Philosophy of Life

Sometimes folks wonder about my faith and my being Roman Catholic.  While I can understand people questioning me sometimes about it, I do not feel it is incongruent with my role as a scientist.  Faith is wholly outside the parlance of science and for me, there is no conflict.

But, regardless of a person's own individual beliefs.... I also see TWO distinct ways in which I do view what I learn from my Roman Catholic faith:

1)  I do learn and understand and believe the tenets of my faith.  For me, these tend to be more individual and personal within my family (which includes my parish family.... which extends worldwide).  But, I am also understanding that many other faiths (or non-faiths) are held by others.  It is all "ok" with me.

but, I think perhaps the more valuable aspect of my faith in regards to my day-to-day life in the world revolves around

2) The PHILOSOPHY of how to live life and how to be with others and how to treat others.   This philosophy is in many ways not about my faith per se.... but instead is how my faith EXPECTS and TEACHES me to be and how I need to strive to be a better, kinder, gentler, more humane, more caring, more giving person.  It helps me to recognize that I need to look beyond myself and my wants and my needs.  I need to be a servant.  I need to be helpful to others, even when it is hard to do so. 

This aspect of my faith.... the philosophy...  bubbles to the surface of my awareness in a variety of different ways.  But, one common way is through the music at Mass.  I tend to be especially attuned to sound, and I tend to be able to really focus well when I use the learning modality of listening.  For instance, there was a song at Mass this past weekend that truthfully reminded me so strongly of how I need to keep my focus outward, towards what I can do.  I have excerpted some of the lyrics below:

Make Me A Channel of Your Peace
(written by Sebastian Temple, 1967)

[shown below, verse 2)
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light.
And where there's saddness ever joy. 

O Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled, as to console.
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved, as to love with all my soul.  

Link to the song on YouTube 

It so reminds me that I am NOT meant to be the center, the focus..... I am not here to be consoled, or understood, or loved..... no matter how much those are the things I *do* crave and do want.  It is *supposed* to be me who is trying to help others (to console), to try to give understanding to others, and to love others.

It is SO very hard to not only see that as the important focus.... but it is so very harder to try to keep that focus day-in and day-out.  Hearing the above lyrics in that song at Mass had me become aware again of that important message for me.... and it caused me to have tears streaming down my cheeks because I know and understand how weak, how horribly inconsistent I am in doing this.  I fail so very, very often to do what is truly important.... to help... to love..... and when I realize how poor I am at that.... it devastates me.

But, it also clarifies for me how I need to work harder, try to be better, and keep trying to do those things.

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