Friday, May 24, 2013

It would seem that the natural way of human happiness is fighting to travel down two roads. That the way of satisfaction through natural desire contradicts the satisfaction through grace. That desires of sex contradict the satisfaction of chastity. That satisfaction through food contradicts the satisfaction through fasting. That there are people who see sex as god, or chastity as good. That hedonism is good, and that prudence and virtue fights nature, and thus is not good, or ath virtue is good, and thus any pleasure is bad.
In fact, I see the opposite to be true.
 It is not happiness we find in gluttony or happiness we find in sex. It is not even happiness we find in freedom. The founding fathers of the United States understood we have the right to pursue happiness, but not the right to happiness. It meant we have the right to freedom, but that did not necessitate a state of happiness. God does not give us the right to happiness, but he gives us the tools we need to eventually obtain full communion with him, and thus, eternal happiness. But before we get there, what is the nature of this road?

Nature and grace are not opposing forces, but distinct and complimentary. They are the sun that shines and the rain that feeds. A plant with not enough sun is as dead as one without enough water. Our happiness can be attributed in the same vein of nature and grace complimenting each other. a happy life in freedom is only happy with the right choices, or the void of insanity ensues. Well, maybe an exaggeration, but the familiar taste of bad decisions and a feeling of dissatisfaction is a clear sign of freedom used poorly. So what is freedom used well? It is desires of the flesh satisfied in coalescence with satisfaction of chastity. It is satisfaction in restraint united in the unrestrained love of thy neighbor.