On the Virtues of the Postmodern Day

I was recently reading On the Shoulders of Hobbits:  The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis by Louis Markos and in his introduction he points out the virtues the modern and postmodern world has promoted.  He claims that only three virtues are primarily preached to children, particularly in the secular world:  environmentalism, tolerance, and multiculturalism.  I have not finished the book yet but his point here struck a chord with me, particularly as an educator in a public school.

Firstly, I believe that Markos hits the nail on the head with this assessment.  While I cannot speak for each teacher's classroom, particularly because as a music teacher my classroom is a good deal different from the normal one, these three virtues are above beyond the three most taught to our children today.  I will reserve my judgement of whether this is good after I've discussed them in a bit more detail, so do not assume I think all of them to be bad.

To support this I offer three specific examples, though there are most assuredly more.

1.  Multiculturalism

The following poster hung (and probably still hangs) at the entrance hallway of one of my previous schools.  There is a heavy dose of encouraging the sharing of other cultures differences and unique things.  Very rarely, if ever, are the students asked to critique these cultures.  They simply learn about them - usually in very passive ways that aren't likely to leave lasting impressions aside from the general consensus of 'everybody's different, no one way is right.' 

2.  Environmentalism.

Every school in the area has a flag post waving the Star-Spangled Banner.  Many of them have a second flag beneath it - a flag that denotes the school as a "Green School."  There is a somewhat lengthy process involved in becoming a Green School - from my understanding you have to prove that your school recycles and conserves as well as promotes and educates the students on being 'green,' generally through some type of school wide assembly.  It is a point of great pride to have your school be recognized as a Green School and I think it is an appropriate representation that the title is flown just below the American flag in priority.

3.  Tolerance

Similarly to the themes of multiculturalism, the theme of tolerance is preached high and wide across are school.  All children are unique, all are different, and nobody should be judged for who you are.  Self-esteem is promoted along with this at an incredible rate.  Nobody should be able to tell you who to be.  I see this manifest in the students dialogue quite frequently.  It is also very heavily promoted by the media at large.  There is an overarching theme of relativism to both the promotion of tolerance and that of multiculturalism.

Reaction

I tend to agree with Louis Marklos and his assessment of the situation at large: 

These modern "virtues" are not, in and of themselves, negative, but when they become the be-all and end-all of moral and ethical behavior, they become idols that blind us from our true purpose and nature.

Ultimately I think this is what it comes down to.  These virtues are necessarily bad things, but they most certainly should not be the high point of social morality in the youth of our nation.  Let's look at each one again a little more closely.

1.  Multiculturalism

Personally, I love the notion of encouraging the kids to think outside of themselves.  Personally, I love venturing into another world - whether it be Middle Earth or Narnia or simply learning about some distant land on our own planet.  I think education oneself on people who are different from you is a good and noble cause.  One of the two most important commands given to us by Christ were to love your neighbor as yourself.  If we are to treat people who hark from cultures different than our own with love, one of the first ways to do that is to show them the respect of learning about their culture.  In addition, a healthy sense of wonder should be promoted in our children (and adults as well).

This idea of multiculturalism can turn an ugly route, however, when it is coupled with the grand deity of them all: relativism.  Should we teach kids strictly why are own culture is superior to others?  Of course not.  However, should we turn a blind eye to cultures that clearly exist because of some type of evil?  Regardless of one's worldview, I believe the act of discernment needs far more emphasis. 

The poster above claims that all cultures are 'unique manifestations of the human spirit.'  While that may be true, that does not mean they are all good manifestations.  The overarching problem the relativist has is that he is very rarely able to actually be a relativist.  For if relativism is true, it must be ultimately true. There are no escape goats to relativism. 

Likewise, if we are to be pure multiculturalist and truly believe that every manifestation of culture is 'unique' and worthy of some sort of praise, we must be prepared to do so to even the most deplorable of  these cultures.  Fascist Germany?  Communist Cambodia?  Tyranny in the Middle East?  Unique manifestations of the human spirit outside the scope of our judgement.  Now, of course, I don't believe that and most rational beings do not believe those terrible examples of society are outside of our judgement.

However, our multiculturalism hits a pretty big grey area of it only applies to areas that are 'clearly devoid of evil.'   It is why discernment of these cultures ought to be equally taught and preached.  Each culture is a unique manifestation of the 'human spirit,' sure, but the human spirit is capable of genocide and so those manifestations ought to be scrutinized.  More importantly, the worldview behind those cultures should be scrutinized. 

All-in-all the virtue of multiculturalism is necessarily a bad thing, but when coupled with relativism it leads to a dark place devoid of any standard for moral judgement.

2.  Environmentalism

This is one where it's hard to argue its merits.  Is there anybody who is actually anti-earth?  It sounds like the position of a ridiculous supervillain.  The vast majority of the populace would probably like to see the earth not succumb to ruin and despair due to pollution.  I'm a big fan of teaching our kids to be smart about the way they use stuff.  Encouraging things like recycling, conservation, and awareness strikes a chord with one of God's first mandates to human beings - to be stewards of the earth. 

At the same time, however, this is promoted as one of the greatest things we can do with our lives.  While saving the planet is a good thing, I do not think it is that much more important than saving ourselves.  We worry very frequently (and for good reason) about the decay of the ozone, the destruction of wildlife, and the infringement on 'nature's ways.'  However, our own personal morality, the state of our society, and the personal development of young and men and women often takes a backseat. 

For every tree we save by recycling I wish that we were encouraging honor.  For every panda bear not eaten by poaches it would be nice to see humility not just casually mentioned, but actually taught and encouraged.  I could go on, but the theme remains the same - there are far higher virtues than environmentalism to occupy the space directly below the American flag.

3.  Tolerance

The final virtue to discuss here is tolerance and I find it to be the most noteworthy.  Tolerance has taken a shift in meaning in our postmodern culture.  By definition it is the act of dealing with or learning to live with something negative.  One does not tolerate a good massage, one tolerates arthritis.  In theory promoting it as a virtue would mean promoting the ability to live contently despite things you find detestable or wrong.

I find it ironic, then, that viewing anything as detestable or wrong is decidedly intolerant by our postmodern standards.  When we use the word 'tolerance' in its postmodern syntax we really mean relativism.  We mean apathy toward judging anything different.  In a sense we take the relativism of our multiculturalism and apply to a relativism toward moral and philosophical judgement.

Are you respectful, kind, well-spoken, but think homosexuality is wrong?  Intolerant.  Do you think some things are decidedly masculine or feminine?  Intolerant.  The grandest irony of all with the 'tolerance' movement is that those who promote it so heavily are generally very intolerant of any in opposition.  "No one view is better than the other" the promote from the rooftops, laced with the subtext "and all who disagree with that view are intolerant bigots." 

This is the one virtue of three which I find very little sympathy with - at least as far as it is currently promoted.  If we were promoting tolerance in a more traditional definition, I believe I could get on board with that.  If we were teaching children (and adults) to show respect to those different from them, while still attempting to adhere to and recognize a standard for living, I could do that.  But that, unfortunately, is not what is happening.

Where to go?

This current state of 'virtue' in our society I think summarizes a lot of what is wrong with it.  We have replaced traditional virtues - honor, charity, love, kindness - with these postmodern ones that are rooted in relativism and materialism.  This is not to say that there are super evil teachers lurking around every corner trying to indoctrinate children with secularism, but the flow of our time and our culture have lifted these above all others.  Recognizing this is the first step.

Restoring the traditional virtues of old - virtues held by real life heroes in our own world and fictional characters in stories - is key.  We cannot rely on the modern school to do this and frankly we shouldn't.  If one values virtue above these things then it must be promoted at home - preferably through the telling of stories that promote them.

 

Books of Truth

One of the most fundamental aspects of our lives as humans is the way we spend our leisure time.  Most people today associate leisure with laziness.  Our leisure should be time spend pursuing things that better ourselves, not just basking in the comfy confines of the television.  As such, reading is one of, if not the, most important leisurely activity.  What we read actively defines our pursuits as humans.  We should be more than reading for pleasure.  We should take pleasure in reading and learning about the truth of God's universe.  I will be honest - I don't read near as much as I should.  Life is busy and distractions are high.  Never the less, I have read some books.  As many as I should have if I was an ideal person at this point in my life?  Not even close.  To say anything to the contrary would be to flaunt my lack of wisdom.  Nonetheless, with my limited knowledge, here is my own top 10 list of books every Christian should read (in addition to the Bible, obviously).


1.  Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton


To sum up this book in a couple of sentences would be like trying to describe love to a frog by only ribbitting.  Instead, here is the American Chesterton Society's description.  (Fun fact, I'm officially a proud member of that society!!)

"If you only read one book by Chesterton – well then shame on you – but if you only read one book by Chesterton, it has to be Orthodoxy. But don’t compound your shame by thinking you can get away with reading it only once. Or only twice.... When you read the book a second time, completely different sentences will jump off the page at you, leading you to conclude that Chesterton has somehow managed to re-write the book since the first time you read it."


Essentially it is Chesterton's own defense of Christendom.  It is beautifully written, starkly true, and profound on a level that I have yet to find its rival.  It is not an easy read but it is more than worth the effort!


2.  The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis


Lewis accurately sums up his own time and ours.  Its truths are startling and it is something every human being ought read.  It is also written in Lewis's typically fantastic prose.  It is short so do not hesitate to read it multiple times.


3.    The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien


While I am a sucker for an awesome fantasy epic, that is not the only reason this is on here.  Tolkien builds a world that is immense and beautiful. Attempting to summarize the scope of the trilogy (along with The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) would be silly.  Just read them.  Many times.


4.  On The Unseriousness of Human Affairs by James V. Schall


A delightful book that talks about how useless human beings are made to be and how much  more glorious life is because of it.  Great read by a great man (who is still alive)!  After you finish that check out Another Sort of Learning and The Life of the Mind, also great Schall books.


5.  Perelandra by C.S. Lewis


This is Book 2 of Lewis's Space Trilogy.  The other two are excellent as well, but this is the best one in my opinion.  You can read it independently, but I strongly recommend reading the first book (Out of the Silent Planet) before hand.  After reading this book you will never view the human condition, the fall, the Garden of Eden, temptation, or God's love the same way again.  This book is beautifully written.  If you don't weep while reading this book then you need to read Abolition of Man a few more times.


6.  Wild at Heart and Captivating by John/Stacie Eldredge


These are the most recently written books on this list.  Wild at Heart describes men and how men ought to behave as men while Captivating does the same for women.  This does not mean you should only read one (though I'm currently guilty of having done so).  It is encouraged to check them both out.  Both are great reads.  Eldredge does not have the deep complexity of some other authors on this list, such as Chesterton or Schall, but he does speak truth.  He also quotes some of the great authors present here.  These are books greatly needed in an era where gender confusion has caused so much of the problems we have in our society.


7.  Dumbing us Down and A Different Kind of Teacher by John Taylor Gatto

Gatto is an award winning New York City school teacher who wrote these two books in order to teach people about how awful schools are.  Not just our schools, but schools in general.  Schooling is a terrible idea founded on terrible principles.  Read these books and enlighten your life.  In the words of Dr. Jason Edwards, "You may want back into the Marix after you read this."


8.  Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

Television is ruining society.  It is ruining your life, my life, your friends lives.  It is stealing people's entire existence.  Learn the truth and read this book.  

9.  What's Wrong With the World by G.K. Chesterton


What's wrong with the world in Chesterton's time is doubly wrong now.  Fantastic read from one of the best authors in the history of authoring.  One of the things I look forward to most is sharing a beer with this man in heaven. 


10.  "The Lost Tools of Learning" by Dorothy Sayers


This is not a book, it is an essay, but nonetheless it is on this list.  This is an excellent resource for learning how we should learn.  But what if I'm not a teacher, why should I read this?  Teacher or not, we should all still be learning.  School isn't wear learning should take place.  If anything, school is where we should learn to learn.  Teach a man a fact and he'll know a fact.  Teach a man to learn and he can know anything.  This will teach you the groundwork for learning.  The link takes you to a legal version of this essay posted for your enjoyment.






Thus ends the list.  It is not perfect and I'm sure given one year it will look radically different.  At this juncture in my life these are the most important books I've read.  These authors speak the truth and speak it beautifully.  God didn't make the truth to be dull and mundane.  He made it so that we could constantly rejoice in knowing it.  


So read them!  Now!  What are you waiting for?!?

Severe Weather MSA Testing Protocols

The MSA is the Maryland State Assessment.  In the schools I work at it is given to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.  In my single year of experience I have seen how ridiculously strict they are.  Anyone who in any way would be involved in the test had to go through "training."  Essentially my training as an accommodator (I read and wrote for a student whose accommodations require it) was over an hour of learning about how not to cheat on the test and give them the answers and a list of all of the consequences that can occur if you do so knowingly or otherwise.  They are even taking a random test of the erase marks on tests to find patterns.  Basically, they scare the living daylights out of us.  I was not the only teacher extremely nervous on the first day of testing that I would somehow do something slightly wrong and be sent to jail.  It was ridiculous.  The kids were stressed out because the teachers have to care way more than they should about them.  It's just a mess.  But ranting about how terrible the MSAs are for learning is not the point of this.... I just gave you all of those details as a preface for the hilarity that is the following spoof.  My wife forwarded it to me from somebody at her workplace and it quickly made it around my schools.

Severe Weather Testing Protocols During~MSA Testing

Should a severe weather situation occur during testing, please remain

calm. To display any kind of anxiety would be a testing irregularity and

must be reported.

Please do not look out the window to watch for approaching tornadoes.

You must monitor the students at all times. To do otherwise would be a

testing irregularity and must be reported.

Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please

make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of

tears and sinus drainage.

Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please

make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet

or an answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying

object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.

Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room,

have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so

that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure

that no one accidentally bleeds on the answer documents. Damaged answer

sheets will not scan properly.

Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test

booklets and answer sheets into their shirts being very careful not to

bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.

If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please

make sure they mark at least one answer before departing and of course

make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You

will have to account for those.

Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you

flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all

of your testing materials when you land so please take extra

precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never

leave your hands.

When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make

sure that they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing

materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still

be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not

be allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests. Unless of course

they have been through standardized test training.

Please do not pray should a severe weather situation arise. Your

priority is to actively monitor the test and a student might mark in the

wrong section if you are praying instead of monitoring. I'm sure God

will put war, world hunger, and crime on

hold until after testing is over. He knows how important this test is.

Thank you.

Hopefully you enjoyed that as much as I did!

Adrian Peterson Speaks Slavery?

The NFL Labor Dispute is frustrating to the average fan.  Seeing billionaires argue with millionaires about how to split up ridiculous sums of money is, at best, annoying.

Adrian Peterson, in a recent interview with Yahoo!, decided to take it to a new level.  In response to questions about working for the NFL, Peterson responded "It's like slavery, you know?"

Really?  Being paid many millions of dollars to play and excel at a sport you  love is like slavery?  Sure, there are some things the NFL does that is not ideal if you are a player.  Perhaps they are hypocritical in fining.  Perhaps they are only in it for the money and do not treat the players the best.  To compare it to slavery, however, is just absolutely ridiculous.  Let's get some perspective, Adrian Peterson.  Slavery was a terrible crime.  Entire lives wasted.  Hearing you whine that much about being slightly inconvenienced by a company that yearly pays you 342.85 times more than I make in that same time is... Well, stupid.  Enough said.

Motifs Have Consequences

As my first real post on this new blog I thought I would upload an essay I wrote two years ago for a class in college.  It reflects on a common issue I face in my thinking - How does God look at today's popular music?  It takes a look at how the purpose of music has shifted in the modern era - going from honoring God and "charming the ears" (as Mozart put it) to pure entertainment.  This is "Motifs Have Consequences: An Analysis of Popular Music and its Affect on Society."

Motifs Have Consequences:
An Analysis of Popular Music and it’s Affect on Society

“Most people use music as a couch; they want to be pillowed on it, relaxed and consoled for the stress of daily living.  But serious music was never meant to be soporific.”
-Aaron Copland

“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the Glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”
-Johann Sebastian Bach

                At the Brooklyn Summer Day Camp it is tradition to have a talent show each summer to give the students a chance to express themselves creatively with the help of their counselors.  For one group of students, boys ranging from nine to ten years of age, the consensus was to do a skit parody of television’s American Idol.  During the skit there was a line written that read as follows:  “I have more talent than Madonna, Beethoven, and Soulja Boy combined!”  Musically, Madonna (a popular music star) and Soulja Boy (a one-hit-wonder rap artist) are hardly fit to be in the same sentence as Ludwig van Beethoven.  However, when the script was handed to the student who would read the line, there was only one name that he did not recognize nor know anything about.  The ten year old student knew by site the names of a risqué pop star and a womanizing, offensive rap artist.  The nine-year-old, however, he claimed to have no recollection of the man who is quite possibly the greatest musician to ever live; the musician who had a greater impact on music than any other human being.  The student not knowing Beethoven is not just an indication of the need for education reform; it cries out with a loud voice of the depreciation of music that has gripped American society and culture.

                Whether or not one sees this lack of recognition as an issue at all would come down to their philosophy on what the purpose of music is.  Plato, one of the most notable philosophers in human history, had a great deal to say about music.  Writers and philosophers of Ancient Greece, Plato included, believed that music could affect ethos, one’s inner character.  The harmony in music reflected the harmony of the soul, and therefore had the power to restore it.  He felt so highly of music that he believed it should be taught to the young to “discipline the mind.”  Music was under no circumstances merely for entertainment.  He was cautious of music, endorsing only the forms that encouraged temperament and courage.  Plato believed other forms, those that used complex scales or mixed incompatible genres and instruments, led to “license in manners and anarchy in society.”  Plato’s views have withstood the test of time, bringing about condemnation of such modern genres as jazz, ragtime, rock ‘n’ roll, and rap from those interested in preserving the sanctity of music.

                In the sixth century, St. Augustine, another great philosopher and early church father, gave input on the realms of music.  Augustine was very aware of the greatness of music and the dangers it presented.  He believed that the potential good overcame the potential bad in music, and that it should be included in worship service.  In his Confessions, Augustine talks about the joy music brought him when he first received his faith and how deeply it moved him.  On the contrary, he says the following of when it can pose a danger: “Yet when it happens that I am moved more by the song than by what is sung, I confess sinning grievously, and I would prefer not to hear the singer at such times.”   Like Plato, Augustine knew firsthand the problems music could pose while acknowledging the wonder it held.

                Throughout the twentieth century there have been far more genres and styles than in Plato or Augustine’s time. Popular music in the twentieth century has evolved from ragtime, to blues, to jazz, to rock and roll, to hip hop and all other varieties of music mainstream culture puts forth today.  The concerns of these early philosophers should be even more prevalent, but they seem to be even less.  This development of new genres of music also ushers in a development of new philosophies of music.  By most, music is no longer listened too based on its aesthetic beauty or its contemplative value, but merely for its entertainment.  Popular music has become a thing of preference that brings about desired emotions and nothing more.

                The problem in popular music is not in its theoretical manifestation or its rhythmic passages, but rather in the way it is listened to.  There is no problem in music merely bringing about raw emotion and entertainment, so long as one realizes that if this is all a piece of music is doing than it is not living up to its classification.  To understand what is meant by this, one could look at Neil Postman’s view on television.   Postman is very much opposed to the television and the unintended consequences it has brought about.  His biggest concerns, however, are not with the shows that can easily be seen as rubbish, but rather with those that profess to be intellectually stimulating.  He is most concerned with those that put on a façade of not being rubbish.  To him, television is not nearly as daunting so long as one realizes what he is watching is not nearly as stimulating as, for example, a form of typographic media. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with popular music (that avoids excessive violence and vulgarity) as a means of pure entertainment; in fact, that is the purpose of popular music.  The problem begins in the ignorance of how much more can be obtained from music.

                According to Ludwig van Beethoven, “Music is one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind, but which mankind cannot comprehend.”  If one listens to popular music alone, then there is no chance for this high acknowledgment of music to be instilled.  Watching television would not be a problem so long as it did not attempt to replace more valid and stimulating mediums; the problem is it is the only thing people absorb.  Likewise, if one listens to more than just popular music, than listening to popular music is not a problem. So often, though, this is not the case.  People in today’s culture listen to popular music without recognizing it for what it truly is, just as they watch television without analysis.  What has come of this is if given the choice between Beethoven’s Third Symphony and any Kelly Clarkson tune, one would be hard-pressed to find people who would select Beethoven.  What is further troubling is that most people would explain said preference by arguing classical music is “boring” while Kelly Clarkson is much more stimulating and fun.  This should be absolutely appalling.  The degree of complexity which anything Beethoven composed possesses makes it so he does not even deserve to be in the same sentence as any of today’s popular music stars.  Complexity alone, of course, does not make music aesthetically worthwhile.  Likewise, the fact that popular music is so exceedingly simple is not what makes it trash.

                The heart and soul of the problem is the way people today treat music.  Society has turned music into an ordinary thing that is simply there for humanity’s petty amusement.  Music has become television, quite literally in the case of music videos.  The fact that it is impossible for a person lacking the desired level of sex appeal to become famous is the greatest indication of this.  Society listens to music in the same way it watches television: like mindless drones.  If the music on the radio is too complex, takes too long, is not easily understandable and relatable, or does not stir about instant emotional feedback, then it is simply not worth a person’s time.  This is an insult to everything music is.  Beethoven sums the situation up perfectly: “When I open my eyes I must sigh, for what I see is contrary to my religion, and I must despise the world that does not know that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”

                If God gave music to humanity purely for entertainment, with no expectations for it to be one of the most powerful and moving aspects of mankind, then there is nothing wrong with today’s culture.  If music is merely auditory television that tells a story in less than four minutes and stimulates quick and easy emotions, then society is right on.  However, if music is one of the most sacred mediums of human expression, having the power to transform lives the way Michelangelo transformed marble, then society is gravely mistaken and needs an attitude readjustment.  Society cannot claim to love music while popular songs are all that reach its ears anymore than it can claim to love books while television dominates its eyes.  “Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it,” the words of Henry David Thoreau, could not more accurately encompass the culture.  The solution is to no longer just hear music, but to listen to it; to absorb music as the deepest of mediums which God has given humanity, not just as mindless entertainment, for as Confucius wrote, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”  Music is meant to be more than heard, it is meant to be enveloped with every inch of one’s being, and to do anything less is a slight to its wonder.

Getting Started

The purpose of this blog is for me to unload thoughts that I have throughout the days of my life that I feel are worth sharing and writing down.  They might be about God.  Or about music.  Or about God and music.  Or about sports.   Or about God and sports.  Or about anything else.  In my life I seek truth and think reflecting on God's truths (whether large or small) brings glory to Him.  That is the purpose of the blog.  Don't be surprised if it quickly goes from deep thought about God to ranting about the Cleveland Browns.  That's pretty much the way my brain operates, anyways....

Hopefully I'll get some readers!  Thanks for anyone whose taking the time to check this out!