Catholic Q&A
I feel the transience of this world intently. Would it not be better to accept one’s given situation without thinking too hard about it? To live in an open manner without being too particular about it?
That’s right. How good it would be if we could accept our circumstances and live in an unassuming manner, with no attachment or ambition. However we live in a complex and tangled human society. We cannot live a pure life and attain salvation without being involved with others.
To begin with, according to the teachings of the Christian faith, the fact that human beings are alive means they are loved by God, and they have been brought to life by him. Human beings exist in this world because God loved them, and called them by name. Furthermore, the reason why God called human beings was to pour out his love upon them, enable them to respond to this love, and thus empower them to share in the communion of His eternal life. If human beings have been called forth from nothingness into existence by God, it could never have been because God wanted them to be temporarily born, live for a while, and then disappear with death.
Each human being has been brought to life in order to love, and through these acts of love they are called to fulfil the significance of their existence.
We do indeed experience the transience of this world. As we grow older our health and strength decline, and when we experience the decay of beauty and glory, we grow painfully aware of the fact that everything in life is passing. It may be our family members or it may be our friends, but no matter how intimate we may be with them, a time will arise in this world when we will have to separate from them. That however does not mean that our lives are momentary or something stopgap, like the burning of a candle. Among these passing entities, Christian faith would be to live with a focus on eternal communion. That is, to live from moment to moment in response to the call of God, to live in order to create a community of eternal life.
Hence, it is okay to live in a forthright manner, but do not become a recluse who is devoid of all love. Human beings are born in order to love. Love alone creates eternity, and I believe that in order to love “commitment’ too is sometimes necessary.