Saturday, March 22, 2008

An appropriate sentiment for Easter, I think

Shelby left this quote from C.S. Lewis in a comment to a post earlier this week and it just seemed kind of appropriate to pull it out and post it for Easter:
People often think of . . . morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, 'If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing.' I do not think that is the best way of looking at it.

I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.
What a wonderful thought: Maybe you do good things, at first, only because you fear punishment -- but, the more and more good things you do, the more good choices you make, the more and more you do it because you want to -- because you want to become more and more in harmony with God. That's real growth. And real maturity.

Happy Easter, one and all.

7 comments:

TroyBoy said...

Or maybe, just maybe, you choose to do good, not becuase out of a fear of retribrution from a higher power, or a hope for praise from a higher power, but you do good because it, well, it IS good. No, I am not an atheist, but I make the choices that I make knowing I am the sum of all those choices (as you eluded to you) and really that's all there is to it...for me.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

lovely post curmy and i quite agree. happy easter to you and your family and don't eat too much candy!

smiles, bee
tyvc

Patti said...

I love what you wrote. It is all about the choices we make and the kind of person we eventually become.

I feel badly I haven't been here in awhile, Curmy. You always make me think.

Happy Easter to you and your family.

Ellee Seymour said...

I always try and be good and help others, I am that way, but have not succeeded 100%, certain things make me cross.

It's snowing thick and fast here Curmudgeon when it should be sunny and fields full of spring flowers. Happy Easter wishes to you and your family.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

A well written post. Happy Easter.

landgirl said...

What a wonderful idea at any time, but especially at Easter. I would just add, if I could, a note about compassion for ourselves and for any others we stumble into when they have made a wrong turn (as we all do)just to try to amke tia a bit easier to get back on track.

sari said...

Well I'm late but I liked this and wanted to say Happy Easter, even if it's late.