The most unsuitable thoughts can have a way of popping into our heads during the most dignified occasions. For a good number of years, any formal dinner would have me obsessed with watching television, and going to church would make me crave a cigarette. I suspect the sense that I was being "forced" to fulfill some tedious duty was an excuse to stubbornly dwell upon an instant gratification.
I could also blame the Devil for my temptations, of course, but wherever that itch is coming from, I am the only one who decides if I will scratch it. Why might I call it such a great sacrifice to give an hour to honor my own family, or to praise the Almighty? In the end, our habits won't change if our priorities won't change—the more we choose to value it, the more we will gladly endure to achieve it.
In other words, when I truly recognize it as a duty, I will no longer consider it to be tedious.
So Francis prays on a Sunday because he judges his character to be most important. And Tom gambles on a Sunday because he judges his passions to be most important. Given, once again, that they have both been handed the same opportunities, there is no getting around their personal responsibility as the root cause.
Some of my students have tried to defend Tom, and I an actually quite sympathetic. Perhaps Francis and Tom have different temperaments, or they were raised under different conditions? We all have our peculiar inclinations, and our environment will indeed impose incredible obstacles: could we not show a bit more compassion to Tom, and perhaps teach him gently before callously casting him aside?
I wholeheartedly agree, for we should offer forgiveness not once, not twice, but seventy by seven times, just as it is only through our own patient understanding that we can inspire others to understand. Nevertheless, there is little to be done for someone who absolutely refuses to be helped, and there is a vast difference between the man who falls down and the man who won't get back up.
I know the burden of a bad habit all too well, yet I also know the power of a good habit to lighten the load. Despite the inertia, changing the direction of my life begins with a purity of intention, and great oaks from little acorns grow.
Having been there myself, I do not think it unfair to say that Tom fails to be good because he still doesn't want to be good.
I do not agree with those who claim there are certain "criminal types" who are beyond any chance of reform, mainly because I do not subscribe to their view of a man as a mere machine. Where there is a good will, my redemption is always possible, but I condemn myself when I obstinately cling to my vices.
The politicians will blame the economy, and the therapists will blame your mother, and the doctors will try to sell you a little pill. In the meantime, those of common sense will recognize why fiddling with the circumstances is never enough. Ultimately, we will all have to be accountable for ourselves.
So there can be no doubt concerning the gravity of Tom's choices, Hogarth presents an especially vivid scene. Tom isn't just skipping church, he is gambling. He isn't just gambling, he is cheating at the game of hustle-cap. He isn't just cheating, he is doing so on a tombstone.
One would think that being surrounded by bones might offer him a clue. . . .
Proverbs 19:29
Judgments are prepared for scorners
and stripes for the back of Fools
No comments:
Post a Comment