The real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial. Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he or she chooses—repentance is a gift of God. The ancient Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to truly repentant. How is this basic question about the “can” in the morally crucial use of “He can do otherwise” to be resolved? Only a few, admittedly feeble, hints can be given here. First, the idea that this “can” is conditional possibility seems extremely dubious, since this sense of the word is pretty clearly a contrived one, not mentioned even in unabridged dictionaries and thus hardly one that, like the “cam” of ability and opportunity, is likely to be used in the familiar, everyday, morally compelling assessment of free, responsible actions. Second, the less forceful way and therefore far more tempting claim—that it is at any rate naïve or unreasonable to describe an action as free if it is conditionally impossible for the agent to have done otherwise—seems very unsatisfactory when it is carefully pressed. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

A critique of not reason but of consciousness is needed. To think of free actions as differing from unfree ones in being conditionally undetermined is to make the very notion of a free action practically useless, since any question that might arise about the freedom of a given act would presumably then have to be settled by a fairly hopeless hunt for causes in the jungles of neurology. For another thing, to conceive of free actions in this way is to sever their ties with those complex principles of personal responsibility that incline us to excuse, rather than emphatically condemn, the kindly antiquated parson who (we might imagine) suddenly, spontaneously, and without cause wills to, and does, brain the infant he is baptizing. The last point really seems to go to the heart of the matter: To conceive of free actions as conditionally physically indeterminate actions is to conceive of them in too naturalistic a way. After all, the very identity of an action—think of promising or murdering—is determined not just by the physical movements involved but also by a complex system of rules, laws, and so forth. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

Since it is the application of such rule concepts that distinguishes actions involving the same physical movements—murder and defensive or punitive acts—the basic vocabulary of action descriptions is essentially normative to a very large extent. (Actually, the vocabulary of action description is “intentional” in a way in which “scientific” language presumably is not.) Because the “can” in the morally crucial claim “He can do otherwise” plainly belongs to the family of words specifically used in connection with human actions, there is an inescapable force to the claim, made by many contemporary philosophers, that to identify this sense of the word with “conditional physical possibility” is to confuse a practical, largely normative “can” with an aseptic, scientific, theoretical one and thus to misconceive drastically the purpose, point, and import of the familiar, nontechnical statement “His action was one done freely.” This critique would make it clear that human experience is not the self-consciousness of an Absolute subject. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

The subjects must be a plurality because to exist—to be conscious—is to be reciprocally related to an other; and an others, to be truly other to the subject, must be like the subject. Reciprocity is possible only because each individual is conscious of an Absolute Object that is the ground of his or her likeness to the other, and the ground also of mutual otherness. The objectivity of consciousness is manifested empirically in the fact that we inhabit one common World; but this empirical community is a posteriori and always remains problematical. That the World of different observers is one World must be taken on faith; and this faith is justified only when the observers actually succeed in reaching agreement. The real World is the result, not the condition, of this agreement. The priori principle, in which our experience of a common World is grounded, is called God. Thus, concrete consciousness is the immanence of God, the absolutely unique Object, in a plurality of reciprocally related subjects. This proves not that God exists but that Being is. If the Absolute Being existed, it would necessarily be in relation with its own other; but if it has an other, it is not Absolute. #RadnolphHarris 4 of 9

Being is existence. Being is one that exists. Being is one’s essential nature. Viewed as the past, the Object is knowable as Truth; as present, it is sensible as Beauty; and as future, it can be willed as Good. Thus, we might describe the Object in secular terms as real time. Real time differs from pure form of succession in that its moments are not successive but mutually immanent: no experience is absolutely past or present or future; whatever can be cognized can also be appreciated or willed, and vice versa. Spirituality is an interior valuative activity of the human existent, not a category of being. Values can be realized, communicated, and related only within the diverse dimensions consequent to the process of self-distinction. History is a realm of incarnate ideality, the sole locus of value. This incarnation of spirituality proves that the World, while it makes possible the realization of values, disperses rather than integrates them. A principle of the integration of value is needed. This principle cannot lie in spiritual activity itself, for in that case it would become the norm of those values and hence could not establish their transcendentality. God is this transcendent and transcendental principle of the integrity of values. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

The first manifestation of this integrity is to be found in the concrete unity of the incarnate human person. The World and God become the twin poles between which the human person mediates and, in the process of mediation, creates both its own selfhood and the concrete locus of the integrity of all values. Yet, many people, especially those with chronic relationship issues, were deeply affected by family violence when they were growing up. Physical and emotional abuse is committed by fathers and mothers and by older siblings. Such abuse creates lasting traumatic emotional scars, especially when it is severe, chronic, and in addition to or only being sadistic. The victim of family violence may develop patterns in his or her adult relationships that mirror the behavior of the original abuser or reproduce the child’s fearfulness and compliance. Adult survivors of family violence may use a threatening, aggressive style to maintain distance when they are in a couple relationship, or else they may distance by seeming to accommodate their partner’s wishes and needs (while actually absent at the deeper levels of emotion connection). #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

Being impacted by traumatic losses, for example, the death or disappearance of one parent; the loss of a house, community, or extended family due to political upheaval, natural disaster (supply shock), or job loss; or the sudden loss of parental attention when a new child enters the family or when parents find a new partner—you may not have realized it, but these things can create disturbing feelings that arise. Through philosophy, you can use your past to strengthen, not to debilitate, yourself. Being sexually abused, for example, being sexually molested by a parent or other adult caregiver, or an older sibling, or a trusted person in the community; or witnessing the sexual abuse of others is hard to deal with especially if they take photographs and share them. There is really no point in going back to relive painful memories unless you can work with your past to build a better present. We do not always get that message. However, when you do not get everything you need, the deprivation can help you to become very resourceful. You learn some great survival skills, like not passively waiting for someone to save you. No matter who are what we are, God restores us to right standing with Himself.  #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

Everyone is in some degree influenced by the love of power. However, sometimes we will face the most miserable years that one can ever imagine and live a generally agonized life. We might become unknown socially, ideologically, even stylistically antipathetic to the fashionable literary World. We might experience poverty, be desperately lonely, and because of our irregular eating habits, almost permanently dyspeptic. Religious doubts can quickly darken into unbelief, and we might experience a spiritual crisis. However, this is the time when we should draw closer to God and He will be a hero to our faith. Doubt of any sort cannot be removed except by Action. Conviction is worthless until it is converted into activity, mere speculation is an endless, formless, a vortex amid vortices with a gravitational field so intense that no happiness or love can reach us. Life becomes a place where people or things, especially money, disappear without a trace. Therefore, one must do the duty which lies nearst thee…Work while it is called T0-day; for the Night cometh wherein no one can work. Choose a time of day when you can talk to someone, or go for a walk, or watch a movie, or do anything else that would be soothing if building faith stirs up too much intensity. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

Going back in time is difficult work when you are looking at painful experiences. Proceed at a safe pace and use your favorite self-soothing practices, which do not include drugs, violence, the sex, nor liquor, to protect yourself. Keep in mind that you are no longer a child, and you have choices that you did not have back then. Do not allow the people around you to stir up needless suffering. Take a few minutes to relax your body and mind and think about something that makes you happy. This could be something as simple and putting your feet up and watching The Wendy Show, or sports team, or going for a walk with your best friend or dog, or making a cake. Take the time to visualize all the details of this happy picture. For example, if your happy image is taking a walk with your best friend, remember how good it felt when he hugged you and your felt his tall, thin torso, or how happy it made you when he grabbed your hand. Or how good it felt when the new girl in school sat next to you and said you were cute. Notice how the air feels. Is it warm or cool? What do you see, hear and what is their fragrance like? What do you notice that tells you others are having a good time, too? How does your body feel? Are you smiling? Singing or talking to your friend?  #RandolphHarris 9 of 9