There are many excellent websites around that give an very full account of Distributism and allow a certain amount of practical discussion on distributism in the modern world. There are also many excellent sources dealing with the current crisis in the Catholic Church. As far as this blog is concerned my primary interests revolve around the Church and the world. The Church offers the answers the spiritual and intellectual crisis that affects so many. As far as the world is concerned Distributism offers one possible alternative to the madness of modern Capitalism and liberalism.
As far as I am concerned a return to a sane economy can never be a final solution to the troubles that afflict the world, but it can be a medium for restoring balance. Chesterton said 'So if I am told at the start: "You do not think Socialism or reformed Capitalism will save England; do you really think Distributism will save England?" I answer, "No, I think Englishman will save England, if they begin to have half a chance."' In this simple phrase Chesterton sums up the heart of social reform. Men must be changed, not systems. No system can perfect man, for he is imperfect. Yet restoration of sanity is possible if the right conditions exist. Whether man is imperfect or not, if in he is put into the right situation he can at least have half a chance at being better than he was.
So whats my point. As far as I see the world is infected, as it always has been ever since the fall, with the self, the ego. This formulation, dogmatic as it sounds, is basically the beginning of the problem. If man puts himself as the supreme being, if the individual is the absolute, then everything will descend into chaos. One only has to look a the multitude of philosophies that have been concocted by so-called intellectuals to realise the general futility a making man the supreme being. Existence proceeds Essence!, in other words man, finding that he exists fabricates himself in any image he chooses; that image then becomes his being! Clearly if one were to truly believe such nonsense then it must be true that one must always in effect 'create' oneself and then anything goes. Logically we would only be the sum of our total existence and thus an 80 year old would have more essence than a 2 year old. (Perhaps that might justify abortion? only if such a ridiculous notion were actually true)
The sum of it all is simply this; Catholicism being a dogma is the only 'system' that is 'big' enough for all, it is the only thing that can be truly universal. From there on in reality and a sanity can reign. Distributism, with its belief in the redistribution of private property for the restoration of liberty, is certainly a creed that may enable us to finally root out insanity. In any case it is worth the try.
If pride is the first sin, then the root of of evil is love of money. Both of these construct insubstantial realities, that it to say they mirror God's creative power but without the substance. They pit a new phantom reality in place of real reality, which is ultimately God's reality. The only way out, is not to fabricate yet another Babel in a vain attempt to try to replace all previous monstrosities, but to submit to real reality, that is to God. No system can do this only the individual can, but in a beautiful paradox we can do that in Christ, through him, in communion with Him and His Church. There is nothing so universal as a dogma!
As far as I am concerned a return to a sane economy can never be a final solution to the troubles that afflict the world, but it can be a medium for restoring balance. Chesterton said 'So if I am told at the start: "You do not think Socialism or reformed Capitalism will save England; do you really think Distributism will save England?" I answer, "No, I think Englishman will save England, if they begin to have half a chance."' In this simple phrase Chesterton sums up the heart of social reform. Men must be changed, not systems. No system can perfect man, for he is imperfect. Yet restoration of sanity is possible if the right conditions exist. Whether man is imperfect or not, if in he is put into the right situation he can at least have half a chance at being better than he was.
So whats my point. As far as I see the world is infected, as it always has been ever since the fall, with the self, the ego. This formulation, dogmatic as it sounds, is basically the beginning of the problem. If man puts himself as the supreme being, if the individual is the absolute, then everything will descend into chaos. One only has to look a the multitude of philosophies that have been concocted by so-called intellectuals to realise the general futility a making man the supreme being. Existence proceeds Essence!, in other words man, finding that he exists fabricates himself in any image he chooses; that image then becomes his being! Clearly if one were to truly believe such nonsense then it must be true that one must always in effect 'create' oneself and then anything goes. Logically we would only be the sum of our total existence and thus an 80 year old would have more essence than a 2 year old. (Perhaps that might justify abortion? only if such a ridiculous notion were actually true)
The sum of it all is simply this; Catholicism being a dogma is the only 'system' that is 'big' enough for all, it is the only thing that can be truly universal. From there on in reality and a sanity can reign. Distributism, with its belief in the redistribution of private property for the restoration of liberty, is certainly a creed that may enable us to finally root out insanity. In any case it is worth the try.
If pride is the first sin, then the root of of evil is love of money. Both of these construct insubstantial realities, that it to say they mirror God's creative power but without the substance. They pit a new phantom reality in place of real reality, which is ultimately God's reality. The only way out, is not to fabricate yet another Babel in a vain attempt to try to replace all previous monstrosities, but to submit to real reality, that is to God. No system can do this only the individual can, but in a beautiful paradox we can do that in Christ, through him, in communion with Him and His Church. There is nothing so universal as a dogma!
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