LOVING THE TWO HALVES OF LIFE:
The First Half

It is easiest to begin  ¢â‚¬Å“conservative, ¢â‚¬  if I can use the word. Most
conservatives are not yet skillful in taking risks, using their
imagination, or understanding freedom for anybody else; but at least
they do develop some respect and basic impulse control, which is
necessary to get started and to be at all teachable. You have to know
the rules before you can break the rules properly and to understand why
the rules were created in the first place. A lot of  ¢â‚¬Å“liberals ¢â‚¬ 
don ¢â‚¬â„¢t develop the first-half-of-life qualities, or understand why the
rules were there in the first place.

It is rather difficult and even dangerous to begin life with an entirely
open field, because the isolated ego takes over as the  ¢â‚¬Å“decider. ¢â‚¬  So
the  ¢â‚¬Å“Ten Commandments ¢â‚¬  are ideal first-half-of-life statements, and
necessary for basic civilization and impulse control. Yet isn ¢â‚¬â„¢t it
interesting that people always want the  ¢â‚¬Å“Ten Commandments ¢â‚¬  on
American courthouse lawns but never the  ¢â‚¬Å“Eight Beatitudes ¢â‚¬ ? The
 ¢â‚¬Å“beatitudes ¢â‚¬  of Jesus are second-half-of-life statements, and
frankly ridiculous and naive to first-half-of-life people. They make
Jesus sound like a soft, war-protesting, tree-hugging, bleeding heart
liberal.

Adapted from Loving the Two Halves of Life: The Further Journey (CD, DVD, MP3)
http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SP-C-38&Category_Code=&Store_Code=CFAAC

See also Fr. Richard’s latest book,
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
http://store.cacradicalgrace.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CFAAC&Product_Code=SP-B-05&Category_Code=NR&Product_Count=0

Starter Prayer:
How big is my God?