No class this Sunday. We will meet again the following Sunday, May 22.
Last time, we had our "Boys Only" class meeting with Mr. Lee Harrison's able assistance. Most of what we discussed wasn't in the workbook, but here are some of the key points.
- The world proposes an idea of "perfect" that is both false and un-achievable. It's focused on looks, money, enjoyment, and taking what you can get. It leads to people using each other instead of loving each other.
- The world's proposal for men specifically is to take and conquer and dominate.
- But if you stop to think about it, toddlers are all about "me, me, me" and grabbing all the stuff they can. So the world's idea of perfect is a counterfeit: being buff on the outside but a toddler on the inside.
- Being a man means maturing past that and having the strength to really love, to give and not just to take.
- A real man will neither use others nor allow himself to be used.
- It takes virtue -- striving for human excellence, forming habits of knowing and choosing the good -- to have the freedom to love.
- There is a real battle between these two ideals -- What kind of man do you want to be? Think about what the one perfect man, Christ, was like.
- The class handout, "The Simply Irresistible Virtuous Man," was compiled from surveys of young women (see Assignment). The idea is not that you must first achieve perfection! What is attractive is the man who is striving to live out these virtues.
- Why does the world place such a burden of perfect fulfillment on romantic relationships? It's because people have a strong innate desire / need for perfect and transcendent love, and the love of man & woman -- husband & wife -- IS a true sign of that perfect and transcendent love. The sign is a powerful one, and the world mistakes the sign for the reality.
- Please see the resources list below for links to the SEAL article and other books and articles mentioned in class.
Quote to ponder:
"It all comes down to one simple question: In your life as a man, will you conquer the woman for yourself, or will you conquer yourself for the sake of the woman?
The difference tells you whether you are still a boy, or whether you have now become a man." ~ Jason Evert
Assignment:
Read the article "Take the Virtue Challenge" by Sarah Swafford. Consider which virtues you are strong on already, and select one to work on this week.
If you missed class or want to review:
See the key points and assignment above. Also, read the article "The SEAL Sensibility" from the Resources section below. Identify the key characteristic of the men who successfully complete the hardest military training in the world. Is it what you expected?
Resources:
TOB For Teens Workbook "When to end a relationship?" -- p. 171, for guys.
"The SEAL Sensibility" by Eric Greitens
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships by Sarah Swafford
Future class schedule:
22 May -- class
29 May -- class
05 June -- Final class