St Vincent Seminary - Symposium Yearbook (Latrobe, PA)

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J lllll ll 'I u mu : . illlil '5' nlllllllllmn X 'N alll I 1 li ness to introspection and to a life of vapidity. These cravings 5 II . H l , I man beating the air But this is exactly what man does when he forms resolutions and refuses to put them immediately into execution. Such aone easily becomesa sentimentalist, adreamer g1v1ng neither humanity nor himself that which rightly might have been expected of him. Action, not potency, is perfection! And to attain perfection there must be ceaseless striving. Mere resolutions or emotional promptings do not train or set the nervous system-that demands action. Furthermore, to make resolutions and then to fail in carrying them out is detrimental to character. Modern psychologists rightly maintain that by this sanguine listlessness the will becomes enervated and soon arrives at such a state where it becomes completely indifferent about making any resolutions or undertaking any action which demands effort. As regards this subject, William James, who displays such virulent distaste and hatred for the old ascetics, has penned a few sentences which may be deemed classic. He remarks, Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise each day. That is, be systematically ascetic or heroic in little unnecessary points-do something just because you would rather not do it. It pays high and welcome dividends in a moment of crisis. Is this not one of the narrow paths to sainthood when motivated by the supernatural? True, James emphasizes the natural' so likewise have we to a certain extent but all the while never losing consciousness of the great truth that grace does not destroy nature but builds upon it. How strikingly familiar this thought-how new the old psychology, how old the new I Man IS not merely a creature subject to habit but in a very particular aspect he is a being of impulse and desire. Habit very often correlates itself with man's strong desires. Hence, to ob- serve man as influenced by desire is imperative Man possesses powerful impulsesg inhibit the impulse and desire follows. Now it IS clear, as Dr. Moore remarks that some outlet must be provided for the forces of our impulsive activity. All the channels cannot be kept closed all the time This seems reasonable, for surely man cannot expect to bottle up his emotions continually without a break of some kind. God did not create man to atrophy through desuetude and repression. Life is too strong and positive for this. Too much restraint leads to morbidity a sickly weakness, lack of individuality, a prone- exhibit dynamic forces capable of urging man to great accom- S2 .XX - 4 . ll36l Flll lllllllillllll glll, gllllllg sllls illlllllllllllh Q q - - '- Tlllllllllllll' - 0 7 . a . . . 1 0 a ! ! 7 - :illlillllllil

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:mummuu Sllli Elllllli :...E illlllllllllllll . C 2 ' ' . . 3 ! C . . 7 . . . 7 . . I .x . . . . . . . . . . . ' ii 7 . . 7 . . , . . . . 7 . . . 7 . . 1 1 . . , . ? fl I ! . . . ,, . . Jllllllllllllh . . s H lllilllll or how they button their shirt, or how many strokes they give their hair, or on what side of their mouth they begin to brush their teeth, or which shoe they first unlace at bed-time. These facts prove the tremendous influence of habit in man's daily life. Habit obviously plays a predominant part in man's make-up And since man and his character are inseparable, habit marks off his character as strong or weak, vacillating or firm, courageous or effeminate noble or despicable. But habit is not character and man s character is called a bundle of habits only in an analogical sense For character is life dominated by principles and habits are secondary and flow from the exercise of these principles in daily life Habits manifest the character, strengthen the character and aid it in carrying these principles into action Hence they are the builders of character Is it any wonder then that Professor James declares that the 'great thing in all education is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy as soon as possible. In other words, he advises men to build good habits of thought and action, in- timatmg that efficiency of self depends upon the strength of habit. Work will become easier: decision will trample upon in- decision. VVill power increases, so that what formerly lured us away from truth and virtue will now be scoffed at. One great question confronts all men. This question is the manner of ac- quiring good habits and eliminating those which are harmful. Professor Bain has some practical advice upon this question In his chapter on Moral Habits he remarks that, we must launch ourselves with as strong and decided an initiative as possible to build agood habit or to counter an old one with a new. Stir up powerful motives for actiong tell some friend of the resolution which has been made' make engagements incompatible with the old habit' devise situations that will demand the new habit and reject the old ' Above all never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life. Such a catastrophe wears the old channel more deeply into the nervous system and deflects the new one. Never lose an engagement. Success begets encourage- ment and victory satisfaction, while the sting of defeat leaves the poor will shivering fearful to start anew. Seize the very .first opportunity to act on every resolution you make' and on every emotional prompting you may ex- perience in the direction of the habit to which you aspire to gain. St Paul 1n one of his epistles warns against the foolish wi ull lllflll I ' ':.- I I : .1 an :4 . ,. ,: fal Tllllllll IIIR 1 . . 7 . . illllllllllllls glllg gllllllg sllIs Hllllllllllillf

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:-.-- .. . . HIIIIIIIIIIIIH anuumuuu . . . : . :llli V . . . I v ' rv . . . . . . . . . . l . . . . . . . l l . . 7 q . . . . . . . . . . . annum - . ls-Q Slim? T . : 2 E Wllllllllllll I' ,fx 45Q:::Jf plishments To succeed best these desires must be marshalled under some kind of unity perhaps best expressed as a plan of life. The lack of such a plan plays havoc with man's future years. To carry out this plan, psychology and asceticism enter and admit that man is a creature of manifold desires-life is too short to realize all of them, therefore, simplify these desires Psychology and asceticism both warn men to discard desires culminating in pleasure only, and to choose those which point to accomplishment. Sensory satisfaction is transitory, intellectual attainment, lasting. Again, it is necessary to establish a hier- archy of desires in which there shall be one supreme end of life to which everything else must conform. The seminarian has such a hierarchy of desires in his holy vocation to the priesthood. But this plan must be elastic, able to suit itself to the environment of the moment. Finally, this plan, according to the dictates of psychology and asceticism, must involve self-denial, in order that our end may be obtained and that our efficiency may be at its best. Some repression and inhibition are absolutely necessaryg this every thinking man must admit. But the necessity for these inhibitions can be lessen- ed if man balances his impulses by a rational plan of life, giving to his higher impulses the energy needed for the lower. That self-denial aids efficiency was a platitude long before St. Paul spoke of the rigorous training necessary for the athlete. This is just as true today and must almost be considered a conditio sine qua non for success in any branch of life. ' Man, as architect of his own future, must map out his pro- gram for progress in the light of the above laws. Habit is either our weakness or our strength, depending upon its nature. Its demands are implacable, its aid immeasurable, its implications simply bewildering. Now is the time for forming habits for life. Begin today make a target, form a resolution, carry it out. Remember each little act counts, and as james remarks, down among our nerve cells and fibres, the molecules are counting it and registering and storing it up, to be used against man, or for him, at the next wave of temptation. This then IS a brief consideration of man's ability to develop his power for goodness through the homely spirit of self-discip- l1ne exemplified and perfected in the formation of good habits under guidance of a rational plan of life. The following is a still briefer consideration of his potentiality for goodness from the viewpoint of the soul And remember if it is difficult to measure potentiallties and actualitities of the nervous system, what a , ll37ll 9 : 'sft 4.1: km ua l.ll Q , ' it. L 'U Y swag 13555