“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance” Luke 8:15
Perseverance. If there is only one lesson I hope and pray my sons learn fully through my words and deeds as their father it is to persevere in the pursuit of a worthy goal. I fly 22,000 kms round trip to Buenos Aires every over other month to give them the greatest gift a parent is able to offer their child: their undivided attention and full presence.
On my latest trip in August, my eldest son (nearly 8 years old) asked what the difference is between God and Jesus. Children have this arresting way of snapping out of their immediate concerns to drop a major question on adults in the most innocent, matter-of-fact kind of way that is one reason why they are such a blessing to us.
I hope I performed well (ie. gave a valid and accurate answer) in replying to his question. I said that I think that there isn’t a difference between God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I said that they are actually the one and the same God and are sometimes called in their unison the Holy Trinity. This, unsurprisingly, turned out to be pretty abstract stuff for a nearly 8 year old. I told him that even “old” people like me had a hard time grasping this idea and that some Muslim friends of mine at times follow up on this question and I do my best to give my understanding of it.
The Holy Trinity, I told my eldest son (and I think my youngest son who is 4-1/2 might have been paying attention for some of this conversation) was that God is everywhere and eternal and all powerful. Because that’s the way God is and we happen to be just where we are when we are and have little control over anything our experience of God is a bit like this: I told him to imagine being a fish at the bottom of a pond watching as a boy throws a flat rock in a way that makes it skip on the surface of the water a few times.
I asked him if he understood and he said yes but I sense we might be revisiting this conversation on my Thanksgiving trip or subsequent ones. My answer to Olivier’s pop quiz really got the wheels turning inside my head, thinking about Plato’s cave and Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am) and all that abstract stuff.
On page 22 of “God and the World” by Peter Seewald, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) replied in the following way to the German journalist’s question “You once said: If a person believes only what he can see with his own eyes, then really he is blind’.”
The man who is now Pope answered: “Because in that case he is limiting his horizon in such a fashion that the essential things escape him. He cannot after all see his own understanding. Precisely those things that are of real moment are what he does not see with the mere physical eye, and to that extent he cannot properly see if he cannot see beyond his immediate sensory perceptions.”
The author of the Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, put these words in the mouth of the red fox in that famous children’s book: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Problem Solving
"The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight" Proverbs 11:1
We have all, at some point in either our personal or work lives, faced a tough decision forced on us by circumstances. I see these moments as God presenting us with a choice between complacently going along with the ways of this world or taking a stand in spite of the consequences.
Discerning what is right from wrong is relatively easy if a person’s values and ethics are firmly rooted in faith in our Creator, we just have to pray and listen to our hearts. But in a world that presents with varying shades of grey more than black-and-white situations, knowing how best to navigate the ethical minefield is a whole other matter.
In German journalist Peter Seewald’s book, “God and the World”, the Cardinal who would become our current Pope had this guidance to offer on the topic of problem solving (pages 20-21 of the Prologue):
“How could I not have problems? In the first place, I always try to bring my problems into my prayer and to find for myself there a firm interior foothold. And then, I try to do something challenging, really give myself entirely to some task that is demanding and at the same time gives me satisfaction. Finally, through meeting with friends I can to some extent distance myself from everything else. These three elements are important.”
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” Proverbs 12:15
We have all, at some point in either our personal or work lives, faced a tough decision forced on us by circumstances. I see these moments as God presenting us with a choice between complacently going along with the ways of this world or taking a stand in spite of the consequences.
Discerning what is right from wrong is relatively easy if a person’s values and ethics are firmly rooted in faith in our Creator, we just have to pray and listen to our hearts. But in a world that presents with varying shades of grey more than black-and-white situations, knowing how best to navigate the ethical minefield is a whole other matter.
In German journalist Peter Seewald’s book, “God and the World”, the Cardinal who would become our current Pope had this guidance to offer on the topic of problem solving (pages 20-21 of the Prologue):
“How could I not have problems? In the first place, I always try to bring my problems into my prayer and to find for myself there a firm interior foothold. And then, I try to do something challenging, really give myself entirely to some task that is demanding and at the same time gives me satisfaction. Finally, through meeting with friends I can to some extent distance myself from everything else. These three elements are important.”
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” Proverbs 12:15
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
How does God guide us?
As usual, I found Fr. Joe’s homily on Sunday to be food for thought, or rather Archbishop Prendergast’s advice to wait and guidance would come.
So how does God guide us? When in doubt, there is a checklist of sorts, from what I learned at a parish I attended before joining Blessed Sacrament.
Firstly, rely on commanding Scripture for guidance.
Then, rely on God’s compelling Spirit. Our Creator has the power to change our will (if we commit our works to God rather than to ourselves, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3) and ask yourself whether you are at peace with the decision you’ve made.
Thirdly, among the many blessings we have are all those brains between our ears, so we are expected to use our common sense. “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2 Timothy 2:7
Fourthly, we can pray for the counsel of the saints. “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” Proverbs 12:15.
And finally, God does give us circumstantial signs. In fact, I was just speaking with my spouse about this the other day and we were in agreement that at times it can be quite unsettling to witness how we are gently funneled into a course of action that did not seem obvious at the outset. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 ‘More Than Conquerors’
So how does God guide us? When in doubt, there is a checklist of sorts, from what I learned at a parish I attended before joining Blessed Sacrament.
Firstly, rely on commanding Scripture for guidance.
Then, rely on God’s compelling Spirit. Our Creator has the power to change our will (if we commit our works to God rather than to ourselves, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3) and ask yourself whether you are at peace with the decision you’ve made.
Thirdly, among the many blessings we have are all those brains between our ears, so we are expected to use our common sense. “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2 Timothy 2:7
Fourthly, we can pray for the counsel of the saints. “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” Proverbs 12:15.
And finally, God does give us circumstantial signs. In fact, I was just speaking with my spouse about this the other day and we were in agreement that at times it can be quite unsettling to witness how we are gently funneled into a course of action that did not seem obvious at the outset. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 ‘More Than Conquerors’
Thursday, September 3, 2009
One good habit
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3
I find the books of Proverbs and Psalms to be a great source of solace when I am going through turmoil and transition and am in need of resetting my “compass” to “true north”.
Last month, my spouse gave me “God and the World” (written by Peter Seewald in 2000 based on a series of interviews with Joseph Ratzinger just a few years before he became Pope Benedict XVI) and I started reading in the past week. This 460-page book promises to be quite insightful.
On page 19, the then Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, answers the German journalist’s questions on his daily routine:
“Before I get up, I first say a short prayer,” the Cardinal tells Seewald. “The day looks different if you don’t just stumble straight into it.”
In the past few years I have gotten into the habit of saying a short prayer before getting out of bed and, most days, reading a bit of the Bible after breakfast or as soon as I get to the office, and consequently I am in wholehearted agreement with his assessment.
The current Pope goes on to tell his compatriot that after his breakfast he attends Mass and the breviary (http://www.breviary.net/breviary/brevintro.htm) which lay the foundation for his day.
His fixed prayer times are at noon, when he prays the Angelus (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01486b.htm) , followed by Vespers (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15381a.htm) in the afternoon, and the Compline (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04187a.htm) in the evening. He says that “whenever I feel I need help, I can fit in a quick prayer”.
That’s a lot of praying, and I admit I do not pray that frequently, but, as Romans 12 implores us, I do pray as often as I can and on a multitude of motivations (gratitude, guidance, help, etc.)
I find the books of Proverbs and Psalms to be a great source of solace when I am going through turmoil and transition and am in need of resetting my “compass” to “true north”.
Last month, my spouse gave me “God and the World” (written by Peter Seewald in 2000 based on a series of interviews with Joseph Ratzinger just a few years before he became Pope Benedict XVI) and I started reading in the past week. This 460-page book promises to be quite insightful.
On page 19, the then Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, answers the German journalist’s questions on his daily routine:
“Before I get up, I first say a short prayer,” the Cardinal tells Seewald. “The day looks different if you don’t just stumble straight into it.”
In the past few years I have gotten into the habit of saying a short prayer before getting out of bed and, most days, reading a bit of the Bible after breakfast or as soon as I get to the office, and consequently I am in wholehearted agreement with his assessment.
The current Pope goes on to tell his compatriot that after his breakfast he attends Mass and the breviary (http://www.breviary.net/breviary/brevintro.htm) which lay the foundation for his day.
His fixed prayer times are at noon, when he prays the Angelus (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01486b.htm) , followed by Vespers (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15381a.htm) in the afternoon, and the Compline (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04187a.htm) in the evening. He says that “whenever I feel I need help, I can fit in a quick prayer”.
That’s a lot of praying, and I admit I do not pray that frequently, but, as Romans 12 implores us, I do pray as often as I can and on a multitude of motivations (gratitude, guidance, help, etc.)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Patience
Sometimes, when things do not happen within my preferred timelines, I feel disappointed or frustrated.
It’s at times like these that I find myself reminded to go back to the premise that life is not chance, but rather a series of events that put our faith to the test so that we can grow our five senses (smell, touch, sight, listening, taste) to develop our spiritual sense.
A Time for Everything
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I have often found that, although it’s sometimes difficult to accept that things happen (or not right away) for a reason, if I can bring myself to trust that there is a good reason to patiently wait for the outcome I’ve prayed for, it ends up sometimes surprising me and certainly exceeding my hopes.
It’s at times like these that I find myself reminded to go back to the premise that life is not chance, but rather a series of events that put our faith to the test so that we can grow our five senses (smell, touch, sight, listening, taste) to develop our spiritual sense.
A Time for Everything
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I have often found that, although it’s sometimes difficult to accept that things happen (or not right away) for a reason, if I can bring myself to trust that there is a good reason to patiently wait for the outcome I’ve prayed for, it ends up sometimes surprising me and certainly exceeding my hopes.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sympathy
Since early July I have been blogging about virtues.
Prudence, Justice, Restraint, and Courage. These are the four Cardinal virtues, the virtues upon which our actions, thoughts, and intentions hinge. Faith, Hope, and Love. These are the three Theological virtues, or the guiding principles by which we set the course of our lives.
Some readers have written to say they have enjoyed reading this series of blogs.
If there is interest in a further exploration of additional virtues, either in a continuous series or intermittently, please let me know.
For now, I thought I would explore another virtue: sympathy.
The dictionary defines sympathy as “the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration”.
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” 1 Peter 3:8-9
As I’ve noticed so many times throughout Scripture, in this citation we are given a guiding principle which is immediately followed by a real-world challenge: be compassionate … even to those who are not compassionate to you.
It’s little surprise that sympathy is a synonym of empathy, which the dictionary defines as “the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another”.
So how can we be more empathetic? How can we, as Fr. Joe implores us at the end of each Mass, have a “good” week by loving and respecting one another?
One way to do that, I think, is to be better listeners – myself included.
Some people call this virtue a habit, and they call it active listening.
I came across an interesting website (http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm ) and I’d like to share some of its observations on active listening:
“Depending on the study being quoted, we remember a dismal 25-50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they only really hear 2½-5 minutes of the conversation.
There are five key elements of active listening. They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they are saying.
1. Pay attention.
Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message.
Recognize that what is not said also speaks loudly.
Look at the speaker directly.
Put aside distracting thoughts.
Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
“Listen” to the speaker’s body language.
Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
2. Show that you are listening.
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
Nod occasionally.
Smile and use other facial expressions.
Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
3. Provide feedback.
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear.
As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said.
This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is…” and “Sounds like you are saying…” are great ways to reflect back.
Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?”
Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.
4. Defer judgment.
Interrupting is a waste of time.
It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.
Allow the speaker to finish.
Don’t interrupt with counter-arguments.
5. Respond Appropriately.
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding.
You are gaining information and perspective.
You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
Assert your opinions respectfully.
Treat the other person as he or she would want to be treated.
--
Does that last point sound familiar?
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12
Prudence, Justice, Restraint, and Courage. These are the four Cardinal virtues, the virtues upon which our actions, thoughts, and intentions hinge. Faith, Hope, and Love. These are the three Theological virtues, or the guiding principles by which we set the course of our lives.
Some readers have written to say they have enjoyed reading this series of blogs.
If there is interest in a further exploration of additional virtues, either in a continuous series or intermittently, please let me know.
For now, I thought I would explore another virtue: sympathy.
The dictionary defines sympathy as “the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration”.
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” 1 Peter 3:8-9
As I’ve noticed so many times throughout Scripture, in this citation we are given a guiding principle which is immediately followed by a real-world challenge: be compassionate … even to those who are not compassionate to you.
It’s little surprise that sympathy is a synonym of empathy, which the dictionary defines as “the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another”.
So how can we be more empathetic? How can we, as Fr. Joe implores us at the end of each Mass, have a “good” week by loving and respecting one another?
One way to do that, I think, is to be better listeners – myself included.
Some people call this virtue a habit, and they call it active listening.
I came across an interesting website (http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm ) and I’d like to share some of its observations on active listening:
“Depending on the study being quoted, we remember a dismal 25-50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, customers or spouse for 10 minutes, they only really hear 2½-5 minutes of the conversation.
There are five key elements of active listening. They all help you ensure that you hear the other person, and that the other person knows you are hearing what they are saying.
1. Pay attention.
Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message.
Recognize that what is not said also speaks loudly.
Look at the speaker directly.
Put aside distracting thoughts.
Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
“Listen” to the speaker’s body language.
Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
2. Show that you are listening.
Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
Nod occasionally.
Smile and use other facial expressions.
Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.
3. Provide feedback.
Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear.
As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said.
This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.
Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is…” and “Sounds like you are saying…” are great ways to reflect back.
Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?”
Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.
4. Defer judgment.
Interrupting is a waste of time.
It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.
Allow the speaker to finish.
Don’t interrupt with counter-arguments.
5. Respond Appropriately.
Active listening is a model for respect and understanding.
You are gaining information and perspective.
You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down.
Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
Assert your opinions respectfully.
Treat the other person as he or she would want to be treated.
--
Does that last point sound familiar?
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Love
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
My understanding of this verse is that God loves us, even though we fall short many times of loving God in return by loving and respecting all that God created.
I had this point driven home to me in a most vivid way today. I went to see a friend I’ve know since I was six years old yesterday and we talked until 4 a.m. about the difficult time he is going through and he seemed to be feeling better after our talk.
On my bus ride home today, however, one of the 50 or so people on the bus was full of bluster and fury about how a policewoman had seized his car and fined him a few hundred dollars for being disrespectful to her. He went on and on swearing, vowing to rape her as punishment for her doing what presumably was her job and dismissing the court summons as a trivial detail. Needless to say, the families with young children on the bus were speechless.
This very angry young man kept escalating his offensive rhetoric and berated other passengers for not getting off the bus faster. I bit my tongue instead of rebuking him and wondered about this bizarre episode during my walk home.
“A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.” Proverbs 16:27
Well, this verse certainly would seem to apply in describing this incident. But I couldn’t help but wonder what had filled this 20-something “adult” with so much venom and hatred (and a desire to so publicly make a fool and nuisance of himself).
Then I felt pity for him. I mean, how many friends can someone with this kind of outlook be able to turn to? The friend I had just spent 22 hours with in conversation had confided how isolated and lonely he’d felt during the depths of his troubles. This reminded me of one of Fr. Joe’s sermons in July, when he quoted Pope Benedict XVI defining humanity’s most wretched state as loneliness – that feeling of abandonment and of being unworthy of love.
The young man on the bus certainly didn’t make me feel like getting up and hugging him, to be perfectly frank, but maybe that’s just what he really needed. I have no doubt he will be appearing in court soon and if he makes good on his boast of telling the judge he’ll get his revenge on the policewoman by stalking her and raping her, I have a pretty good idea where he’ll be spending the next few years of his life: in a federal prison where you and I will be paying $125,000 every year for him to be fed, clothed, guarded and – perhaps – rehabilitated.
It’s interesting that earlier this decade Canada’s federal penitentiary system was headed by a revolutionary, and of course controversial, reformer from Denmark named Ole Ingstrup.
Ingstrup reduced the likelihood of Canadian inmates returning to a life of crime to 1 in 4 from 1 in 2 on the premise that men are in jail because they lack respect for people and society in general. (This seems to fit the description of my fellow passenger on the bus.) Ingstrup also started from the idea that women are in prison because of low self-esteem, or lack of respect for themselves.
The chaplain’s office in one prison for women in Ontario reportedly organized a day of manicures and pedicures a few years ago, prompting Toronto’s chief of police at the time, Julian Fantino, to make the following argument to reporters:
“As a society, how can we possibly convince victims and their families that we take their plight seriously when those who have committed truly wicked crimes are given rewards beyond the reach of many Canadians?"
Fantino had a point, but it skirted the basic issue. The question is whether we as a society are best served by a criminal justice system focused exclusively on retribution and punishment or trying to address the root causes of destructive criminal attitudes and attempting to rehabilitate them.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42
Loving your family and friend is easier than loving the guy who sat near me on the bus today.
My understanding of this verse is that God loves us, even though we fall short many times of loving God in return by loving and respecting all that God created.
I had this point driven home to me in a most vivid way today. I went to see a friend I’ve know since I was six years old yesterday and we talked until 4 a.m. about the difficult time he is going through and he seemed to be feeling better after our talk.
On my bus ride home today, however, one of the 50 or so people on the bus was full of bluster and fury about how a policewoman had seized his car and fined him a few hundred dollars for being disrespectful to her. He went on and on swearing, vowing to rape her as punishment for her doing what presumably was her job and dismissing the court summons as a trivial detail. Needless to say, the families with young children on the bus were speechless.
This very angry young man kept escalating his offensive rhetoric and berated other passengers for not getting off the bus faster. I bit my tongue instead of rebuking him and wondered about this bizarre episode during my walk home.
“A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.” Proverbs 16:27
Well, this verse certainly would seem to apply in describing this incident. But I couldn’t help but wonder what had filled this 20-something “adult” with so much venom and hatred (and a desire to so publicly make a fool and nuisance of himself).
Then I felt pity for him. I mean, how many friends can someone with this kind of outlook be able to turn to? The friend I had just spent 22 hours with in conversation had confided how isolated and lonely he’d felt during the depths of his troubles. This reminded me of one of Fr. Joe’s sermons in July, when he quoted Pope Benedict XVI defining humanity’s most wretched state as loneliness – that feeling of abandonment and of being unworthy of love.
The young man on the bus certainly didn’t make me feel like getting up and hugging him, to be perfectly frank, but maybe that’s just what he really needed. I have no doubt he will be appearing in court soon and if he makes good on his boast of telling the judge he’ll get his revenge on the policewoman by stalking her and raping her, I have a pretty good idea where he’ll be spending the next few years of his life: in a federal prison where you and I will be paying $125,000 every year for him to be fed, clothed, guarded and – perhaps – rehabilitated.
It’s interesting that earlier this decade Canada’s federal penitentiary system was headed by a revolutionary, and of course controversial, reformer from Denmark named Ole Ingstrup.
Ingstrup reduced the likelihood of Canadian inmates returning to a life of crime to 1 in 4 from 1 in 2 on the premise that men are in jail because they lack respect for people and society in general. (This seems to fit the description of my fellow passenger on the bus.) Ingstrup also started from the idea that women are in prison because of low self-esteem, or lack of respect for themselves.
The chaplain’s office in one prison for women in Ontario reportedly organized a day of manicures and pedicures a few years ago, prompting Toronto’s chief of police at the time, Julian Fantino, to make the following argument to reporters:
“As a society, how can we possibly convince victims and their families that we take their plight seriously when those who have committed truly wicked crimes are given rewards beyond the reach of many Canadians?"
Fantino had a point, but it skirted the basic issue. The question is whether we as a society are best served by a criminal justice system focused exclusively on retribution and punishment or trying to address the root causes of destructive criminal attitudes and attempting to rehabilitate them.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:38-42
Loving your family and friend is easier than loving the guy who sat near me on the bus today.
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