Paul's Perambulations a personal blog

February 1, 2008

All people deserve an opportunity for a healthy and productive life.

Filed under: Love,Politics,Religion — admin @ 4:07 pm

1. There is an undeniable value to every human life.

All war is a crime against human life.  “Human” life is defined by its distinctly human quality, and thus euthanasia and abortion are not acceptable if they destroy that human quality of life.

 2.  Every human life must be given adequate opportunity to develop.

Is it right that humans enter life with vastly different opportunities before them? Some are born rich, some poor. All humans have a right to personal property, a private life, safety, education, and health care. Once these needs have been met for all, those who have earned additional goods justly can be deserving of them. Humans are not equal but vary greatly in traits and talents; all must be given sufficient opportunity to develop their unique talents.  It is natural that results will vary greatly, with some being more successful than others. There continues to be a basic value and protection of every human life, including those lives which are less successful. Inherited wealth, passed from those who are dead to the living who have not earned it, is a crime against the values of a just society. Property that is strictly personal property can be inherited.

3. The natural world is a gift to all humanity and thus individual humans cannot “own” it, to do with as they wish.

Humans cannot own or inherit the natural world. It is a gift we neither earned nor did anything to deserve. Individual humans cannot control the use of the water or the air or the land. Accumulations of land, minerals, forests, water and their immediate derivatives, beyond what is sufficient for one’s personal needs, is a crime against humanity and nature. All living things must be given their due respect.

These three basic values are a vision for the future and not a political or sociological blueprint for how they might occur. Human values require that we look ahead not in terms of years or decades or even lifetimes, but for centuries.

 

January 30, 2008

Unjust War and St. Augustine

Filed under: Peace,Religion — admin @ 11:34 pm

Most people associate Unjust War Theory with Aquinas, but Christian thinking on this issue originated much earlier with St. Augustine. The current Iraq War is clearly unjust according to principles espoused by Aquinas and other Unjust War theorists such as Grotius. But what would Augustine have to say today?  Although we cannot directly query him on the Iraq War today, his principles were meant to be timeless. When we see the vengence (e.g., execution of Saddam Hussein and threats of revenge on Osama Bin Laden) and lies (e.g., WMD) that characterize the current war, the war clearly does not represent a “benevolent severity” motivated by the “caritas” that Augustine requires. Nor was it ever declared by the proper authority, which is not a Bush “monarch” but our Constitution that requires that only Congress can declare war. All of the following text is taken directly from the references cited in parentheses: (more…)

January 5, 2008

What’s the power of a sign or peace button in this Iraq War?

Filed under: Peace — admin @ 4:55 pm

Wearing a button or posting a window sign may seem like a small thing, but little things can stand out when no one else is doing anything.  Yesterday Fran and I attended Villanova University’s annual holiday social event.  I was wearing my two usual “peace” buttons on my jacket lapel.  One says “Faculty against the War” and the other is a cross connected to a peace sign (a symbol that Jesus is the Prince of Peace).  A considerable number of faculty commented favorably on these buttons, but with a certain resignation often accompanied by “But what can anyone do?”  Well, you can wear a button yourself.  But no one seems to be ready to take even that simple step.

I made a point of speaking with Fr. Donohue, the President of the University.  His eyes went directly to my buttons when I approached (this is the usual response that I receive from most people).  I introduced myself, and he replied “I like your buttons.”  I said “Have you seen the sign in my window in Tolentine Hall?”   His reply  “I certainly have.”  I went on to explain that I had informed the Office of Mission Effectiveness about this, because the sign conforms to the Villanova Mission Statement.  If you want to know what the deal is about this sign, check my website http://www.peacefulways.com/ and search for Jesus.

So perhaps more people are noticing and thinking than seem to let on.  The best we can do is to let our lives speak.  I realize there are some things bigger than I am, but there is nothing too big to question and to plant a seed.

December 7, 2007

Romney speaks of religion and politics in America (Dec 6, 2007)

Filed under: Religion — admin @ 11:43 pm

Email comment submitted in response to a NYTimes column by David Brooks.

When Romney speaks of the American religious community, he in fact is referring to a particular religious community and thereby excludes many of the religious of America.   He hardly speaks for me, a self-described Quaker pacifist revolutionary.  Nor does he speak for millions of Americans of other faiths.  As a principled member of a religious community, I find myself unable to recite the Pledge of Allegiance until that day comes when “liberty and justice for all” has indeed become the rule of the land.  Only at that point could it be meaningful to consider the use of the phrase “under God” when speaking of this nation.

October 12, 2007

What we lose with war.

Filed under: Peace,Politics — admin @ 3:05 pm

“The fact is that every war suffers a kind of progressive degradation with every month that it continues, because such things as individual liberty and a truthful press are simply not compatible with military efficiency.”

— George Orwell,   Homage to Catalonia, 1938

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”  – Voltaire                                                        

“The great strength of the totalitarian state is that it forces those who fear it to imitate it.”

“The art of leadership…consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention.” 

Adolf Hitler (both from Mein Kampf)

August 17, 2007

Zen and Backpacking

Filed under: Recreation — admin @ 11:40 am

Getting set for backpacking can be almost Zen.  What’s important in your life?  Do you focus on being prepared for every emergency and carry a fair bit of medical equipment?  Do you focus on nature’s capriciousness and prepare for sudden changes in weather?  Do you carry pounds and pounds of water, because water is what’s essential and natural sources may be inadequate?   Or do you go superlight and trust to speed and agility under those circumstances to get you through?

I could go on.  But look in someone’s pack, and I think you would learn a fair bit about the person.

July 19, 2007

Risk Taking, Not Thrill Seeking (re Backpacking Donut Hole Trail)

Filed under: Family,Recreation — admin @ 6:18 pm

The phrase above is how Fran described herself in her response to my ad on match.com five years ago (see Comment below).   Sounds good, although I may not have fully understood what I was letting myself in for.  I could hardly have preferred it the other way –Thrill Seeing But Not Risk Taking.  That might be eating cotton candy on the boardwalk and riding the roller coaster.  Blaaaa. 

Monday evening we returned from a three-day backpacking trip on the Donut Hole Trail in Sproul State Forest.  I got my dose of “Risk Taking, Not Thrill Seeking.”  The area where we hiked, and the Donut Hole Trail in particular, are described as follows:  “North-central Pennsylvania features the most isolated and expansive forest lands between New York City and Chicago. The experienced backpacker looking for an isolated trail will appreciate the lonely Donut Hole Trail…maintenance may be a problem…with inconsistent blazing…stinging nettles…expansive isolation, deepwoods experience, and the opportunity to witness wildlife” (quoting from Backpacking Pennsylvania, by Mitchell — the backpackers’ bible).  We can confirm that Mitchell speaks the truth.  We were lost twice and (more…)

July 10, 2007

Edith Wharton

Filed under: General — admin @ 10:40 pm

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.“

July 2, 2007

Eating off the land

Filed under: Family,Recreation — admin @ 11:12 pm

Yesterday we went for a walk along Darby Creek near our house, looking for dinner. We found it in the form of such plants as nettles, plantain, daylilies, spicebush, etc. Although these items are usually described as weeds and wild flowers rather than food sources, they are in fact edible if correctly selected and prepared. See the dinner that resulted. (more…)

May 25, 2007

Away from it all, with solo backpacking

Filed under: Recreation — admin @ 4:05 pm

I recently spent three days backpacking  the Tuscarora Trail on Blue Mountain.  I saw no one the whole time and had a great time.  It was pleasant and natural, and everything went well.  But it is curious some of the comments that I received.

  1. “Weren’t you scared?  Someone might attack you.”  Well, the most dangerous part of the trip was the drive getting there (northwest of Carlisle, PA), and next would be doing the errands that were required in preparation.  Why do folks see nature as so inherently scary,  absent the protective veneer of  “civilization?”  A few expressed concern about bears, which is a minimal risk compared to daily life.
  2. “No cell phone. Oh no!”   Somehow, cell phone communication equals civilization and makes everything Okay.
  3. “You didn’t talk to anyone the whole time?”  Well, there was no one else there.  “Didn’t you at least talk to the animals?”  Folks know that I’m a talker, but that doesn’t mean that I hallucinate or discuss things with Mr. Box Turtle.
  4. “Everyone needs a break from their spouse sometime.”  No, that’s not why I went backpacking.  I’d have loved if Fran could have come, but she had to work and I had a bit of free time between submitting semester grades and graduation.  Fran was supportive, and I’d have felt the same for her if the situation had been reversed.

Pictures are available at www.Sheldontimes.com

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