An Interesting Juxtaposition

From Pat Archbold at the National Catholic Register, How the West Was Done:

I feel like a Roman at the end of the empire watching the whole thing going down and remarking simply, "Duh!"

Of all the articles I read this weekend on this topic, only one actually explained the real reason for the collapse of Europe (and eventually the entire west including the U.S.). It is all because we are spoiled and selfish. We have lived way beyond our means for generations.

And via The Anchoress, with a longer quote, comes then-Cardinal Ratzinger on how to find fulfillment:

A fantasy [that people have, of possessing] property takes no account of the fact that, for the great majority of mankind, life is a struggle. On those grounds I would see this idea of choosing one’s own path in life as a selfish attitude and as a waste of one’s vocation. Anyone who thinks he already has it all, so that he can take what he wants and center everything on himself is depriving himself of giving what he otherwise could.

And what I'm listening to right now--Rich Mullins from his album The World As Best As I Remember It, Vol. 2:

And we both feel lost,
But I remember what Susan said,
How love is found in the things we've given up
More than in the things we have kept.
And ain't it funny what people say,
And ain't it funny what people write,
And ain't it funny how it hits you so hard
In the middle of the night.
And if your home is just another place where you're a stranger
And far away is just somewhere you've never been
I hope that you'll remember, I was your friend.