Choice: Friend or Foe?

About four months ago, I watched a documentary by famed or infamous documentarian Michael Moore. It was on capitalism. It was called “Capitalism: A Love Story”. I watched it, and I also invited friends over to watch it at my home. I think I am not afraid to say that I was a socialist for about 4 minutes after watching that film. The problem is: socialism is not the answer either. What the film critiqued was not so much capitalism, but corporatism. Socialism has its shortcomings, like forced or involuntary charity and enabling the culture of dependency or entitlement. But, capitalism surely has its shortcomings as well, like greed, jealousy, the exploitation of the working class to deepen the pockets of the rich and privileged. The gap between the haves and the have not’s continues to widen. This was what Leo XIII described in his encyclical on labor, Rerum Novarum. Leo XIII wrote, “To this must be added that the hiring of labor and the conduct of trade are concentrated in the hands of comparatively few; so that a small number of very rich men have been able to lay upon the teeming masses of the laboring poor a yoke little better than that of slavery itself.” But, he made it clear; socialism is not the answer either. In conversations with friends, the point was made that it was a good thing that we have choice. We can choose our destinies. We don’t have to fall in the same trade that our ancestors did. We can make or break our own futures. We just need to be willing to work hard. Capitalism is a brainchild of Protestant thought, and is rooted in the Protestant work ethic. But, is choice really a friend? Or is it a foe for too many people?

How does the idea that you can do whatever you want, really help us to succeed in life? What is the measuring stick for success? Is it having 2.3 children, a dog, 4 cars, a 4 bedroom home, and a swimming pool? Is that success? Perhaps it is having a wall full of diplomas, and a nice fat bank account. I had theorized that choice is less a friend as it is an enemy disguised as a friend. I know too many folks whom I graduated high school with. They had so many options, so many choices. Many of them changed their majors 3-5 times in college. Many of them dropped out. It seems as though too many folks leap before they look, anything to keep them busy for a few years, while they try to figure things out. God knows in some way this was true for me. I finished my bachelors, on time. I wanted to do school psychology so I immediately applied for a master’s program which would fulfill the credential program, and I graduated in three years due to a one year break. Now here I am no closer to a serious and stable career than I was before my masters. Okay, perhaps that is being too hard on myself.

I don’t think what should be cultivated is a sense of unlimited choice for young people. What ought to be cultivated is a sense that we are given certain God-given talents. Not all of us are good with numbers or language or customer service, or whatever else. So, what is needed is for young people to figure out what they are really good at, enthused about, and to find the educational pathways which would ensure that goal. For many fields, one does not even need to go to college. For example, if a young man wants to be a rock star, the last thing he needs is a music degree. He needs to make good music that the people will be attracted to, and promote like crazy. Being able to write about the history of western musical tradition, in MLA format, will not bring him even close to his goal.

Too many choices and options, I believe, have left too many folks lazy and unwilling to commit to a clear and stable pathway that leads to a secure career which would be able to sustain a good-sized Catholic family. I am sure you can find many talks on how to achieve this from many Catholic speakers, apologists, and evangelists. I don’t claim to have all the answers. Every situation is different. Find your own answers. The first step is recognizing the problem.

Not too long ago I was speaking with some friends of mine. One of them was sharing his fear about his career goals. My response to him was this: If you believe your vocation is to get married, and you know the expectations and duties of that vocation is to love and serve your wife, and to raise however many children God will bless you with, then your love for your future spouse would be sufficient to light a fire under your @$$ so you will get in gear. Set goals, figure out what steps lead to those goals, and start working on them. At the very least, this will get people to be more deliberate about their long-term goals. Start cutting out the non-essentials in your life, especially those things which will not help you get to Heaven. Start doing the things that will, and the things which will secure a more comfortable life for your spouse and children. And so, think less about the endless possibilities, and focus on what is reasonable.

God Bless,

Laurence G.