Simplicity

A few years back I discovered something called the Chaos Theory or Butterfly Effect. I'm no mathematician or physicist but here's how I understand it. Certain things or rather certain systems in nature that on the surface appear random, chaotic or disordered actually are not. It seems that minute changes in the initial formation of these phenomena cause such wide variations to appear that it seems they are random when if fact they are not. Got that? Any way it goes to show two points that I would like to discuss. First, things are not always as they appear. The second point is that you usually get to the truth when you discover the simplest part of something. One of the things that strikes me about these new breed of atheist scientists and what I call modern liberalism (it may be called something else by others) is how sure of themselves they are. It appears to them, that for at least the past few thousand years that man has been getting it wrong and that finally they have it right. There is this intellectual arrogance that seeks the debate only on limited terms and considers many things that believers do as folly. This mindset has permeated and anchored itself in our education systems. There are many things we take for granted in the recesses of our mind as true. Here are a few. Science is the only real source of truth. If you can't prove it scientifically then it can't be true. This belief is second nature to most of all of us. Miracles can't really happen. Faith, religion, and philosophy are not to enter in the arena with science. A book I would recommend is by Anthony Rizzi, The Science Before Science. Science left unbridled will venture into areas that can be destructive and dangerous and leave us with unthinkable moral dilemmas. We are producing little scientists from an early age who have been taught that God is outside the realm of the scientific. If we continue on this path the world is going to become a scary place. Catholicism has produced great minds throughout the ages who have ventured into all the realms of science and philosophy. They continue to do so today. Have we become so smart that we can eliminate God from the equation? I once went to dinner with this extremely successful salesman. He was in his 70's, had been with the company for over 40 years and was now in this role of an ambassador traveling to meet neophytes around the country to share his knowledge and skills. My wife and I sat at the dinner table while he querried us about Louisiana. He moved the conversation to the topic of the "Bible Belt" and about our belief in Christianity. He then told me he was an atheist. He was formely Jewish but had come to the realization that he no longer believed in his faith. I said I guess your ancestors had "got it wrong for those thousands of years". I went on to say how sad it must be that you he had nothing to look forward to after this life of success. I told him I was glad I had something be hopeful for. Things don't always appear as they seem. St. Paul reminds us to"...fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen." During the 20th Century men fixed their eyes only on this world. Thus sprouted the dozens of "isms' that wreaked havoc on the world and still do. Marxism, Socialism, Communism, Facism, Nazis, Secular Humanism, Liberalism, Capitalism, Consumerism, Nihilism, Moral Relativism and on and on. Lest we forget that the carnage left after all of these brilliant ideas (or at least they appeared brilliant)were put in effect was some estimated 170 million deaths to people for what they did or didn't believe. Another legacy is a society that shrugs its shoulders at God and morality. We have slid very far in the 50+ years I been walking this planet. How did we become so smart? I really don't know. My second point has to do with simplicity. I have come to believe that when you "whittle down" all the superficial stuff you get to the truth. In psychology of which I have been a student of for many years, the skilled therapist has to get to the truth about one's thoughts and feelings. We humans build these facades. We have both our own perception and the perception that others have of us. In some case we build these large complex and dynamic mechanisms that allow us to cope with things. It is only when we are able to strip the the layers, that we can discover who the real person is. Anybody who knows basic chemistry can tell you that by understanding the atom the very basic unit of matter we can better understand the why a substance does such a thing and what are it's characteristics. In athletics, we know that there are simple basic muscle movements that are essential in building strength and speed. In the Gospel of St. Luke 10:21 Jesus speaks In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. The reason the truths about God are not obvious to many is that they cannot see the simple. They are used to looking at all the window dressing. If you were to put your face up to touch your computer screen you couldn't read these words. Back up several inches and they come into focus. The truth is that we have to take a step back. We have to shut out all the junk that surrounds our lives, only then can we begin to see "these things that are hidden..." Quiet, contemplative time alone with your Creator allows Him to reveal Himself. It is as simple as that.