He was raised Catholic, but he is no longer a believer. He is a Stoic, a practitioner of Vipassana meditation and a biohacker. He is 43, unmarried, and childless.
This concept of the good life without God and with constant discipline leaves little room for marriage and parenthood. Family life is a constant disruption. Secular monkhood requires a strict regimen. It’s good for a man to be alone.
400 years before Christ, Plato wrote of two horses in the human heart, Reason and Passion.
Passion is the untamed horse brimming with boundless strength and energy, but very hard to control and direct. Reason is the tamed horse, accustomed to the reins, disciplined in stride and responding to directions. If Passion and Reason can be paired, then the powerful energy is harnessed, and the journey of life can be enjoyed.
In today's reading, Saint James says we should be doers of the word and not hearers only. This is the prescription for a life in balance. Hearing God’s word and doing it, especially in our family. A life well lived is a life lived for others, a life of spiritual strength and commitment, a life of Passion and Reason; a life of hearing the Word of God and doing it.
