#goodness — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #goodness, aggregated by home.social.
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A quotation from Samuel Johnson
That observation which is called knowledge of the world will be found much more frequently to make men cunning than good.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Essay (1750-03-31), The Rambler, No. 4More about this quote: wist.info/johnson-samuel/22262…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #samueljohnson #cleverness #cunning #goodperson #goodness #knowledge #practicality #pragmatism #virtue #worldliness
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A Cure for What Ails Us?
I have been reflecting lately on the peculiar sickness of modern life, and I have a theory which, stated somewhat like a math problem, is this: modern society (entailing economic, social, and labor practices) plus postmodern media (including communication technology, news consumption, and competing truth claims) leads to a kind of sickness. And the treatment for that sickness may be following Jesus through the historic practices of the Church.My basic argument is this: for thousands of years, human beings lived in certain ways. Whether by divine design, adaptation, or some combination of the two, human bodies, minds, and spirits were set up for success while living a certain kind of life. People lived off to the land. They lived near extended family. Most people spent their lives in relatively small communities, surrounded by people they knew and who knew them. Work was physical and tangible. Information traveled slowly. The problems people encountered were usually nearby, visible, and connected to people who could actually help or be helped. This was by no means a perfect system, for pre-modern life contained many ills (physical and social). But this is the kind of the life that human bodies were prepared to live.
In the past 200-ish years, however, the technology of the Industrial Revolution and the development of (post) modern culture have placed enormous stress on that kind of life. Obviously, modernity brought with it a great many positive changes. It is easier to obtain food, clothing, medicine, and shelter now than at almost any other point in human history. Infant mortality has declined. Travel is easier. Communication is faster. Many forms of work are safer and less physically destructive. These are real goods, real ways in which human beings have flourished in ways never before seen, and such goods should not be dismissed.
But along with those good changes came new stressors. People became more mobile. Families became more scattered. Communities became less stable. Work became increasingly detached from the production of visible and tangible things. People became more reliant on systems and technologies that few of us understand and none of us can control. Almost no one practices subsistence living anymore, which means that nearly everything we need comes to us through a complicated network of strangers, corporations, machines, and institutions.
And for the past couple hundred years (less time in many places), as people adapted to modernism, human beings did their best to adjust. Many things worked reasonably well. We developed institutions, customs, and social practices that helped people endure the disruptions of modern life. But despite our best efforts, cracks began to form in the human experience. And as more and more research and lived experience attest, what seems to have shattered our humanity was the addition of postmodern media.
It was already difficult for human beings to carry the stresses of modernity. Then we placed in nearly every pocket a device that provides constant access to nearly every crisis, argument, tragedy, advertisement, opinion, and temptation in the world.
We are constantly connected, yet often deeply lonely. We possess unprecedented access to information but are less certain about what is true. We know what is happening across the globe almost instantly, while frequently knowing very little about the lives of the people who live next door. Our minds were not made to carry every tragedy. Our hearts were not made to process the suffering of the entire world before breakfast. Our identities were not made to be continually displayed, evaluated, marketed, and compared. Yet this is increasingly what we ask of ourselves every day.
So what is the cure?
Some might argue for a rejection of modernism. We might call this an Amish response: separate from the technologies and systems that deform human life. Others might argue for some form of the Benedict Option, in which Christians build durable communities and institutions while waiting for the present cultural disorder to pass. And I must admit that there are plenty of times when both of these seem like very appropriate responses to the ills of the current age.
My proposal, however, is a little different, and it goes something like this: the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ—specifically communion, baptism, and the penitential cycle—provide the way forward. (Not accidentally, these are essentially the three things Martin Luther—who is often credited, or blamed, for contributing to the rise of modernism—suggested were necessary for the life of the Church.)
Communion requires deep introspection and life in community. You cannot receive communion entirely alone. You need life with other people. You need to gather around a table. You need to confess your sins, reconcile with your neighbors, receive the gifts of God, and remember that you belong to a body larger than yourself.
Communion teaches us that we are not merely individuals consuming religious content. We are members of one another. We share one bread. We receive one Lord. We are brought into communion not only with God, but with the people standing beside us.
Baptism is historically a sign of entering into God’s family. It marks a person as belonging to Christ and to his people. But baptism has also historically been connected to deep formation in Scripture and theology. The early Church did not treat baptism as a passing religious moment. It was surrounded by teaching, preparation, examination, and a reordering of life. We desperately need that kind of depth today.
We must move beyond surface-level interactions shaped by postmodern media. We must dig deep and drink from wells that take longer than fifteen seconds to hear, understand, and digest. We need Scripture slowly read, theology carefully learned, prayers repeatedly prayed, and truths practiced long enough to reshape our instincts.
Then there is the penitential cycle: confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
The practice of confession is not simply something a priest holds over your head. Properly understood, it is a practice of introspection, conversation, truth-telling, and repentance. We deeply need these things today.
We need places where we can speak honestly about the ways we have failed. We need people who will tell us the truth without discarding us. We need the opportunity to repent, receive forgiveness, make amends, and begin again. Therapy, at its best, often offers a sanitized version of some of these practices: careful listening, honest self-examination, naming destructive patterns, and seeking a healthier way forward. These can be genuine gifts. But the Church’s penitential tradition goes further. It does not merely help us understand ourselves. It places us before God, names sin as sin, announces forgiveness, and calls us into new life.
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That is my diagnosis of this strange math problem. Modern society plus postmodern media has produced a sickness that cannot be solved merely by better technology, more information, increased efficiency, or improved self-care. The solution is actually practices which are much older. We lean back into the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ. We gather around the table. We remember our baptism. We confess our sins. We receive forgiveness. We read slowly, pray deeply, and share life with actual people in actual places. Will it be enough?
I hold this theory lightly. The problems of modern life are complicated, and the practices of the Church are not easy techniques or quick fixes. They are gifts, and they require patience, faithfulness, and time. Still, I wonder whether the ancient practices of the Church might be precisely the medicine our modern souls have forgotten how to receive. Shall we return?
#Anxiety #Baptism #Beauty #ChristianityAndCulture #Communion #Confession #Connection #Culture #FaithAndReason #Goodness #History #HistoryOfChristianity #MartinLuther #Modernism #Modernity #PenitentialCycle #Postmodernism #PreModernWorld #Technology -
“And she is also talking about the fact that #creativity comes when we allow the #goodness to flow through us, when we let it come through our pen or through our voice or, if we are a violinist or a pianist, through our fingers.” #IrisMurdoch #books #BookSky #happiness
fivebooks.com/best-books/h...
How To Be Happy -
What’s a skill you consider basic, that most people don’t actually know how to do?
I was overthinking today so thanks for the brainy question,👇👇
https://kddotpage.wordpress.com/2026/03/24/whats-a-secret-skill-or-ability-you-have-or-wish-you-had/
https://kddotpage.wordpress.com/2024/11/14/living-with-spasticity-has-taught-me/
Bon apetit!
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@LisaWarnerLisaLuv HI - If I may suggest:
- 1 line of emoji's (not 2)
- Separate emoji line from the text line(this reads better than trying to find the text inside so many emoji's, some of which are duplicates)
How does that sound ? (see example format below)...
🤗☁️🌈☁️💌✝️👑🕊️💦🏩❤️🔥💒🛐🫂🎪🌴🐫🐪🌐🌏🧡🩷💜💛🧘🏿♀️🧘♀️🧘🏼♂️🤗
[Be patient for the coming of the Lord!*...James 5:7-12
#Patience in #Suffering #Sick #GOD #Jesus #Christ #Holy #Spirit #Light #World #Pray #Heaven #Hope #Faith #Truth #Goodness #Love -
RE: https://zpravobot.news/@Rainmaker1973/116916456894832106
Let this be an example for all of us.
Choose at which side you want to be.
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There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted. It is human, it is divine, carrion.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher and writer
Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 1 “Economy” (1854)More about this quote: wist.info/thoreau-henry-david/…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #thoreau #henrydavidthoreau #walden #stink #beneficence #contamination #corruption #good #goodness #odor #smell #stench #taint
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Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2More about this quote: wist.info/emerson-ralph-waldo/…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #emerson #ralphwaldoemerson #assessment #autonomy #conformity #goodness #humanity #integrity #label #liberty #manliness #mind #nonconformist #orthodoxy #questioning #righteousness #sacred #self #validation
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What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?
What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world? I’m grateful to have a strong mind that is not influenced by others although it’s always good to add some perspective 😊. The modern world offers dangerously varied perspectives nowadays, and it’s sad to see that most of them are evil, so be careful with that 😇. Technocrats, dictators, and dinosaurs are trying to control the masses and can’t share the abundance that our beautiful planet has to […] -
A quotation from Brennan Manning
To affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see in themselves and to repeat it in spite of appearances to the contrary. Please, this is not some Pollyanna optimism that is blind to the reality of evil, but rather like a fine radar system that is tuned in to the true, the good, and the beautiful.
Brennan Manning (1934-2013) American author, laicized priest, theologian, speaker [Richard Francis Xavier Manning]
The Furious Longing of God, ch. 7 “Healing” (2009)More about this quote: wist.info/manning-brennan/8397…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #brennanmanning #affirmation #affirming #discernment #focus #goodness #positiveattitude
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The Moral Escalator: Making Goodness the Main Action of a Story
Author Regina Linke discusses the moral escalator and how making goodness the main action of a story can be very powerful for readers.
The post The Moral Escalator: Making Goodness the Main Action of a Story appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/the-moral-escalator-making-goodness-the-main-action-of-a-story -
My sister recommended this website to me so I could continue my education and find a source of income for myself and my family. 😞
But I won't lie, since I started here, I've only been paying to participate online. 💔
I need money to buy daily subscription cards. I don't know whether to continue pointlessly and accumulate debt,
hoping someone might help me, or to stop and never go online again.💔 -
Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2More about this quote: wist.info/emerson-ralph-waldo/…
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #emerson #ralphwaldoemerson #assessment #goodness #integrity #label #liberty #mind #nonconformist #questioning #righteousness #sacred #self #validation #orthodoxy
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💔 My daughter urgently needs treatment! Her life is at risk 🏥😢
Our donations stopped for 4 days due to bank privacy, and now I rely on my wallet 💳🙏
Even the smallest contribution can save her life 💙🌟
You are the only hope—please stand with us immediately 🤲💖
😥 ⏸️ https://chuffed.org/project/155716
#Donate #Help #ChildLife #Support #Urgent #Hope #Goodness #Childhood #Donations -
I will simply post my link. Because my words are more sorrowful than what I will reveal.
. #helpgaza #donations #humanitarian #donate #goodness #support #doinggood #charity #rewardhttps://chuffed.org/project/175043-help-islam-and-her-family-survive-in-gaza
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My mother is ill, and her medication is the only thing that helps her get through the day. It's very expensive, and I'm responsible for her and my nieces. Everything is beyond my means. Any help, even a small amount, could make a difference and help my mother get her medication. May God reward you. #help #donations #humanitarian #donate #goodness #support #doinggood #charity #reward
https://chuffed.org/project/175043-help-islam-and-her-family-survive-in-gaza -
Very honored and excited to share that Podmasana just wrapped recording with Lodro Rinzler, a meditation teacher and author of 'The Buddha Walks into a Bar' and the upcoming book 'You Are Good You Are Enough'. Look for the new book and Lodro's Podmasana episodes to release end of March and beginning of April. Thanks Lodro!
#meditation #wisdom #spirituality #buddhism #goodness -
RE: https://mastodon.social/@ayham_ljboor2008/116076237667075563
‼️ AYHAM'S FAMILY'S HUNGRY! THEY'RE COLD! THEY GET WET WHEN IT RAINS‼️
This is no life for a young man or anyone for that matter. There's a young child in this family.
Please donate so Ayham and his family can prepare for Ramadan.
#Ramadan #Gaza #Palestine #VerifiedByRadioWatermelon #family #children #goodness #kindness #health #boost
