The highest good, according to modern education, is self-fulfillment. Striving to be yourself, or to be “authentic,” has displaced the ancient struggle to achieve virtues like courage, honor, humility, respect, responsibility, and self-control.
The Western classical and Christian notion of virtue begins with the assumption that there are universal ideals which are woven into the fabric of the universe. Living out these virtues is not instinctual for humans. In fact, our broken and sinful disposition vehemently resists them. Sexual purity, patience, kindness, and loving one’s enemies, do not come naturally. Even Christians must struggle spiritually in order to attain them.
Progressive culture largely denies the fallenness of human nature. Sin is bound up primarily in unjust social structures, rather than the human heart. The enemy is without, not within. So, desires which Christians regard as sinful (e.g., sex outside of marriage, pornography, homoeroticism, gender fluidity, etc.) are now deemed “natural” and “healthy.”
The ultimate sin, in modern culture, is to struggle against your natural inclinations. Battling your instincts produces psychological distress, and distress is the antithesis of well-being. “Being yourself,” on the other hand, feels good. This feeling of well-being is said to be the culmination of mental health and self-esteem.
But, the human mind has an almost infinite capacity for self-deception. Feeling good about yourself, “being yourself,” often involves surrendering to urges which will, over time, prove self-destructive to both body and soul. Feeling good has become the opium of modern education to inoculate society against the consequences of morally destructive behaviors. We are creating a society full of narcissistic people who seek, above all else, to validate their unhindered inclinations.
In traditional Christianity, the distress produced by struggling against our fallen human nature is not the antithesis of well-being, but the path toward personal and societal virtue. The struggle may be long and slow, but it produces a fulfillment that is deeper and more enduring than self-satisfaction and good feelings. No athlete ever attained excellence without rigorous and even painful effort. The purpose of education is to guide students in this epic struggle, leading them from darkness to light.
The ultimate sin, in modern culture, is to struggle against your natural inclinations. Battling your instincts produces psychological distress, and distress is the antithesis of well-being. “Being yourself,” on the other hand, feels good. This feeling of well-being is said to be the culmination of mental health and self-esteem.
But, the human mind has an almost infinite capacity for self-deception. Feeling good about yourself, “being yourself,” often involves surrendering to urges which will, over time, prove self-destructive to both body and soul. Feeling good has become the opium of modern education to inoculate society against the consequences of morally destructive behaviors. We are creating a society full of narcissistic people who seek, above all else, to validate their unhindered inclinations.
In traditional Christianity, the distress produced by struggling against our fallen human nature is not the antithesis of well-being, but the path toward personal and societal virtue. The struggle may be long and slow, but it produces a fulfillment that is deeper and more enduring than self-satisfaction and good feelings. No athlete ever attained excellence without rigorous and even painful effort. The purpose of education is to guide students in this epic struggle, leading them from darkness to light.
