Is it wrong to want to be successful? To be powerful? To be ambitious? To be self made?

[LilyM]

Church condemns sloth. That’s not an opinion either. Your ‘argument’, if you can even call it that, is automatically invalid.

Church also admonishes us to help the poor as we are able, and does not qualify that to say that we are only to help them if they are sinless, or not lazy.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Church also admonishes us to help the poor as we are able, and does not qualify that to say that we are only to help them if they are sinless, or not lazy.

Hey, I got nothing against giving a few coins if they really need it. I do have something against being treated like somebody else’s cash cow/food pantry in the long run. (And as I’ve stated before, I’ve had this happen to me at least once already.)

 

[Lochias]

Church condemns sloth. That’s not an opinion either. Your ‘argument’, if you can even call it that, is automatically invalid.

Your own mistake lies in assuming that everyone who needs help is being lazy. That’s a horrible argument and a horrible stance to take in general.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Your own mistake lies in assuming that everyone who needs help is being lazy. That’s a horrible argument and a horrible stance to take in general.

Not in this country
Assuming every poor person is an innocent, helpless soul is just as horrible a stance, much less an ‘argument’.

 

[Lochias]

Not in this country
Assuming every poor person is an innocent, helpless soul is just as horrible a stance, much less an ‘argument’.

You are putting words in my mouth. I did not say every person was innocent or helpless…but a great many are. I would rather “risk” giving someone aid who might not be helpless, than deny Jesus in the form of those who truly are helpless. You are taking a much, much higher gamble than I am.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

You are putting words in my mouth. I did not say every person was innocent or helpless…but a great many are. I would rather “risk” giving someone aid who might not be helpless, than deny Jesus in the form of those who truly are helpless. You are taking a much, much higher gamble than I am.

Oh really? Your words say exactly that when you accuse me of assuming the worst of the poor. The fact that you’d rather risk being someone’s personal cash cow and die from parasitism just drives my point.

You say a great many yet you’ve never even set a toenail here. I walk the streets of this town, this country, EVERY DAY.

You think Jesus only takes the form of the financially poor? That’s socialist thinking actually. Everyone is helpless in one way or another, no matter how much money they have in the bank. Even bosses can be helpless when their action plan isn’t working. Me and everyone else under them do our job so that they won’t drive themselves crazy doing everything by themselves.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do just that (and what I find the poorer people in this country don’t seem intent on doing).

 

[Lochias]

Oh really? Your words say exactly that when you accuse me of assuming the worst of the poor. The fact that you’d rather risk being someone’s personal cash cow and die from parasitism just drives my point.

You say a great many yet you’ve never even set a toenail here. I walk the streets of this town, this country, EVERY DAY.

You think Jesus only takes the form of the financially poor? That’s socialist thinking actually. Everyone is helpless in one way or another, no matter how much money they have in the bank. Even bosses can be helpless when their action plan isn’t working. Me and everyone else under them do our job so that they won’t drive themselves crazy doing everything by themselves.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do just that (and what I find the poorer people in this country don’t seem intent on doing).

Have a good day at work with your helpless boss.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Have a good day at work with your helpless boss.

Hookay… 4 minutes of break time left…

People hire other people because nobody can do everything by himself/herself. That’s how opportunities arise. Whether it’s giving some money to help someone get back on their feet or paying someone to do something for you, only by working is something made. That’s not just in the Bible. It’s in the very laws of physics governing our universe. There is no such thing as free lunch.

 

[Lochias]

Hookay… 4 minutes of break time left…

People hire other people because nobody can do everything by himself/herself. That’s how opportunities arise. Whether it’s giving some money to help someone get back on their feet or paying someone to do something for you, only by working is something made. That’s not just in the Bible. It’s in the very laws of physics governing our universe. There is no such thing as free lunch.

The various institutions that advertise daily free lunches across the campus I work at would beg to differ. Darn those enablers!

Further, you are being recompensed for your time. You are not sacrificing anything by going to work, technically speaking. In a general context, there is much less to gain in a spiritual sense by just going to your job, than there is in giving of what you have to someone who may not be able to rise up out of their position without help. If the old woman in the Bible can give HER LAST TWO PENNIES to help others, I would wager you and I can give at least a little without lapsing into fish-shaking, soap-box-standing screeds of how the unwashed, unworking masses need to get off their lazy duffs and git’r’done!

Again, I say…

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

The various institutions that advertise daily free lunches across the campus I work at would beg to differ. Darn those enablers!

Money for such ‘free lunches’ had to come from somewhere. Someone had to pay for them. The food material in turn had to be harvested.

Only God can create something out of nothing. However, we’re still made in His image and likeness and are capable of doing the next best thing.

Then again, must be nice living in a developed country where free lunches are made with little effort and your definition of poor fits the definition of middle class in this one.

Further, you are being recompensed for your time. You are not sacrificing anything by going to work, technically speaking.

Yeah sure, tell that to the voice in my head who’s saying I could be writing my fanfic or reading some manga instead of writing corporate blogs.

In a general context, there is much less to gain in a spiritual sense by just going to your job, than there is in giving of what you have to someone who may not be able to rise up out of their position without help.

Who’s putting words in someone’s mouth?

Again, I have nothing against helping someone stand up.
I have everything against those who REFUSE to stand up.

Unfortunately, you deny such people exist. Much worse, you make the assumption about people who live in a country you’ve never set foot in and think a sizable portion of them don’t fit that description. Want some pics? There’s plenty of carinderias where I am filled with guys who spend their earnings getting themselves drunk and smoking their lungs out.

If the old woman in the Bible can give HER LAST TWO PENNIES to help others, I would wager you and I can give at least a little without lapsing into fish-shaking, soap-box-standing screeds of how the unwashed, unworking masses need to get off their lazy duffs and git’r’done!

Nice. Read off the script of your typical First-World suburbanite.

I see your emoticons, and raise you a: :yawn: :yawn:

 

[Hadrianus]

answers please…

And if so… Why do I feel guilty whenever I work hard to earn my own success.
Everytime I study hard, or work hard, or try to preserve money, or go in a state of pure mental focus (“beast-mode”… as I call it) Or work aggresively towards a successful future, I feel bad because I feel selfish…

I understand that everyone has their own vocation, but seriously… In this capitalist society, the main motivation is money, wealth and prosperity. I am not gonna lie, that has always been my main motivation to succeed… But how can one reconcile this with Catholicism? I am begginign to feel that faith is making me weak, making me submissive and making me less and **less driven to do anything in life. ** but instead sit around and pray and be passive about everything else and it makes me feel like a helpess animal… helpless about my own future, helpless about how I can impact the world and its as if that I cannot dictate my own terms on my own life…

I am not saying that God doesnt play a role because he certainly plays a very big one… he is the one that provides the oppurtunities and it is up to the individual to grab it, and grab it aggresively if they can.

I have always grown up to believe that life is what you make of it, and that life is like an empty slate and YOU have to paint it…

I am starting to get confused… The more “faithful” I have become, the less I ambitious I have been… As if I had lost my drive to do anything good for myself. I have lost almsot all of my competetive drive… this is the reason why I sometimes want to walk out on the faith… because I feel that it is putting a limit on my own personal success as far as being self made is concerned.

I am not the type of guy to naturally sit around and wait for oppurtunities (or miracles) to fall out from the sky. I have always beleived that OPPURTUNITY must be created and seized…

I have always brought myself up in this philosophy that I must be proactive to survive in the world and I must do my best to paint own future with my own two hands… ( but I am not also saying that God doesnt play a role because he certainly does).

And I am not gonna lie, I do want to be rich a couple of years from now (Im in my early 20s) which is the exact reason why I am killing myself with all this schooling in university. a comfortable life, brought about by money, has and always will be the prime motivation of success in any capitalist society… but how do you really balance it?

Like who doesnt want a good life? Honestly… and quite frankly money does play a key role in life’s happiness.

Help me… I am really confused. My journey back with the faith has caused me a complete identity crisis.

Simple answer to your question: No. None of your desires are wrong in themselves. At the same time it must be said that if you feel wrong about them, it maybe that God is calling you to something higher. But this is a question of discernment and cannot be answered by a forum like this. To consider such a question you would need a spiritual director.

 

[Lochias]

Money for such ‘free lunches’ had to come from somewhere. Someone had to pay for them. The food material in turn had to be harvested.

Only God can create something out of nothing. However, we’re still made in His image and likeness and are capable of doing the next best thing.

Then again, must be nice living in a developed country where free lunches are made with little effort and your definition of poor fits the definition of middle class in this one.

Yeah sure, tell that to the voice in my head who’s saying I could be writing my fanfic or reading some manga instead of writing corporate blogs.

Who’s putting words in someone’s mouth?

Again, I have nothing against helping someone stand up.
I have everything against those who REFUSE to stand up.

Unfortunately, you deny such people exist. Much worse, you make the assumption about people who live in a country you’ve never set foot in and think a sizable portion of them don’t fit that description. Want some pics? There’s plenty of carinderias where I am filled with guys who spend their earnings getting themselves drunk and smoking their lungs out.

Nice. Read off the script of your typical First-World suburbanite.

I see your emoticons, and raise you a: :yawn: :yawn:

I think we’re just talking past each other here, and I don’t see much use in continuing to do so on this topic. Have a good one.