Welcome, Lovers of Wisdom. Christmas is Marvelous. Ready, Set, Go.
Are you a Lover of Wisdom? The future of America and indeed humanity depends on enough people answering yes to this question. Welcome back to Best Christmas Ever, where we are exploring 28 ways to make this your best Christmas. The term philosopher is the combination of two Greek words. Philos, which means lover or friend, and Sopher, which means wisdom. Philosophy is therefore love of wisdom. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom or a friend to wisdom. Mention philosophy and many people will think or say something like, "That's too deep for me." Wisdom isn't too deep for anyone. It's just the right depth for everyone. It meets us where we are on the journey and illumines the next step. In our own way, and according to our own calling, we should each aspire to be philosophers. We should each strive to become lovers of wisdom. Number 17 is learn to deep think. None of the problems we face as a society can be solved by shallow thought. There is no quick fix for them. They cannot be hacked. Our biggest problem is that we lack what is essential if we are to solve all our other problems. Namely, virtue, and in particular, patience. The future of America and indeed the future of humanity depends on enough people becoming lovers of wisdom. If this is true, these futures depend on patience. Why patience? Because all deep thought requires patience, and all our problems will require deep thought to solve.
When was the last time you got beyond the sound bites and brief articles and really studied a topic, issue or problem? Pick one. Pick a topic. Pick an issue. Pick a problem and study it deeply. This deep thought is the type of leisure Joseph Pieper was talking about. It is so refreshing and life-altering. The world needs wisdom. More than that, it needs wise people. You cannot Google wisdom. Google has no wisdom. It has information and knowledge. But wisdom is truth lived. It cannot be transmitted by books and lectures alone. Wisdom is most potent and most transmissible when someone lives it. Think deeply about something this advent and Christmas season. Deep thought is a beautiful thing. It will bring you joy. The joy of getting clearer every day about what matters most and what doesn't matter at all. That clarity will inform your decisions, and every wise decision brings with it more joy.
Wait, before you go, my dad has one more tip and you're not going to want to miss this.
It's not easy to have a great Christmas in a world where everyone is striving for what isn't worth having. Welcome back to 28 obstacles that will prevent you from having your best Christmas ever. Obstacle number 17 is unholy moments. Three in particular. When people come together, there is always a temptation toward three types of unholy moments: gossip, judgment, and envy. Gossip is character assassination, a type of spiritual murder. It poisons our souls and can quietly destroy a person's reputation, robbing them of future possibilities. Judgment is stealing from God. Only God can see all things, know all things, and therefore, judge something or someone for what it really is. Our limited view means we almost never judge accurately. Envy is in gratitude to God. It is denial of God's providence. It is basically saying to God, "You haven't given me enough. I don't like what you have given me." Don't let the poisons of gossip, judgment, and envy destroy your Christmas this year. Rise above. But remember, find your joy, guard your joy, follow your joy, not just happiness. It seems our culture has confused happiness with comfort, and following comfort will lead you to misery. Find your joy, cherish your joy, guard your joy, and follow your joy.
Do you feel too busy, overwhelmed, stressed? You aren't alone. A sense of joyless urgency is dominating our culture. The sheer speed and busyness we have adopted isn't how life was intended to be lived. It's time for a new strategy. It's time to slow down to the speed of joy. Right now, when you become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador, we will send you a free copy of Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. So click the button below and join today.
Have a great day!
