Man is a microcosm

Man is a microcosm. As we perceive, so we desire. As we desire, so we do. As we do, so we become. And as we become, so we effect the world. And the world, in turn, shapes our perception. And so on. The fail safe switch in that cyclical process is our free will, our choice.

When we choose to fast, pray, and do acts of charity, we change ourselves and thus the world around us. And when we choose not to fast, pray, and do acts of charity, we also change ourselves and thus the world around us. The difference is not in the world but in ourselves.

I would be interested in any comments.

is that your post was very Renaissance in nature, in that it evokes a sense of man's place in the cosmos that is expressed by many Renaissance writers!

I would be interested in knowing more about how you see free will as the fail switch in the process.

cradlerc wrote:is that your post was very Renaissance in nature, in that it evokes a sense of man's place in the cosmos that is expressed by many Renaissance writers!

I would be interested in knowing more about how you see free will as the fail switch in the process.

This is why we must always strive to cling to the Gospel and the Truth of Christ rather than the latest nuttiness of the world. Commendable actions, such as fasting, but then fasting for the wrong reason can change the world in a bad way.

You are absolutely, 100% correct. Also, understanding why you are fasting and praying is just as important. If the focus is on "moving toward God", the rest will take care of itself. We each have the ability to change history, what a gift!

The only thing that confused me was "microcosim". Usally the word means that something on a small scale reflects something of a larger scale. Can you clarify?

The small scale is ourselves, man. Seemingly inconsequential.

And yet the large scale is how we can impact the world, either beneficially or negatively. That is within our grasp. And it is all based on how we perceive, desire, do and become.

Sorry to be critical of your linguistic skills. Microcosm is also defined as a "little" world. My bad. I really did like your post. I cut and paste it into a Word Doc. :cheers: