Living the Deliberate Life

While the natural moral law does address moral issues (what's right and wrong), it also leads us to live fully human lives. This was the good news that I shared this past weekend with our diocesan Lay Formation Institute students and deacon aspirants. I think this knowledge gives us a new vision of morality. Most people view morality with a bit of trepidation, like a child looks at her parents' house rules. Rules are limitations on our freedom that we don't want to get caught breaking. The Catholic moral tradition tells us that the moral law is given to us by God to guide us to true human fulfillment.

Human beings are endowed with an intellect and a will. We have the power to truly understand the world around us, to see the natural and even the supernatural meaning imbued in Creation and in our own actions. We also have the freedom to determine our own personality and ultimately our own eternal destiny.

To live a truly human life means to live deliberate lives. This means that we

• examine our lives
• seek meaning
• control our emotions and our desires so we can choose whether it is best to act on them or to suppress them
  
• analyze influences on our choices and choose whether or not to be swayed by them
• truly know ourselves
• truly know others (intimacy)
• form our character through our choices
• grow in virtue
• choose the good for others (philios - love)
• choose to offer ourselves as gift to others (agape - love)
  

This is certainly not an exhaustive list. However, I think this list shows how the natural law leads us to truly fulfilled human lives.

Living this way requires effort. It requires exercising our intellect by reading, dialogging with others, writing and studying. It requires strengthening our will through the exercise of self-control, careful planning (prudence), and being conscious of the choices we make.

Read more about living a deliberate life

• The Foundation for Critical Thinking advocates strengthening the intellect and will through careful thinking and study
  
  
• Read our Squidoo lens about natural law
  
  
• Read how natural law leads us to become more human in the Library
  
  
• Listen to Matthew Kelly telling you how to become the best version of yourself by buying his audio CD from the From the Abbey online Catholic bookstore.

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