A Well Ordered Life
Philosophers and religious teachers have believed that
underneath the surface storms of life it is possible to find “the deeper life
of unshaken composure.” As the fiercest
hurricane cannot reach to the ocean depths, so the most violent disturbances do
not necessarily reach the area of calm and poise which is at the center of a
strong personality. A quiet dignity is
native to the soul. Children often
possess it, and so-called savages frequently manifest it. If we let misfortune rob us of an ordered
life, it is largely our own fault, due to our attitude toward the
misfortune. It is possible to face shattering
experience without being shattered, and it is possible to go to pieces because
of the most trivial experience.
There are those who have known a full measure of human
suffering and yet remained unswerved and unsurrendered. There are others who crumble under the slightest
blow; because of an unhappy experience they let their lives disintegrate. The difference between being broken and
living a spiritually well ordered life cannot be explained in terms of what
happens to us. Things and events do not
break us. We go to pieces because we
bring to life a breakable philosophy. If
we bring to crises an habitual attitude of quiet thinking and unfrightened
adequacy, we can meet the most devastating experiences and still maintain our
integrity.
– Clarence R. Skinner (born March 23, 1881)
An
Orderly Universe
This
is an orderly universe; therefore, cause and effect operate, therefore we can
trust life, believe in its fundamental sanity, and look forward to the triumph
of justice and righteousness. This is a
dependable universe, therefore we can live ordered lives based upon its
dependability. We can have quiet
confidence that the sun will rise, the seasons roll on, and truth will grow
from strength to strength. We can
gradually discover more truth; we can learn to live by it; it can make us free. In that kind of a world we can live with a
deep calm because we can trust it.
– Clarence R. Skinner (born March 23, 1881)
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| Clarence R. Skinner (1881-1949) |
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