Thursday, September 11, 2008

Culture of Life

The culture of life and the culture of death are built on different understandings of the human person and of life. Here is a childlike list of differences:

Culture of Life -- Culture of Death
infinite - - finite
total self-giving -- self-possession
created -- produced
unique & unrepeatable -- individual
gift -- burden
hope --despair
free beings -- objects
vocation -- career
acceptance -- rejection
love --hate
peace in war -- war in peace
trust -- calculating
just --unjust
prudence --vice
bravery --fear
freedom to give -- freedom from giving
grace -- sin
need -- want
objectivity -- selfish
fruit -- consequence
end -- means
unitive and procreative -- severing unity and life
rejoice -- reduce
build-up -- deconstruct
together -- apart
peaceful -- violent
truth -- lie
mercy -- fate
restoration -- destruction
uplift -- decadence
perpetual -- temporary
realist -- toleration
fulfillment -- fragment
to be -- to have
addition -- subtraction
mystery -- gain
heart -- rationalism
open -- closed
inner freedom -- outer freedom
guiding -- ignoring

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