Rosalie Colie's Paradoxia Epidemica

According to the Random House College Dictionary, a paradox is defined as 1) a

statement or proposition seemingly self-contradictory or absurd, but in reality expressing

a possible truth; 2) any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory

nature. Writer Rosalie Colie in "Paradoxia Epidemica" states: "The one element

common to all paradox is their exploitation of the fact of relative or competing value

systems. The paradox is always somehow involved in challenging some orthodoxy.

The paradox is oblique criticism of absolute judgment or absolute convention."

This reading is one of my all time favorites. I've received it numerous times via

email and each time I read it, it makes
me ponder over it's analogies once more.

One of the numerous verses that affect me is the statement referring to having bigger

houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. My husband and I only

have 2 children after agreeing we would only have a child. I ended up with twins so that

choice was taken of my hands. We live in an almost 3000 sq. ft. house and the twins are

now living on their own. We often discuss buying a larger house; our dream home now

that we don't have the expense of caring for our sons. (They chose not to go to college

but went straight into the Air Force so since we didn't have to pay for their college, we

purchased their cars for them). We still help them out from time to time but the greatest

expense of caring for them was lifted once they left. The house we live in now is quite

adequate for our needs. With both of us working full time and attending college full

time, neither of us have too much free time to enjoy our house anyway. And, with all

the convenience technology has given us, I still find myself wondering where did the day

go and what did I accomplish today?

Another favorite of mine is: "We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast,

get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV

too much, and pray too seldom". Guilty as charged. I am a shopaholic, find very little in

life to laugh about, definitely drive too fast and get road rage too often, stay up way too

late most nights and then wake up tired.
I used to read a book a night. Now, unless I'm

reading for one of my classes, I hardly ever read but I do find time to watch plenty of

junk on the television. I did make a New Year's resolution to start each day off with

prayer. I haven't kept that promise on a daily basis but I do pray much more than

I used too. I pray most mornings but not every morning as I resolved to do.

I believe a large part of the lifestyle we've chosen stems from the fact that we lack

contentment. I once heard a story about a man who overheard his servant remarking in

the kitchen that if she only had five pounds she would be perfectly content. Pondering her

statement he decided he would like to see someone who was perfectly content, so he went

to the woman and told her he had overheard what she'd said in the kitchen, and he wanted

to do something about it. He gave her a five pound note for which she thanked him very

gratefully. He went out the door of the kitchen, and paused there unknown to her, and as

soon as the servant thought he had gone she complained: "Why on earth didn't I ask for

10 pounds"? I believe a lack of contentment is exactly why Carlin writes:
"We've

learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've conquered outer space but not inner space. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted

the soul".

I conclude with a quote from Philippians 4:11: "Not that I speak in respect of want:

for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content".