Darkness
The world darkens when truth becomes less and less discernible. The truth will make us free, but the darkness that envelops us will produce confusion and chaos.
We lack the light by which we can recognize that the darkness is dark and therefore a deprivation. We misname our predicament as "progress" or "liberation". We trade truth, justice, and beauty for diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
Philosophy is both the love of wisdom as well as the love of light. As the darkness increases, philosophy wanes. The philosophic enterprise, however, is our road back to a recovery of the light. The capacity to know the truth of things remains within us. It only needs to be rediscovered for the light by which we live, know, and love, to be rekindled.
Unreason
Unreason results when the will supplants reason. The proper function of the will, however, is to serve reason, not to gain dominion over the person. Irrational behavior is not helpful to anyone. No one wants to be called mindless, though many continue to act mindlessly.
Reality presents us with many disagreeable facts. In the face of reality we need an arsenal of virtues, which, collectively, supply us with "character". It is purely sentimental to think that we can live a life without ever being offended, or ever being prevented from achieving what we want. If we want to remain real, we must remain reasonable.
Society
Communism rejects the supreme importance of the individual; laissez faire capitalism rejects the importance of one's fellow citizen. Democracy rests on the harmony between an individual innate person's value and his obligation to contribute to society. It is the essential responsibility of political leaders to ensure that this balance is maintained. Unfortunately, we witness an appalling lack of leadership.
What is critically needed at this hour is a revitalization of Christianity. Although Christianity is presently under attack, it contains precisely what is need for the restoration of democracy: love of neighbor, philosophical realism, reverence for what is good, respect for the beautiful, and a prayerful relationship with God.
Humanity
The human being is a most mysterious and perplexing character. On the one hand, he is viewed as created in the image and likeness of God. On the other hand, he is regarded as a cosmic accident, a being who has neither value nor meaning.
Pride makes us think that we are more important than we really are, while self-abasement lowers our estimation of our true self. Humility is the virtue that allows us to gain a realistic appraisal of our self, not too lofty and not to lamentable.
We are made to love and be loved. Peace of mind will continue to elude us as long as we try to achieve something for which we have no innate aptitude. The dictum "Know thyself" should be followed by "Be Thyself". God does not ask of us the impossible.
Hope
We need "good hope" in our present era when the pandemic and the darkening sky are sources of discouragement and despair. Such a hope requires the qualities of realism, courage, patience, and the willingness to endure difficulties.
"Good hope" is contrasted with the many superficial hopes that get us through the day. We hope for good weather, that our home team will win, that we will get a raise, or that we will win the lottery. These hope are little more than wishes. Our hope should be directed toward better things. We hope to be faithful to our friends, to achieve both our earthly and heavenly destinies.
