From pg. 53 – “His universal tenderness was less an instinct of nature than the result of a strong conviction filtered through life into his heart, slowly dropping into him, thought by thought; for a character, as well as a rock, may have holes worn into it by drops of water. Such marks are ineffaceable; such formations are indestructible.”
This passage is prefaced with the fact that Monseigneur Bienvenu had previously been a violent man, and yet now, wouldn’t even step on a spider, he’s become so refined. I appreciated these thoughts on the formation of character and how even being born with or learning to have a violent nature can be changed into goodness and patience with small changes in habit, daily “drops of water”, if you will.
pg. 55 – “Was this narrow enclosure with the sky for a background not space enough for him to adore God in his most beautiful, most sublime works? Indeed, is that not everything? What more do you need? A little garden to walk in, and immensity to reflect on. At his feet something to cultivate and gather, above his head something to study and meditate on, a few flowers on earth, and all the stars in heaven.”
This beautiful passage reminded me of how little we really need to live a fulfilling life. People are so busy filling their lives up with useless junk, they have no space to till a little spot of earth, and so busy filling up their days with needless activities, they no longer have the time to contemplate. We are so busy seeking something, anything to entertain us, it is now seen as something deplorable to just sit and ponder. How many times have I heard someone say they are bored? What? Because you are no longer being entertained? I am never bored, I have my parents to thank for teaching me that reflection is a virtue, that solitude is sublime.
There is this constant message, especially from the public school institutions that humans, especially children, must have specific socialization, must have their hours filled with “something to do.” What a sad state of affairs when every moment must be planned, every spark of impulse and creativity vanquished! I remember many lovely hours spent outdoors, lying in the tall grass looking up at the clouds in the sky, or sitting up in a tall tree looking out over the landscape, just thinking. These are precious memories and little did I know at the time, moments spent forming character, learning the appreciation and wonder of nature.
Children nowadays are expected to be “properly socialized”. What does this mean? It means that our society thinks it beneficial for a child to be subjected to 6 ½ hours of dull education with the influence of 20-30 other children of the same age who’s values and ideas are generally not in accordance with our own. It’s thought to be good for them to have the influence of as many people as possible, no matter the moral values of those people. We as a society have forgotten how little we need, how excess is actually detrimental, how beneficial solitude is, how children can grow in strength and character with only the influence of family and community, how there is no need for formal so-called socialization.
I wish I could remember the exact words from the "Tao of Motherhood" by Vimala McClure, where she writes about simplicity. It was something to the effect of, "the more things we buy for our children, the more space we put between them and us." I totally botched that, I'm sure, but it struck me and continues to reverberate in my mind when I look around and see how much excess stuff we have, and how as soon as we get rid of things (workbooks!) or unneccessary classes or whatever, how relieved we feel, how much smoother life flows.
Successful homeschooling comes from simplicity, keeping things real. I've totally rambled off track now. :-) I better go pull some boys away from Legos and to their copywork.
No comments:
Post a Comment