The spiriotual life is kind of like a video game

[workinprogress]

…in that the way of perfection involves going through the areas of most resistance when given the choice. Usually, the easiest way would lead to certain doom (though you could be given an extra life, like confession without the repentance and ego debasing). The hard way could kill you (especially without assistance of things or characters, which could be compared to grace), but the kind of death analogous to the spiritual life would not be certain death. You can find shortcuts, but they often involve troubling yourself, a sacrifice, to get to it. St. Therese of Liseaux had to lose her ego to go about loving others by doing small things and by being so selfless–but that was her shortcut to almost perfection (she is a saint and probably went to heaven). Games do have cheats and codes. Some, like St. Francis of Assisi, did get a wake up call from God like few others in history. We can’t really seek these out. It’s not healthy to try and it does not build character in the game (provioded the game itself isn’t detrimental to one’s moral character). It takes away a lot of the hard work and sacrifice as well as virtues like hope and patience. You don’t get the character development and brain strengthening from solving puzzles. It does take some sacrifice to get these codes and cheats, especially Game Genie and Game Shark codes, in that money must be spent for those. Cheats takes some fancy fingerwork. Still, robbing a bank to get money you haven’t earned also requires some sacrifices so not all sacrifices are for good things. Of course, some cheats and codes can be ok when you get to make the characters’ heads big or tiny–as long as it doesn’t takle away from what good one can get from a wholesome game like Super Mario Brothers or Donkey Kong Country games (the kinds I am thinking of when writing this with the exception of the racing games where you cheat with projectiles and slippery things).
The only thing these video games don’t have is a kind of divine providence (unless the game’s program is like a cold, mechanical ruler over things), but most games don’t have a theology to them. You just have to take what you can get when making some analogies. I’m sure more can be made such as doing a tricky stunt to find a room of bananas, power-ups or coins (kind of like graces but not acquired through faithful pleas in games)

 

[rayne89]

work(name removed by moderator)rogress:

…in that the way of perfection involves going through the areas of most resistance when given the choice. Usually, the easiest way would lead to certain doom (though you could be given an extra life, like confession without the repentance and ego debasing). The hard way could kill you (especially without assistance of things or characters, which could be compared to grace), but the kind of death analogous to the spiritual life would not be certain death.

You can find shortcuts, but they often involve troubling yourself, a sacrifice, to get to it. St. Therese of Liseaux had to lose her ego to go about loving others by doing small things and by being so selfless–but that was her shortcut to almost perfection (she is a saint and probably went to heaven).

Games do have cheats and codes. Some, like St. Francis of Assisi, did get a wake up call from God like few others in history. We can’t really seek these out. It’s not healthy to try and it does not build character in the game (provioded the game itself isn’t detrimental to one’s moral character). It takes away a lot of the hard work and sacrifice as well as virtues like hope and patience. You don’t get the character development and brain strengthening from solving puzzles.

It does take some sacrifice to get these codes and cheats, especially Game Genie and Game Shark codes, in that money must be spent for those. Cheats takes some fancy fingerwork. Still, robbing a bank to get money you haven’t earned also requires some sacrifices so not all sacrifices are for good things.

Of course, some cheats and codes can be ok when you get to make the characters’ heads big or tiny–as long as it doesn’t takle away from what good one can get from a wholesome game like Super Mario Brothers or Donkey Kong Country games (the kinds I am thinking of when writing this with the exception of the racing games where you cheat with projectiles and slippery things).

The only thing these video games don’t have is a kind of divine providence (unless the game’s program is like a cold, mechanical ruler over things), but most games don’t have a theology to them. You just have to take what you can get when making some analogies. I’m sure more can be made such as doing a tricky stunt to find a room of bananas, power-ups or coins (kind of like graces but not acquired through faithful pleas in games)

Ya need to separate into paragraphs, other wise it’s harder to read.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

You obviously have a great love for video games. Did you ask a question?http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

 

[workinprogress]

Actually, I do play them occasionally. I did love them at one time but I fell away for a time. I haven’t played Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong Country for some years. I just remember some things about them. I was not asking anything, but just trying to say something one might meditate upon…especially video game players. I try to be positive too, but I watched too much Crossfire (and related tv and radio shows) on tv and tend to rant. I have to understand that as much as many at the top are not being fair to us, we are just as much if not probably more unfair to God. It can be healthy to turn off this stuff time to time, stop projecting your own problems on others and rant against yourself. God will always be able to do a better job of it, but we can inflict some tiny bit of God’s anger at our sins and justice at the end of our lives or time while living now.

 

[workinprogress]

Actually, I do play them occasionally. I did love them at one time but I fell away for a time. I haven’t played Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong Country for some years. I just remember some things about them. I was not asking anything, but just trying to say something one might meditate upon…especially video game players. I try to be positive too, but I watched too much Crossfire (and related tv and radio shows) on tv and tend to rant. I have to understand that as much as many at the top are not being fair to us, we are just as much if not probably more unfair to God. It can be healthy to turn off this stuff time to time, stop projecting your own problems on others and rant against yourself. God will always be able to do a better job of it, but we can inflict some tiny bit of God’s anger at our sins and justice at the end of our lives or time while living now.