was not prepared to deal with the consequences. The Kurds wanted their own state, apart from Iraq, and the Shiites demanded protection for their own minority, and both faced brutal suppression by the rearming Iraqi forces...On April 15, Nixon did a live interview with CNN's Bernard Shaw, during which he said what many others were thinking: "We should get the CIA to take out Saddam."

Had we removed Hussein, the minorities in Iraq would not have faced the brutal denial of rights to which they were now subjected. But Turkish president Turgut Ozal argued persuasively to Bush that a stable Iraq under Hussein was preferable to a chaotic Iraq without him, and the administration thus adopted a hands-off policy.

Previously on 24... (a recap from Monday)

The chilling noir/blonde VP assistant finds herself in hot water; buttering both sides of bread spells trouble if you drop the toast. Bachelor number 1 is the VP-now-Prez. Bachelor number 2 is a spy but she didn't know that and spies may be the last Americans without a business card, Valerie Plame notwithstanding. This one was a lobbyist too and many viewers no doubt struggled over which is more evil: a lobbyist or a traitor. At least he wasn't a lawyer.

Ricky Shroeder does a solid for Jack, frees him from the cuffs and says "make it look good", resulting in Jack almost suffocating Rickey. No good deed goes unpunished! But two minutes later Ricky is up & about, rubbing his neck. So much for making it look good Rickey. Stay down a little longer next time for credibility's sake. Where's Don King when you need him?

Jack finds Audrey in a bad way. Taken back to CTU for medical help, doctor says there were 156 needle marks on her. One wonders how doc was able to count so high in just two minutes elapsed time. Audrey eventually murmurs "Rosewood" to Jack and thus offers important clue to Chinese whereabouts.

Possessing the Russian chip, the Chinese guys get away without having to resort to any Dukes of Hazzard-style auto gymnastics. Everything can be tracked on 24 except huge Hummer-type vehicles which evade detection due to their blending in with the urban environment, especially at night when few other cars are on the road.

Audrey's father lectures Jack in his CTU jail cell, warns him off his 30-something daughter as if Jack's a fifteen-year old hoping to take her to prom: "Stay away from my daughter Jack," he says sounding not unlike Teddy Kennedy. "Saving the world doesn't impress me 'bub."

Show description in guide was "CTU experiences a setback". Which was last week's also. And the week before's. Show description writer: nice work if you can get it.

Breaking News...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA-- Publishing house Ignatius Press announced today it has been renamed to Pope Benedict & the Jesuits, or PB&J for short.

The long list of summer titles ensures that Ernie Talloway's quest to read everything by Pope Benedict will not be successful anytime soon. Titles include but are not limited to:

"Selected Writings of Pope Benedict XVI"

"Selected Writings of Pope Benedict XVI II"
    (etc...)

"Selected Writings of Pope Benedict XVI XVI"

"Cardinal Ratzinger: The Complete Discography"

"Impressions of Ratzinger By a Waiter Who Met Him in Germany Once"

"Ecclesiology Hermeneutics of Eschatologies - Vol. III"

"Ratzinger at Altamont: The Untold Story"

"The (Mostly) Complete Guide to Guidebooks Covering Benedict XVI's Writings"

The Great American Flush-Off

Over the past couple decades I didn't know I was "toilet poor".

It was just all I knew.

No one told me that there were toilets out there that actually flushed. I just assumed everyone had bad toilets. And you really don't know you're toilet poor until you're toilet rich.

Needless to say I feel rich now. I feel like I can flush with the Rockefellers, with the Gates's, the Buffets.

They might have better transportation, finer meals and nicer clothes, but there commodes can't hold a bathroom candle to my toilet. I'd bet mine would give them a flush for their money.

So hear me Mr. Richie Rich! You've met your match right here in Central Ohio. I hereby challenge you to the 2007 First Annual Flush-Off...

We stop in at the El Paso Texas Comedor, a local bar, to introduce our new missionaries to Gallo Beer...The proprietress does appreciate our business (at that moment we're the only people in the bar) and pours out a few bags of chips for us. For entertainment, she sends over her young grandson(?) who practices his card tricks on us. Looking out the open door, we see a woman walk by with a pig on a leash. Not long after, another woman walks by with a pig on a leash. And soon after, there's a third. It must be Pig Night at some other cantina. That night our group's Evening Prayer service includes our saying the Magnificat, though one member of the group is changing it to "inclusive language" on the fly. - Terrence Berres, back from a mission trip to Guatemala

My opinion is that almost every problem in the Catholic church can be blamed on one thing: Lack of Catholic spiritual reading from and early age and through life. The whole problem revolves around spiritual ignorance, which can be blamed largely on spiritual illiteracy. We have so many people who today who are experts at diagnosing spiritual disease, but won't spend ten dollars to provide the remedy, which might come in the form of a book like "the Confessions of St. Augustine" or "the Little Flowers of St. Francis", or "The Story of A Soul". To turn our beloved Church around we need more than the proposed Motu Propio! The Latin Mass was never sufficient for the saints! We need to spread the knowledge of TRUE DEVOTION to every Catholic, and then to the world, by spreading holy Catholic literature! Every Catholic school student needs to read at least two biographies from the lives of the saints every year! Every parishioner also needs to do spiritual reading! - commenter on "Open Book"

I often wonder how people with the most casual attitudes toward sex can even hold rape as a separate crime from other grievous assaults -- it's often less physically damaging, yes it's invasive, but so is a knifing or a shooting. I think pro-chastity people can apply much better reasoning to why rape is so deeply evil than people who will acknowledge no arguments other than 'because it's mine to do whatever I want with, that's why!' They have more of an unreasoned claim that that's just this extra-special type of violation. - female email correspondent

Christians are not the only ones with the injunction thou shalt not crush babies’ skulls to preserve the convenience of the mother, but for some reason we are the only ones willing to be called nasty names to uphold the principle. - commenter on "Stony Ground"

Commenter: A priest heard me say "suck it up" once; he wisely responded "Don't you mean 'offer it up'?" Tom: Good point. On the one hand, grace builds upon nature, and if you aren't even sucking it up, how can you offer it up? On the other hand, without keeping in sight the supernatural end the means to which include offering it up, how can fallen man reliably suck it up? And has not the loss of the habit of offering it up in the Church in the United States contributed to the general problem of things not sucked up? Deep waters, my friends. - Tom of Disputations

I think a lot of what we're dealing with here is the sort of allergy to modern evangelical techniques that a lot of Catholics have picked up, mainly by being witnessed to in an extremely offensive way. I shrink from inviting people to church or being invited, because the same kids who tormented daily at the bus stop and on the bus suddenly decided to be all friendly to me one day because they'd get some kind of soulwinning points. Needless to say, I not only didn't accept their invitation to their church but found out they didn't think I was Christian. - Maureen of "suburban banshee" on why some Catholics think some groups within the church are too evangelical/protestant

Which prayer wasn't heard during the petitions yesterday at a parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati? (a) That our elected leaders will work to end gun violence, let us pray to the Lord (b) That local communities will address mental illness and the needs of the mentally ill ..(c) That the dead, in particular those of Virginia Tech and our parish, will experience the joy of the Resurrection ... - Rich of "Ten Reasons"

[He] is sometimes treated condescendingly by the academic guild. It is the common fate of scholars who commit the unpardonable sin of writing in a way that nonspecialists can understand. - Fr. Richard Neuhaus

Ted Stevens is officially the Senate's longest serving Republican in U.S. history. It's worth noting — though hardly news to anyone — how political longevity is so closely associated with a steady diet of pork. - Jonah Goldberg of "The Corner"

Our society is so free and permissive, and people have so many options to choose from that they cannot make their own decisions effectively. Individuals need life structure. A life lacking in comprehensible structure is an aimless wreck...That is why, for many people, a job is crucial psychologically. By making clear demands on their time and energy, it provides an element of structure around which the rest of their lives can be ordered. - Alvin Toffler "The Third Wave"

After the lance-thrust that ends his earthly life, his existence is completely open; now he is entirely 'for', now he is truly no longer a single individual but 'Adam', from whose side Eve, a new mankind, is formed...The open side of the new Adam repeats the creative mystery of the 'open side' of man: it is the beginning of a new definitive community of men with one another...The fully opened Christ, who completes the transformation of being into reception and transmission, is thus visible as what at the deepest level he always was: as 'Son'. - then Cardinal Ratzinger

Root Causes

Ronald W. Dworkin in Artificial Happiness has a unified theory concerning the assault on life on all sides. It's that life has been redefined by doctors (and a willing public) from heart function to "happiness" function. He argues that religion has been unwittingly complicit in this (click to enlarge):


More here, here, then here.