From the Endless Archive of Blog Drafts
Would you believe that I have one hundred and eleven draft blog-posts going back to 2010 that I never published? I'll tell you why later, but let's see what 20 year old Patrick had on his mind--I can't be made to answer for the quality.
Many of these were brief, as they were written on breaks between classes. As brevity has never been a hallmark of my writing, I hope you find it refreshing.
1 of 111
Self-esteem, or a concept of one's own value, formed independent of one's value to others is worthless. No man is complete in and of himself. If one looks into oneself for worth and fulfillment, there will always be anxiety and insufficiency. Fullness comes from loving and being loved in turn.
Love is active. Love cares for and works to ensure the happiness of its beloved, and in loving so, the lover finds new worth that did not exist before he loved.
Love is not infatuation. Infatuation is self-serving self-love. Infatuation does not live to serve, but objectifies; it is self-interested and immature, and since it seeks its own good, and not that of another, it will not bring happiness, but anxiety and consciousness of insufficiency.
Aside from relationships and what one is to others, every man is dust, wholly replaceable. A meat machine and an animal; that is the reality of a human being apart from society.
The love of our fellow men is a joy in good times and a balm in hardship and pain. No human life is complete without it.
However, even in the love of men we cannot find lasting peace, because we are inconstant, weak, mean spirited, and jealous. We love imperfectly, and even as our love is broken, so also must our peace be broken. Our families and friends would and could live on without us.
Esteem yourselves then not according to how you feel you are valued, or the value you are assigned among men, but according to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who counted counted you worthy that he should take on flesh and die that you might live.
You are worthy to be the beloved of God himself, and isn't that something?
Many of these were brief, as they were written on breaks between classes. As brevity has never been a hallmark of my writing, I hope you find it refreshing.
1 of 111
Self-esteem, or a concept of one's own value, formed independent of one's value to others is worthless. No man is complete in and of himself. If one looks into oneself for worth and fulfillment, there will always be anxiety and insufficiency. Fullness comes from loving and being loved in turn.
Love is active. Love cares for and works to ensure the happiness of its beloved, and in loving so, the lover finds new worth that did not exist before he loved.
Love is not infatuation. Infatuation is self-serving self-love. Infatuation does not live to serve, but objectifies; it is self-interested and immature, and since it seeks its own good, and not that of another, it will not bring happiness, but anxiety and consciousness of insufficiency.
Aside from relationships and what one is to others, every man is dust, wholly replaceable. A meat machine and an animal; that is the reality of a human being apart from society.
The love of our fellow men is a joy in good times and a balm in hardship and pain. No human life is complete without it.
However, even in the love of men we cannot find lasting peace, because we are inconstant, weak, mean spirited, and jealous. We love imperfectly, and even as our love is broken, so also must our peace be broken. Our families and friends would and could live on without us.
Esteem yourselves then not according to how you feel you are valued, or the value you are assigned among men, but according to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who counted counted you worthy that he should take on flesh and die that you might live.
You are worthy to be the beloved of God himself, and isn't that something?
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