In this video, I learned that every action that we do has an immediate and a long term consequence. These actions shape us to the person we are becoming. We perform actions that either build up our character or destroy it. I also learned about “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” We can’t perform actions that are bad then convince ourselves that we are still good people inside because these actions affect our being. Pope John Paul said that we cannot engage in manipulative, superficial, trivial and dangerous sexual behaviour without it affecting our character; it affects our interiority- who we are. The problem of the youth now-a-days is that they often engage in sexual behaviours thinking that it is part of a loving relationship or commitment when in fact, it is not. Dr. Sax says that the “hook up” have enormous negative effects especially for the youth. Because of this, they end up suffering from emotional instability. Dr. Sax also says that the youth gives in to peer- pressure because they are doing what everyone else is doing thinking that it is the right thing so they ignore their conscience when it tells them that what they are doing is wrong. I learned that I should always remember to ask myself before doing a moral action if this will either build up my character or undermine it because what we do becomes who we are.
This video helped me realize that I do have to take more consideration of my future self because the actions that I take now should actually benefit me in the future. I don't want to have to look back into my life and ask myself, "Where did I go wrong?" Nor do I want to have to placed into situations that I shouldn't be in had I been better in the past. It reminded me that I should actually think more seriously of what I do and don't do.
It is true that the youth today are getting more rowdy and I don't want to be put into that stereotype of getting crazy and giving into peer pressure. In fact, I want to be the opposite. I want to be serious in what I do and overcome peer pressure because it is not something that I should say 'yes' to in the first place. Just because everyone does it, it doesn't make it right - and this is exactly what I live by. A lot of people experience these life changing moments like depression or pregnancy... and all I think is "Why do people want to go down this road?" I know I don't, and it bothers me that people don't seem to think of the consequences after they do the action. All they think about is how they feel during, which is extremely stupid because what you do NOW will ultimately reflect who you will be in the future.
I want to do the right things NOW so I don't have to make mistakes later. I want to know what is good so that I know what is wrong in the future. I have to remember that everything that I do should be a good result for my future self.I want to say NO to Gnosticism now so I don't give into it later. I know with strong morals, I can do it now. With good morals, I will be able to know what is wrong and what is right.
This video made me realize that everything I do today really does affect my future. I am responsible for all the actions I do. I like how Pope John Paul II made World Youth Day. It is true how the youth are drifting away from the Church and are starting to do immoral things. Pope John Paul II created the WYD so that the youth around the world will gather and be united. He created this for the youth to see the truth of the Church and to be united as one.
Every moral act that I do contributes to who I am and who I am going to be (long term) . Also, a moral act produces it's own immediate consequences. Everything I do defines who I am. All the different acts that I do will have an effect on my life. No matter how small my mistake, it will affect my life. Maybe that small mistake may save my life in the future by not committing it again.
A new term that I learned today would be "Gnosticism". Gnosticism is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority. We are not a dualistic hybrid but We are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that I am becoming." This talks about how our body helps us form our character and that everything we do affects our character. All the bad actions we do affect our character. For example, if we have premarital sex, one cannot say that he has done good because one knows deep inside that it affects him or her badly.
Peer pressure is one thing that affects everyone today. So many people give into peer pressure and that is one thing we shouldn't do. We should choose to do what we want and avoid the evil. I am one who does not give into peer pressure. I want to continue to do this so that my character will be built up. Just because everyone is doing it, it does not mean that I should do it. I should avoid all the things that will affect my character badly. We shape our own self, so if we want to be excellent, we must do everything excellently.
CESCA DEL ROSARIO IVC It is true that teenagers nowadays take sex for granted. They think that it doesn't affect them in the long run, but it does. As mentioned in the video, there is an immediate consequence and a long term result of the moral action you are doing. This long term result affects us in such a way that it shapes our character, our behavior, basically, the person we become. Now, doing things such as sex without respecting the true meaning of it, affects us as a person through different ways. It does not only involve our bodies but our spirit as well. Under the branch of Philosophy, it is known that there is a unity between body and soul. What affects the body, affects the should, and vice versa. Therefore, the things we do to our body, like having sex, affects our soul, our spirituality. People continually think that even if they do bad things, it's still okay because they are good people deep down inside, but this is not the case. There ideas about all of this are wrong.
This video is simple yet very informative. It explains clearly the meaning of what sexual expression really is and the boundaries between being a good person and actually doing good moral acts. People, especially the youth, should know that as time passes, and if they still continue to do the wrong things, it becomes a part of them. I've learned that even the smallest bad action can affect my character. I know that I have to do the right things in order to be a good person. I should walk the talk.
This commentary has helped me better understand the concept of how every moral act builds up or undermines my character. After thinking about it, I realized it is true. Every action of mine will either make me a better person or worse. Because of this, I should always consider the possible consequences and long-term effects that may happen due to a particular action. Also, through the help of God's grace, I'll be able to reshape my character.
I also learned about Gnosticism. I remember encountering this concept perhaps a year ago however I didn't quite understand it. Thanks to Fr. Barron, I have come to better understand that our bodies have somewhat two dimensions: spiritual and external. "The body is not affecting interiority. We are a union of spirit and matter. The body shapes the character that I am becoming."
Also, it is true that many of the youth are engaging in the "hook up" behavior. Even if certain people are engaged in it, it doesn't mean others should as well. It also doesn't make it right. This "hook up culture" is dangerous, damaging and very unhealthy to our mind, therefore affecting our character, which is why we must be rid of it. It definitely is difficult to kick a habit or get rid of a certain behavior, but with the right mindset, willpower, good conscience and also with the help of God's grace, we will be able to overcome these vices.
After watching the video, I learned that before we do or decide on something, we should always think: "Is this what I would want to be or Is this me?" You should always think that every action you do affects who you are as a whole. Every action affects your character because every action there is an immediate and long term consequences. Think about the action you are doing if this is what would help shape you. You should be consistent with the decision on who you want to be because if your actions are not helping on shaping your decision then it will be impossible for you to be what you would want to be. Today, there are many teenagers who are not consistent with who they want to be. For example, they say that they are honest because they do not cheat on tests but when they go out on parties they do not exactly tell their parents the exact truth on what parties they will be attending or they will tell their parents that they will go on a sleepover but they do not mention that they will also be attending a party. Another example is when someone says that they are charitable because they participate in organizations that involve helping children but they do not help their friends in need like helping them in homework or telling them that what they are doing is wrong and shouldn't be continued. Every action shapes who you are and therefore you should have a good foundation and you should know what kind of person who you want to be.
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: 1. It produces it's own immediate consequence, and 2. produces your character, every act contributes to the person you are becoming."
Fr. Barron video concentrates more on #2, how each moral act we commit contributes to what kind of person you are becoming. He speaks about how we can either build up our moral character, make it better, stronger, truer, or we can tear it down, and weaken it with bad acts. He mentioned something that is a very common mindset nowadays, that "Even if I did something bad, I'm still a good person inside. It was just this one time." We're making excuses for ourselves by believing this.
It's called "gnosticism" and it is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” This is wrong because the human body and soul are connected. We can't do bad things and simply convince ourselves that we're still good people. Just the fact that you NEED to convince yourself that you're good proves that what you're doing is so wrong. Whatever we do with our bodies affects our soul, and vice versa. We can't separate our mind and our acts - they're interconnected. Your mind made that decision, your conscience let it happen, YOU let it happen. You're one person, and you can't "divide yourself into two people" so you don't feel guilty about what you did.
We see this especially in how the youth now just "hook-up" whenever they like, as Fr. Barron further talked about. The youth are now frequently sleeping around with each other, with no real love or commitment, and they think that this is "okay" or "fine" because they're still "good people anyway". Personally, I can't even count how many times I've heard, "He just slept with her like that?? That was fast." "No, it's cool, he's a good guy anyway. They just needed to let off some steam." This is so wrong because we're making allowances for ourselves to do bad things, even when we know deep in our hearts, or right in our conscience that it's wrong, and we shouldn't be doing this.
"We don't remain the same good people deep down, underneath all the bad things we do." - Fr. Barron This is true... Fr. also quotes Dr. Sax, and says that he believes that the youth give in to peer pressure to appease their peers, and I agree that this is wrong, because it may lead them to a self-righteous, Godless path. They can believe that if they still visit their grandmothers, or donate to charity, that sleeping around, or engaging in immoral activities is justified, but it is still wrong.
After watching this video, I'm going to be very conscious about the choices I make, and the way I think... Sometimes we (the youth) get so bombarded by all these "modern ways of thinking" that we forget that we must still abide by the moral law written in our hearts. We become so sure that the Church is backwards thinking and so very strict, and that they're preventing us from enjoying life, or our freedom, when in fact, we're the ones who need them most, to guide us to the path to God. They're just trying to help us by sticking the to "basics" of the Church, the Moral Law, but they can't unless we let them by letting of these silly notions that give us excuses to do immoral things.
I don't think I ever really understood what my dad's been telling me since I was a kid until I watched this video. I remember that he used to say, "Character is what matters. You're going to have such a hard time in life if you don't build a good character now." Turns out he was saying the same thing that Blessed Pope John Paul II was! Something that young people need to learn nowadays is how to identify the consequences of their actions and how to live with these consequences, because as Fr. Barron said, young people look at the person as two separate things: a body and a spirit. They claim that the spirit remains good even though the body does bad all the time. What they don't understand is that the body and spirit go hand in hand. Our bodies shape our character and ultimately, the person we become. You can't just say, "I'm still a good person despite all the immoral things I've done in life." Whatever we do now shapes who we are in the future, so if you choose to continuously do evil then you will end up inclined to do immoral things (therefore becoming an immoral person). This is why so many people are getting depressed and committing suicide: there is dissonance within themselves. They're torn between what the wider culture is telling them to do (Hook-Up Culture) and what their conscience tells them is right and wrong. There is extreme conflict between what we do and who we are- and it shouldn't be that way! This just emphasizes the importance of developing our character now because when we do, we train ourselves to choose what is right (by listening to our conscience) In the process, the decisions we make shape us into better people. A person who is founded on good morals and who lives in accordance with those morals will be much happier in life and closer to God and will eventually reach heaven, which is where we will find true happiness.
The most striking portion of the series of comments of Fr. Barron is the one about the danger of modern attitude. I agree with what he said, that the young people of today say that they're "still good people inside" when outside we see bad things. The example he gave about young relationships today is very evident: teenagers have sex out of marriage and pretend to do it out of love. The teens' intentions of love may be good but the circumstance is evil. The internal and external parts of man are meant to be united--it's not "the external body does not affect the internal self". The persons we have become or are becoming is not good character--some day the long term effects of modern attitude will take place. All we will be able to do is sit and regret; so today we should already get rid of these bad attitudes/ habits.
From the comments of Father Barron, I learned that there are two consequences for our moral acts: the immediate consequence and the long-term consequence. From what I understood, the long-term consequence is more crucial to us than the immediate consequence. The person we are is dependent on our actions, if we keep performing badly then it will cripple our character, but if we carry out good acts, then it will strongly build up our character. If we repetitively commit immoral acts, in time we will grow to become immoral. As a consequence, our acts will be bonded into our very being because everything we do affects our character whether or not we want it to. But if we lead a good and moral life, then we will grow to have a good character, so there is nothing to be afraid of but the evil. I also learned that I should be more careful before taking action. Likewise, in the example of Father Barron about the golfer, I should change my attitude in order to create a better character of myself. And in order to achieve a more virtuous character I should make sure that all my actions are inclined to the Good. Lastly, in agreement with Dr. Sax said, there is indeed a relationship between what we do and who we are because for every action that we execute, we are continuously shaping ourselves into somebody that we might or might not like as a consequence of our actions. In the end, we should all make sure our actions are morally inclined to the Good so that we create a good character of ourselves.
There are two main things that stuck to me after watching the video, these being the effects of each and every moral act and the danger of the modern attitude.
I never knew that our moral acts accomplishes and makes two essential things, the immediate and the long-term products. The immediate effect is the fact that our moral acts produces immediate consequences while the long term is that it helps produce your character. It builds our character in the course of our lives in a negative or positive way. Between the two effects the long term one affected me the most and lead me to reflect on myself. I noticed that the decisions that I made in the past did lead me to who I am today. The actions that I took in the past did form me to what and who I am in present. Although those choices I made did not seem big or important in the past, those were the ones that made my character and identity today. It made me see the importance of my decisions in the present and that I should take all things and choices seriously because these are what will form my character in the future.
The second thing that struck me the most is the danger of a modern attitude. This attitude is somehow similar when you say “I am a good person even if I did a lot of bad things.” The proper name of this is GNOSTICISM. Gnosticism is “the view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” We all know that the spirit and body or matter unites or comes together in us or through us. As what he says, The body matters in terms of shaping the character that we are becoming. Gnosticism leads people to think that some practices may be right even if they are wrong such as the “Hook-up” culture.
This culture is the acceptance of the most casual, impersonal, manipulative forms of sexual behavior. Through media, the youth think that this culture is good or okay. The wide culture says that we should do whatever we want because deep down you are a good person while their conscience says that this is a dangerous in terms of the formation of the character of people. How is it dangerous? The “Hook-up” culture is damaging people, especially the girls, by leading them to suffer depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. Because of what the wide culture or the media, they are blinded and confused in which acts or choices in their lives are the right ones and the wrong ones.
We should remember that our entire moral acts shape our characters and ourselves. We are forming the person that we are becoming.
From this commentary I learned that building our character is like playing golf or any sport. Building my character doesn't happen overnight. It requires practice. Because of this I have to keep trying to do good to be able to build my character and reach my goal in life which is to be more Christ-like. Another thing I learned is that every act either builds up or undermines your character.This truth is important for the people- especially the youth-to know in order to grow up as the best person we can be. I agree that in our generation, many teenagers have this idea that "It's okay for me to do these bad thing because I'm still a good person." This typical modern attitude is wrong and quite dangerous because it leads us to make the wrong choices in life. So often teenagers manipulate their actions in order to convince themselves that what they are doing is all right when it isn't. In addition to this the "hook-up culture" we have now does damage the youth. It does not just bring suffering, depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem to the youth; In the process it also loses true meaning of love and marriage among the youth. I think this is the reason why so many people are divorcing and this is a sad reality. Because of this, I love how the Church gathers the youth every 2 or 3 years to keep them rooted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith.
The comments of Fr. Barron made me realized that what I do everyday builds up my character in the long term. I should be aware of what I am doing so that I can grow up my character in a good way rather than a bad one. It made me reflect on myself whether what my acts nowadays can make me build up a good character or not. What I really liked about Fr. Barron's comment was about the teens nowadays. They just sleep with anyone and they say to themselves that it is okay because deep inside they are good. But this is not true because what you do is related to who you are right now. I learned that I really have to be conscious of what I do right now and what I say. This is because this really shows who I am and what kind of character I have.
It is true that the "hook-up" culture is harassing the today's youth. With this is mind, I absolutely agree with D.Sax that because of this culture, many youths are suffering from depression, anxiety, suicides and many more harmful thoughts. What I learned from this video was that our every action affects who we are and who we will become. the immediate and the long term results from the moral act acts upon our characters and "WE" either develop or undermine our characters with our moral actions. this means simply, We are the ones responsible for shaping ourselves into a better person. Also, I learned the new term "Gnosticism" which Fr.Barron says that it is a “view that there is a division between the interior dimension and exterior dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority." We are not a dualistic hybrid but we are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that we are and will be becoming.
In conclusion, I have decided that I should be more careful with my actions and control what I will be doing, because I now know that even a very small action that I make can make up my character or "ME" as a human person.
Finally, and more important than any arguments or advice, I believe we should all seek out the God's grace with prayers and gospels :) And I personally believe we should not despair because of single wrong action because I believe even though you can do some actions that are morally bad, through God's grace we can reshape our characters and free ourselves from the slavery of sin for a love that is free, full, faithful, and fruitful.
Watching this video helped me understand why we have to look at things in a different perspective, not everything we do makes us a good person. It takes time to become a good Christian and as what Father Barron said, we need practice to become better Christians. His example of practicing playing golf will make one better at playing golf is the same as practicing to become better Christians (like: praying, going to confession, going to mass, try to understand others better, be the better person, take things into consideration, etc.). We need to be able to show God that we accept his offer in helping us become better people. Now, I understand why we have parents, older siblings, teachers, friends, relatives and HIM-- it's because we need guidance; we need to be able to learn from their mistakes and think about better decisions. Watching this video made me think about my past and my future because I understand that the decisions I make will shape me as a person and I don't want to make a bad choice. I don't want to look back at my past and dwell on the wrong decisions I made that can probably ruin my future.
Most teenagers nowadays don't care if they get drunk or do improper sexual actions as long as they have fun. They do not notice the consequences they have to face when they are sober and they will surely regret it. Teenagers now have a hard time making decisions, but that is why we have our friends, family and especially God. They are all here to help us make a better future for ourselves and as what most people are saying every action shapes who we are.
What really struck me is when Fr. Barron talks about how many of us today think we're good people despite the sins we commit. This is potentially a very dangerous attitude which could lead to very unfortunate consequences.
I find it funny how we all think that we're all good people despite the things that we've done because it's quite true and relatable. We're all deluding ourselves into thinking that the small sins we do don't matter because as a whole we're actually pretty "good". We take for granted the little things we do because in our heads we're not as bad as a lot of other people out there. This is a horribly wrong misconception and attitude that we as Catholics must learn to fight.
As Fr. Barron says our actions continuously form our character and the person we are today. No matter how small an action is, the more we do it, the more we either enhance or damage our 'mold'. It's the little things that become big things in time. If we practice good habits, we turn out indeed good. But if we unconsciously practice bad habits, we turn out well ...not so good.
Especially now, we as teenagers definitely need to form ourselves right in order to keep growing up right. If there's something wrong with our habits or our attitudes now it's not too late to change. It does take time and a lot of sacrifice to form ourselves into good persons and develop good habits, but in the long run we come out stronger and more disciplined as a Catholic and as a person which is always a good thing I'd like to believe.
"Everything I do in the course of a day is either building up my character or undermining it."
This video helped me understand what it means to build oneself into becoming a better person, or someone of good character. These means that help build our character are our moral acts which comprise of the decisions we make and the things that we do based on our decisions. It seems that nowadays people, myself included, usually tend to do the wrong things thinking that they can "make-up" for these wrong doings, but like what Fr. Barron said, and I quote:
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: On the one hand a moral act produces it's own immediate consequence, but in the longer run, every act also helps to produce your character contributes to the person you are becoming."
Who we are, or who we are to become is highly dependent on the way we act, or the choices we make. If we make the wrong choices and choose to do bad things, then that will reflect on who we are as a person since we are allowing ourselves to fall into such bad things. We can never be someone who can remain a good person, but does wrong acts because such person cannot exist. Fr. Barron explains this by talking about "Gnosticism" which is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” This is wrong because what we do to our external self, will always affect our spiritual, or interior self. You cannot separate the two.
The example Fr. Barron gives us is the "Hook-Up" culture that we see in the youth today. Many young people continuously follow what the wider culture is telling them to do which influences them to ignore their own conscience and do certain things which they most likely know is wrong (e.g. Peer pressure). As stated in the video, people who usually fall into these bad influences tend to be victims of depression and other psychological (internal) problems.
I learned that all our actions and decisions should always lean towards what is good to be able to build good character. We must make sure that we make right decisions and do good things because that determines and defines who we are as a person.
From this video what really stood out to me was what he said about how a moral act can produce it's own consequences (immediate reaction/consequence) and every act helps produce your character (long term result). Everyday we are faced with different choices, do this or that, go here or there are each one of these choices help us sculpt our character. I agree with this because when we choose to do bad things, like smoke, get drunk, engage in sexual acts then what character do you think you are forming of yourself? On the other hand, if we do good acts, be charitable to others and etc. then you will find yourself sculpting good character for yourself. Now it is just up to us to make these daily decisions/choices whether good or bad to "sculpt" our character.
Through this video, I learned how important every action is because of what Fr. Barron shared. "Also helps to produce your character. Every act contributes to the person you are becoming." Truly, character is what we always take with us in order to be recognized by others as either someone with good or bad values, qualities and many more. Fr. Barron compared our character to a sculpture which we continue to sculp. We have the freedom to make our character pleasing to others by doing good acts of kindness toward them. We also have the freedom to make our character repulsive by being mean to everyone. Character is something that should be taken care of in order for it to reflect the best person we can be for others and to God. Acts define who you are but it doesn’t mean you will remain unchanged. We are given the freedom but we are also given the knowledge to know what is right and what is wrong. We change according to our acts and with our actions (be it good or bad), we will strengthen our character. From what I learned, I hope to be able to develop my character to be both good and strong. Each action counts so I will do my best in making my character what it should be. We all know what we should be (or a basis), then what could be keeping us from being the best person today?
This video talked about how every action we make contributes to the person who we want to be in the future. the things we do everyday is what shapes our character and the person we will become. a lot of teenagers nowadays are lost and dont know who they want to be because they tend to get influenced by everything/ everyone around them. They try to convince themselves that the choices they make are "good" even if they're not. If they keep making the wrong choices, then they will end up being a 'bad' person. just like how Fr. Barron talked about playing golf. if you continue to play golf the wrong way, in the end, you will become a really bad golf player.
Because of this, I realized that from early on in my life, I need to know who I want to become and how I am going to achieve this. I need to reflect and thing about my decisions before even putting them into action. By doing this, I’ll have less chances of regretting the actions I’ve made and have more chances of becoming the good person I want to be.
Moral act accomplishes two essential things. one is it produces own consequence. and the other hand moral act helps produce character, it contributes to what person you are in a long term. While listening to this I realized that I should act good so I can build up a good character in the future. and I should know that there are consequences so I should act well not to receive the bad consequences. It helped me look at the future of myself while watching this video.
This video opened my eyes to the many misconceptions popular culture has left with the youth. I must admit that even I, someone who has had a Catholic upbringing and a strong moral foundation, am part of the people who have shared in the belief of gnosticism. It scares me to think about teenagers from other parts of the world who have not had the same benefits. What do they think? What Fr. Barron mentioned about committing immoral acts yet still being a good person "deep down inside" is something I have heard more times than I can count, and even fell for. I think that the youth, as well as the rest of the populace, needs a strong reminder of thinking actions through.
A popular saying among teenagers nowadays is "YOLO" (You Only Live Once) and they use this as an excuse of sorts to do things that they know would normally be stupid to do. "Oh there's a party on Saturday but I have exams on Monday. What should I do? YOLO let's party!" The most ironic aspect of the concept of "YOLO" is that people believe that they are enriching their lives by doing dangerous/stupid things because it makes life more exciting when in fact, what they are doing is damaging, not just their lives, but their souls. As Fr. Barron mentioned in the video, every act contributes to either the build-up or the undermining of a person's character. The decisions that people make based on the YOLO philosophy do nothing but damage to the people they are and the people they could become.
I think that the biggest problem with most people's beliefs at present is their focus on "right now" and disregard for the future. While society tells a person that what he's doing is okay because he is a "good person deep down inside", he severs every connection he has to his true nature which is to be good and keep true to the natural law written on his heart. In effect, this draws him away from what is most important - God and His tremendously perfect love for us.
After watching this video, I realized how important all my actions are because all of the things I did then and I do now will greatly affect my future self. Fr. Barron talked about how the youth today are so wild and reckless that they do hints without thinking about how it will affect them in the future or in the long-run. For example, teenagers nowadays have a habit of "sleeping around" they only think about the pleasure they will get when they do it now but they don't think about how sleeping around will affect them in the future. In the future they might have diseases that you can only get from intercourse with lots of different people. I think this is sad because everybody deserves an amazing future but if in the course of life a person builds up his character negatively then his future will be negative or bad unlike someone who starts his life building up his character positively. This is why it's important for us to think before we act so we don't do anything reckless that will affect us negatively in the future.
Fr. Barron mentioned that Dr. Sax said that hook-ups are enormous negative effects especially for the youth and this is true as shown in my example above. I believe this is also true because this may not only affect people physically but mentally also which to me is much worse. Fr. Barron also said that there is an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are and that we are shaping ourselves and the person we are becoming. This is why it is important to do things now that will affect us positively so we can be more like the image and likeness of God that we are supposed to be instead of going down the wrong path and being the opposite of what God wants us to be.
I don't understand how people can separate their actions from their character. What else then shapes them into the people they'll become? What else but the choices we make and the actions we chose? It seems like such a surface level form of thinking, believing that there is no direct relation between action and character. It's a pity that so many people engage in such destructive behavior, more than anything though it's self-destructive since what they do affects them the most in the most detrimental ways. Not only because they're conscience can drive them mad but also of how they themselves will be worn out and tired before they are done. A lot of these young people are too young to be doing what they are doing- they want to act as adults, they want to be mature and yet they don't even know what those things mean. I have never known, till now, that this has been forgotten so easily- our choices shape us.
What really struck me about this video is his analogy of morality and the soul to golf. If a golfer swings badly again and again and again, then he will only end up being a bad golfer while if a golfer swings well again and again and again, then in time he will become a good golfer. He was comparing moral acts to the golfer's swing, and he's right. A person who keeps on doing immoral acts will not end up as a moral person, he will end up as an immoral person. Every moral act we do or don't do shapes our character. Our acts either build our characters up or or bring them to ruin. The reason for this is that my body and my soul are one, and the bodies and souls of every person as well. The physical acts that we do affect who we are on the spiritual, internal side. Some people believe that even if they've done bad things they can still say that they're good people. They're wrong. If they've done bad things on the outside, then they can't deny that they're bad people on the inside as well. Doing immoral acts makes a person an immoral person. A lot of people in this generation don't really understand this concept and because they don't understand it they continue to act immorally. They have to understand that one's actions also affect one's soul and character as well.
In relation to this video, I remember one of Father Reyes's mediation topics , please correct me if I'm wrong, wherein he told us about a girl who was truly a good person and a "devoted" catholic, who engaged in "wrong doings" probably such as cursing a lot, drinking and partying hard when she was in college so that she could fit in. Although she prayed a lot and still went to mass. And then one sunday a friend approached her and asked her if she wanted to go out, but then she declined because she said that she needed to go sunday mass, and her friend was shocked because he didnt think that she was Catholic due to the way the she was acting as a person, and so hearing this she felt bad and realized that what she was doing was wrong and that she learned that she couldnt just please everyone by doing things that everyone is doing. This story and the video both tell us that it is wrong to be and to be known of being someone who does things that are morally wrong just because it's what popular around us. And also I learned that we cant truly be a genuine good person if we do bad acts. The message of Fr. Barron that really spoke out to me was that whatever you do, good or bad, won't just stop at the immediate consequence, rather that it is something that will affect you in the long run, and that all of our actions definitely reflect who we are as a person, no matter how "good" you think you are inside, but still choose to do wrong, reflects you as someone who is confusing, and in the end, someone who is wrong, since it is that action that you are demonstrating physically after all. Since I want to be a good person, when I grow up, I will choose to do what is truly right, even if everyone else is doing the opposite. Similar to what Paul McCartney said “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” Meaning no matter how good of man he may claim to be or seem to be, judging by the way he treats animals, like if he beats them and abuses them comes to show how he really really is.
I think the crucial part of this video is when Fr. Barron talks about building a character. Anyone would agree on the fact that every moral act accomplishes two essential things, the immediate consequences when we choose to do certain things and the longer-run which helps to produce our character. I believe this is true because our moral acts define ourselves. Our character is built according to the goodness and the badness of our moral act. The example about the bad and the good golfer Fr. Barron gave was very easy to understand and helped me learn more on building the character. If we keep on making the wrong and bad move, we will eventually stay that way unless we learn the right way. If we continue to practice to change this bad way, we will be able to go to the good way.
“View that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority. We are not a dualistic hybrid but We are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that I am becoming." This is Fr. Barron's definition of Gnosticism. Even though we may do good things outside, our character will be affected if we do bad actions because, again, our moral act shapes our character. Others may tell a person what he is doing is okay because he is a good person. They should know that whether this person is good or bad now he will turn out to be bad in the future since that is how he built his character.
I think the most important fact in this video is that yesterday, today, and tomorrow will greatly be affected by how we shape ourselves. Yesterday is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for today. Today is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for tomorrow. And tomorrow is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for the rest of our lives. We should always keep in mind that nothing can affect our character except ourselves; we should know how to decide the best moral act for ourselves.
What I learned from this video was that every action that we make shapes our character. Everything that you do now will affect your future self. I realized that people shouldn't only focus on the present but also be mindful of their future, because just as Fr. Barron said, "Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: First, it produces it's own immediate consequence, and second, it produces your character, every act contributes to the person you are becoming." What struck me the most was when Fr. Barron talked about how we still think we're good people despite the actions that we do. That is why I think that this video is VERY beneficial to the youth because we are very inclined to something called "peer pressure". Everyday, we are faced with different choices to make, and the action we do after making that decision will shape our character. The thing is, many people tend to forget that. They may think it is okay because "no one will know" or because "it felt right at that time". They seem to forget that there is a relationship between the action that they make and the character that they form. There is always a long term effect to the decisions we make and that is simply, molding our character.
We learned from the onset that the body and soul are connected. Fr. Barron justifies this further in the light of moral acts. Everything you do in a day builds up or destroys character. In depth, our physical or bodily actions are directly proportional to our spiritual make up. If we do bad things or immoral things, our character gets destroyed. Alternately, if we do good or moral things, our character is strengthened.
Fr. Barron Furthers expands that fact in the light of a current issue. People have developed the tendency to disregard the gravity of one's actions in effect of ones character. They go about the excuse "he may do bad things, but he is a good person in the inside". You see this problem even in a sexual like. People are becoming less aware of the connection between body and soul through the power of true love that is created when engaging in the conjugal act or other sexual behaviors (Hook up culture). Even in something as powerful as sex, today's society disregards that powerful connection.
He adds an analysis by Dr .Sax, before concluding: people are becoming more prone to depression and suicide because they aren't united, body and soul. That made me realize how much our body affects us spiritually. If our spirits aren't contented, then clearly there's something wrong with what we are doing. Ironically, we try so hard to please ourselves physically, but we end up buying into false representations of happiness like drugs or premarital sex that eventually ruin us to an extent, all because we don't integrate our spiritual essence in the situation.
Before I blabber about further more, i'd like to end with a short conclusion, which is similar to that that i gave in the conscience video: we have all the answers. Our spirit and moral capacity, hidden in our conscience tells us what will make us happy everyday. We just need to listen and act on them. Use our bodies as tools to carry out tasks presented by our spirits.
CLAUDINE AFABLE: In the video, Fr. Barron talked about how our actions affect our character. The actions that we do define the kind of person that we are. Our actions can either destroy or build up our character. The problem that we see in the youth nowadays is that they engage themselves in improper sexual behavior and think that it is simply a way of showing their love. Some people think that they are not doing anything wrong when in fact they are destroying their own character. Watching this video also made me realize that I whenever I would make decisions I should always think about the kind of person that I wanna be and see if doing the specific action will help me become that person. This can also be related to the 10 questions of the guide to make a good decision. One of the questions in the guide is "Does this represent my best-self?". Whenever I decide on doing a specific action I should ask myself if it represents my best-self since my actions can either build up or destroy my own character.
Fr. Barron is saying that whatever we do, whether it's a big act or a small act, affects who were as humans. We can't tell ourselves "it's okay, i cheat on this test, because i'm still a good person in general" These negative/bad actions actually reflect who were are and who we WILL continue being if we don't stop and change. Moreover, our internal self and external self are one. We can't separate these two. These two work together to form our character and ourself. if we want to achieve the optimum kind of character, we have to work on both (internal and external) aspects. We have to be pure in our actions and thoughts. We can't allow ourselves to continue doing these bad habits, because sooner or later, these habits will corrupt not only our internal selves but our external selves as well. Since these two exist and work together, these two will also fall and deteriorate together as well.
Moreover, especially today, in a society that's so engrossed in sensuous objects and concepts, we think that that it's okay to be engaged in all these things, because they really won't affect us. But the thing is, if we continue to engage in these things, we're slowly going to be corrupted. It will affect us in time, just like how Father Barron compares ourselves to a golfer's swing
The most important thing I learned from this video is that all the things that we do right now have a long term effect on us. Every single action that we do and every single choice that we make slowly determines what kind of person we become. In life, we are faced with many situations in which we have to choose from doing what is truly right or from doing what merely feels right but is really not. It is through these decisions that we make that we either build or undermine our character. The problem with the youth today is that they are unaware of the consequences of their actions - they dont know that by doing something immoral, you also become an immoral person. It is so unfortunate to see that most teenagers give in to peer pressure because they are afraid that by not doing so, it will make them look uncool. They ignore what their conscience is telling them and they allow the influence of others to dictate what they should do when they should know better to not allow themselves to listen and do the wrong things.
This video has made me realize that it is important for us, while we are still young, to be taught the right values and characteristics needed for any true catholic because these values are the values that we will carry within us for the rest of our loves. We should also never allow peer pressure to define who we are but instead we should do what we know is right. We are the makers of our faith and therefore, to build a good character, we must listen to God within us and do what is morally right.
Father Barron, in this video, talks about how every moral act does not just produce immediate consequences. It also leaves an impact on our character. It either builds up your character or destroys it. Everything that we do forms our character, from simple everyday decisions to choices that affect our lives in the long run. In the video, Father Barron mentions the Hook-Up Culture that is extremely persistent in today's society. It removes the value of sex and of marriage. In short, it goes against what God originally intended the conjugal act to be. It has been proven that this "mentality" can destroy you in the long run. This further concretizes what Pope John Paul II believes in. Whatever we do affects our very character. There is indeed an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are. There is a direct link between every single decision we make and our character. It is in our decisions that we form our character. I remember someone telling me that it is in the choices that we make that we become ourselves. I can relate that to this video in so many ways. We become who we are because of what we choose to do. Let's say I want to lead a certain life. My decision will affect every other aspect of my life no matter how hard I try to push it aside. It's through these choices that we show our character and in turn, form our character into what we want to become.
"We're not a dualistic hybrid; in fact, we're this coming together of spirit and matter. Matter affects who I am, the body matters in terms of shaping the character that I'm becoming."
All actions lead to something else, whether for the positive or the negative, whether the effect is immediate or long term. Fr. Barron explained in the video that everything we do has a consequence, whether we realize it or not. We seem to convince ourselves most of the time that one little thing won't matter, as long as we're good the rest of the time, but we don't realize that every little thing does indeed count. All of them, in one way or another, shapes who we are as a person. Everything we choose to do will add to our character, and it's not merely something that our spirit alone can build up. It's something that we, as a whole with soul and body, will have to develop and take care of. The two aspects cannot be separated, and whatever we choose to do with our bodies can affect our interiority.
Fr. Barron stated that we have to treat our lifestyle and the choices we make the way a golfer would swing. We don't make a bad swing, telling ourselves that we'll do better next time, and before we know it, all the bad swings affect the way we play later on. All the inefficient swinging will just lead to bad games and more losses than wins. If we swing right the first time, however, we will get accustomed to doing it right, over and over, to the point that we are so skilled, that we may even be called the best at what we do.
He also mentioned that our generation is led to believe that hooking up, having these inappropriate relations will lead to more problems. We see in media, books, television, movies, etc., and even among the people we see on a daily basis, that these sexual acts have become so casual to the point that people see it as something to do for "fun," even though they should know a lot better. It comes to a point where the youth of today can find themselves/ourselves depressed, and psychologically unwell.
We have to build our own character, and to have a good one, must must be willing to listen to what is objectively right, and just not what is socially acceptable or subjectively okay. Because every little thing counts, we have to make sure for ourselves that those little things are something that we can be proud of.
I learned from this video that everything you do may have a positive or negative outcome. It may have a consequence depending on what you did or it may shape who you are as a person. Also, since we are still young we should start making the right choices in life so that we would reward ourselves with a good future. I also learned that we cant make or think of the bad actions we make as something good because we know that in our conscience what we did was wrong. Fr. Barron also talks about the "hook-up culture" wherein the youth, no matter what wrong thing they do, they can't make themselves think of it as something good. If they are irresponsible for their actions they will have a consequence for what they did. From the decisions they make and the things they do, they shape themselves into what kind of people they really are.
From the video, I learned that what one does shapes who he is. Every act has an immediate and long term consequence. As one goes through life, he is either building up or undermining his character.
Of course, it is better to build up your character instead of undermining it. However, a lot of the youth now have the idea that they can do whatever they want because deep down they're still good persons, and this is wrong. The thought of one's self being a good person isn't enough. He has to do good acts in order for him to actually be a good person, not just in his mind.
Fr. Barron gave an example about golf which explains his point very well. If you keep playing golf the wrong way or with bad swings, you become a bad golfer. If you practice doing good swings, you will become a good golfer. This shows that if you know a certain action is bad, you have to stop doing it in order to not end up as a bad person. What you can do instead is to find good actions and to do them in order to be a good person.
In this video, I've learned that in every act we choose to do has it's own consequences in it. But from these consequences, we learn from our mistakes and that is how our character is formed. Because of what we have done in the past we now know ourselves even more. We now know what we are capable of doing and how we should be able to do something. We build our characters with the use of practice. We need to practice doing what is right in order to be a good person. By making it a habit, we can be able to be good persons to everyone. Man can't say he is good if he has done something bad. The body and the soul works together to produce something good. It can't only be the soul without the body or the body without the soul. These two gives importance to what it really is for. Which affects our character through our actions.
Fr Barron began his video with Pope John Paul II’s concern for the youth nowadays regarding immoral behavior and acts. He stressed the Church’s moral teachings, especially regarding the sacrament of marriage and the conjugal act. Fr. Barron focuses his video on one point from John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body”: Every moral act does not only result to an immediate consequence but also to the development of one’s character- “the person that you are becoming.” As we learned in Theology class, character has a lot to do with relationships- how one relates to God, his neighbors and even himself. Furthermore, character deals a lot with how we live our life on earth and how we act towards God, neighbor and ourselves. Also, it is interesting to think how good and bad acts shape one’s character. I quote, “the body matters in terms of shaping the character I am becoming.” From this, I understood that our physical actions affect and shape our character; thus, one can not say that even though he has done bad things, he is still a good person deep down. Relating this to the current issue of moral relativism wherein teens get the idea that it is okay to participate in the conjugal act outside of marriage and doing it for the satisfaction of sexual desires. This physical act devastates one’s character by ruining the relationships one has with herself, her parents, and even her (future) spouse. This act causes her to have emotional problems like depression and even confusion on what to follow to know what is right from wrong. It can even ruin the trust her parents has given to her to be a responsible person. Furthermore, this example shows that physical acts do affect a person’s character. Mika Rodas IV-A
Presently, a number of people ignore the immediate consequences they have to face in every action they make. People have the tendency to loiter around and do things they are able to do but disregard the effects these have for them. The reason that these happen is people often compare the smaller actions we do to the bigger actions we do, when in fact, these are still equal because these result as actions that will affect us as we go on with our lives. Our actions are a factor to the value of our character. Making decisions is an example of action, so in every decision we make, we should be mindful of the consequences we may face because we are responsible for it. This video reminded me of how I should be aware of my daily actions. Relating it to conscience, it is from our conscience that makes us do the right deeds, and it is from our deeds we build the character we would want to have. I believe there shouldn’t be a comparison between the bigger and smaller actions because every action may modify our character. Father Barron’s words reminded me of how I should not do the right deeds by just knowing what’s right or good, but by knowing it and using the knowledge by practicing avoiding temptations.
"Every act either builds up your character or undermines it". Positive and negative acts shape the person who become in the future. I agree with what Father Barron and Dr. Sacks observed about our morality, conscience, and relationships. What a person does, whether it is good or bad, affects him one way or another. In other words, we are what we do because all of our actions shape the person we become. Our actions shape our personality and character.
People today sometimes think that they can do "whatever they want because they are still a good person". This belief is wrong because every physical action we make affects us internally. Our actions and thoughts go hand in hand. God gave us a conscience to choose what is good over evil; He gives us this supernatural help to do what is right. We should follow our conscience because this leads us to transcendence. To do what is good leads us to perfection, which is unity in Heaven with God.
We need to keep in mind that every action has a reaction. The things we do shape our character. It is best to live a good life so that you form a good moral character. By living a life of sin, this will stray a person away from God. The youth really need to be careful in making choices because this affects their character and well being.
People nowadays are very fond of making excuses for every morally wrong decision one makes. We like blaming the circumstances for our actions. For example, a teenager would think that it's okay to get drunk and engage in what Father Barron mentioned in his video as the "hook-up culture" because at school, we get high grades and at home, we are obedient to our parents and kind to our siblings. We like to tell ourselves that it's okay to make bad decisions sometimes because most of the time, we make good decisions so deep down inside, we're good people. We like to fool ourselves into thinking that we are doing nothing wrong. This is certainly not the case. Our circumstances do not determine our actions. Just because you're a straight A student or the perfect daughter, does not mean that it's okay to make bad decisions once in a while. Our actions determine our circumstances. For every wrong decision you make, there are circumstances or consequences you have to face. One must understand the importance of realizing that engaging in the hook-up culture and separating the body and the soul can do great damage to a person.
"There is an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are." This is what Father Barron talks about in his video –how one can either build or undermine one's character. Every action we do shapes our character, who we are, and who we will be. Just like he said, we can either be a bad golfer who swings badly over and over again even if one knows it's a bad swing or be a good golfer who swings correctly until one becomes an even better golfer.
In this video clip, Fr. Barron shared his insights about morality and shaping one’s character. He cited the works of Pope John Paul II as a professor of sexual ethics which produced two books namely the Acting Person and Love and Responsibility. According to Pope John Paul, every immoral act has an immediate and long term effect on a person’s character. He emphasized that one cannot engage in doing immoral acts and still remain a good person, which is a dualistic behavior. According to John Paul, our character is shaped by our acts either positively or negatively. For every moral act, we are shaping our own self, our own soul and our own character. There is an intimate relationship on what we do and who we are. In my view, I totally agree with the comments of Fr. Barron. For every act that we do contributes to what we will become as a person. I strongly believe that we cannot separate our acts from who we are as a person. Although some may argue that a person can still be judged as a good person even if he is doing an immoral act is just difficult to accept without a cloud of doubt on a person’s character and behavior. We therefore should not think and support that we can engage in immoral acts and make ourselves and others believe that we can still remain good. If this is true, I am convinced that it will just be matter of time before these immoral acts shape our character negatively.
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: a moral act produces its own immediate consequences but in the longer run every act also helps to produce your character, every act contributes to the person you're becoming." This quote from the video basically summarizes Fr. Barron's entire point - that we are responsible for what we become.
It's not enough to know a right choice from a wrong one; we must act upon what we know is good, and continue to do it. Like the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." Just like Fr. Barron's example with the golfer, the habits that we do will define us eventually. Because morals and ethics are inherently imprinted in us, we should take it upon ourselves to correct all the bad qualities that we see within ourselves.
Similar to the other example Fr. Barron gave about hooking up, if teenagers nowadays get so used to making out and dating other people so carelessly, then that's the sort of 'love' they'll always look for. Teenagers would end up defining love as some form of physical connection (like kissing or holding hands) because that's the only 'love' they see, and that's the only 'love' they'll know how to do. The true purpose of kissing and having sex would lose its meaning, because these actions were done so indifferently to begin with.
We are psychosomatic beings, our souls unified with our bodies. Because of this, people can't say they're good, and end up doing bad things around them. Both our thoughts and our actions will make us who we are.
This is very insightful! I learned that how we act affects how we shape ourselves. We are shaping who we want to become. For example, when one takes a pre-med course, one is shaping and preparing herself for the medical world. If we do moral acts, we are actually shaping ourselves - our soul and character. That is why we can't just be involved in the "Hook up culture" because this act makes us look cheap like objects. We, especially us teenagers, should always remember that we have HUMAN DIGINITY (SOUL) that must be protected. I know no one wants to be treated like this.
Fr. Barron talks about John Paul's insights on moral actions and in particular how this applies to the youth today. He explains that John Paul clearly saw how our actions are not just isolated actions but they actually help shape our characters. He also compared this to a golfer who keeps practicing the wrong ways on how to hit the ball. And in the end, he ends up being a bad golfer. The same way goes with our moral actions. The more we do them, the more we get to shape our character.
John Paul was concerned about the way the people today believe that you can be a good person inside, but do bad things. Just as good fruit coming from good trees, and bad trees produce bad fruit. He was also very concerned about the "hook-up" mentality of young people today wherein sex is so casual that it is not even connected to loving the person anymore or at least having a relationship with that person. We see this happening everywhere around the world. And most especially, now that we are going to college, we will soon be exposed to the world out there and we are going to have to be strong. Just because you are in a certain environment does not mean that you should allow yourself to be influenced by it, but instead, you should be the one to influence others.
Father Barron on Morality, Character and Relationships
Morality is one of the more controversial issues of our time. The rise of Moral Relativism even makes things more complicated. I think this is when we Christians/ Catholics will stand out from the rest of the crowd. While other people conform to things like immoral sex and contraception, the real Catholics will stop and say, “No!” Morality really builds up our character; why, it’s the fiber of how we live life and live well. I noticed the themes of Double Effect in Fr. Barron’s speech. His analogies are very entertaining and relatable, which interests me even more. That example of the golfer is a good one. Nowadays, the problem that really rises is that people just do whatever they want. No one is afraid anymore. The problem, more especially about immoral sex, is that people think that it is equated to love! That is not love! Love is not putting your soul in danger by doing promiscuous acts. If people really want to look for love, then they should look to the cross! That is the real example of love. Jesus gave up his life for us on that cross; he sacrificed himself to save us! And what better love is there then for a man to give up his life for a brother!
People nowadays think it's okay to have hook-ups, because it's one way of showing one another they love each other. However, what they don't know is that this can affect them emotionally. There's also peer-pressure, whether they get it from their surroundings, movies or from each other. They choose to ignore their conscience, which is wrong because sometimes this is God's way of communicating with us. After this video, I learned that our actions define who we are, this is why it is essential we think before we act. We think of the possible outcomes and consequences before we act. For every action we make, this will affect our future.
"Everything I do in the course of a day is either building up my character or undermining it." This quote from the video is definitely something that I will make sure to ALWAYS keep in mind. Throughout the day, we experience different things, and it is all up to us to choose how to respond to these things -- positively or negatively. Obviously, we would all want to respond to them positively in order to build up our character. But we fail to realize that even those wrong little things that we think don't really matter and wouldn't affect us that much, undermine our character. Fr. Barron also mentioned the typical modern attitude: We say we're good people even though we've done all kinds of bad things. This made me think "that's so true!" and it also made me feel guilty because I think this way sometimes. It made me realize how we are such hypocrites nowadays; we boast about how good we are or how holy we are even though we do so much wrong things.
He talked about 'hook-up culture' which I personally think is one of the dumbest things my generation has become or is engaged in. It makes me ashamed to be part of this generation. People these days do not even stop to think before doing what they want to -- they do not think of the immediate or long-term consequences of their actions. Hooking up, as Fr. Barron mentioned has led to the enormous damage on young people who suffer from depression, anxiety, low self esteem and suicidal tendencies. We know what our actions will lead to so we should always think twice about what we're doing because every action shapes the person that we become. As Fr. Barron concluded in his video "Every time you perform a moral act, you're shaping something -- mainly you, you're shaping your own self, your own soul, your own character."
In this video, I learned that every action that we do has an immediate and a long term consequence. These actions shape us to the person we are becoming. We perform actions that either build up our character or destroy it. I also learned about “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” We can’t perform actions that are bad then convince ourselves that we are still good people inside because these actions affect our being. Pope John Paul said that we cannot engage in manipulative, superficial, trivial and dangerous sexual behaviour without it affecting our character; it affects our interiority- who we are. The problem of the youth now-a-days is that they often engage in sexual behaviours thinking that it is part of a loving relationship or commitment when in fact, it is not. Dr. Sax says that the “hook up” have enormous negative effects especially for the youth. Because of this, they end up suffering from emotional instability. Dr. Sax also says that the youth gives in to peer- pressure because they are doing what everyone else is doing thinking that it is the right thing so they ignore their conscience when it tells them that what they are doing is wrong. I learned that I should always remember to ask myself before doing a moral action if this will either build up my character or undermine it because what we do becomes who we are.
ReplyDeleteThis video helped me realize that I do have to take more consideration of my future self because the actions that I take now should actually benefit me in the future. I don't want to have to look back into my life and ask myself, "Where did I go wrong?" Nor do I want to have to placed into situations that I shouldn't be in had I been better in the past. It reminded me that I should actually think more seriously of what I do and don't do.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that the youth today are getting more rowdy and I don't want to be put into that stereotype of getting crazy and giving into peer pressure. In fact, I want to be the opposite. I want to be serious in what I do and overcome peer pressure because it is not something that I should say 'yes' to in the first place. Just because everyone does it, it doesn't make it right - and this is exactly what I live by. A lot of people experience these life changing moments like depression or pregnancy... and all I think is "Why do people want to go down this road?" I know I don't, and it bothers me that people don't seem to think of the consequences after they do the action. All they think about is how they feel during, which is extremely stupid because what you do NOW will ultimately reflect who you will be in the future.
I want to do the right things NOW so I don't have to make mistakes later. I want to know what is good so that I know what is wrong in the future. I have to remember that everything that I do should be a good result for my future self.I want to say NO to Gnosticism now so I don't give into it later. I know with strong morals, I can do it now. With good morals, I will be able to know what is wrong and what is right.
This video made me realize that everything I do today really does affect my future. I am responsible for all the actions I do. I like how Pope John Paul II made World Youth Day. It is true how the youth are drifting away from the Church and are starting to do immoral things. Pope John Paul II created the WYD so that the youth around the world will gather and be united. He created this for the youth to see the truth of the Church and to be united as one.
ReplyDeleteEvery moral act that I do contributes to who I am and who I am going to be (long term) . Also, a moral act produces it's own immediate consequences. Everything I do defines who I am. All the different acts that I do will have an effect on my life. No matter how small my mistake, it will affect my life. Maybe that small mistake may save my life in the future by not committing it again.
A new term that I learned today would be "Gnosticism". Gnosticism is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority. We are not a dualistic hybrid but We are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that I am becoming." This talks about how our body helps us form our character and that everything we do affects our character. All the bad actions we do affect our character. For example, if we have premarital sex, one cannot say that he has done good because one knows deep inside that it affects him or her badly.
Peer pressure is one thing that affects everyone today. So many people give into peer pressure and that is one thing we shouldn't do. We should choose to do what we want and avoid the evil. I am one who does not give into peer pressure. I want to continue to do this so that my character will be built up. Just because everyone is doing it, it does not mean that I should do it. I should avoid all the things that will affect my character badly. We shape our own self, so if we want to be excellent, we must do everything excellently.
CESCA DEL ROSARIO IVC
DeleteIt is true that teenagers nowadays take sex for granted. They think that it doesn't affect them in the long run, but it does. As mentioned in the video, there is an immediate consequence and a long term result of the moral action you are doing. This long term result affects us in such a way that it shapes our character, our behavior, basically, the person we become. Now, doing things such as sex without respecting the true meaning of it, affects us as a person through different ways. It does not only involve our bodies but our spirit as well. Under the branch of Philosophy, it is known that there is a unity between body and soul. What affects the body, affects the should, and vice versa. Therefore, the things we do to our body, like having sex, affects our soul, our spirituality. People continually think that even if they do bad things, it's still okay because they are good people deep down inside, but this is not the case. There ideas about all of this are wrong.
This video is simple yet very informative. It explains clearly the meaning of what sexual expression really is and the boundaries between being a good person and actually doing good moral acts. People, especially the youth, should know that as time passes, and if they still continue to do the wrong things, it becomes a part of them. I've learned that even the smallest bad action can affect my character. I know that I have to do the right things in order to be a good person. I should walk the talk.
This commentary has helped me better understand the concept of how every moral act builds up or undermines my character. After thinking about it, I realized it is true. Every action of mine will either make me a better person or worse. Because of this, I should always consider the possible consequences and long-term effects that may happen due to a particular action. Also, through the help of God's grace, I'll be able to reshape my character.
ReplyDeleteI also learned about Gnosticism. I remember encountering this concept perhaps a year ago however I didn't quite understand it. Thanks to Fr. Barron, I have come to better understand that our bodies have somewhat two dimensions: spiritual and external. "The body is not affecting interiority. We are a union of spirit and matter. The body shapes the character that I am becoming."
Also, it is true that many of the youth are engaging in the "hook up" behavior. Even if certain people are engaged in it, it doesn't mean others should as well. It also doesn't make it right. This "hook up culture" is dangerous, damaging and very unhealthy to our mind, therefore affecting our character, which is why we must be rid of it. It definitely is difficult to kick a habit or get rid of a certain behavior, but with the right mindset, willpower, good conscience and also with the help of God's grace, we will be able to overcome these vices.
After watching the video, I learned that before we do or decide on something, we should always think: "Is this what I would want to be or Is this me?" You should always think that every action you do affects who you are as a whole. Every action affects your character because every action there is an immediate and long term consequences. Think about the action you are doing if this is what would help shape you. You should be consistent with the decision on who you want to be because if your actions are not helping on shaping your decision then it will be impossible for you to be what you would want to be.
ReplyDeleteToday, there are many teenagers who are not consistent with who they want to be. For example, they say that they are honest because they do not cheat on tests but when they go out on parties they do not exactly tell their parents the exact truth on what parties they will be attending or they will tell their parents that they will go on a sleepover but they do not mention that they will also be attending a party. Another example is when someone says that they are charitable because they participate in organizations that involve helping children but they do not help their friends in need like helping them in homework or telling them that what they are doing is wrong and shouldn't be continued. Every action shapes who you are and therefore you should have a good foundation and you should know what kind of person who you want to be.
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: 1. It produces it's own immediate consequence, and 2. produces your character, every act contributes to the person you are becoming."
ReplyDeleteFr. Barron video concentrates more on #2, how each moral act we commit contributes to what kind of person you are becoming. He speaks about how we can either build up our moral character, make it better, stronger, truer, or we can tear it down, and weaken it with bad acts.
He mentioned something that is a very common mindset nowadays, that "Even if I did something bad, I'm still a good person inside. It was just this one time." We're making excuses for ourselves by believing this.
It's called "gnosticism" and it is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” This is wrong because the human body and soul are connected. We can't do bad things and simply convince ourselves that we're still good people. Just the fact that you NEED to convince yourself that you're good proves that what you're doing is so wrong. Whatever we do with our bodies affects our soul, and vice versa. We can't separate our mind and our acts - they're interconnected. Your mind made that decision, your conscience let it happen, YOU let it happen. You're one person, and you can't "divide yourself into two people" so you don't feel guilty about what you did.
We see this especially in how the youth now just "hook-up" whenever they like, as Fr. Barron further talked about. The youth are now frequently sleeping around with each other, with no real love or commitment, and they think that this is "okay" or "fine" because they're still "good people anyway". Personally, I can't even count how many times I've heard, "He just slept with her like that?? That was fast." "No, it's cool, he's a good guy anyway. They just needed to let off some steam." This is so wrong because we're making allowances for ourselves to do bad things, even when we know deep in our hearts, or right in our conscience that it's wrong, and we shouldn't be doing this.
"We don't remain the same good people deep down, underneath all the bad things we do." - Fr. Barron
This is true... Fr. also quotes Dr. Sax, and says that he believes that the youth give in to peer pressure to appease their peers, and I agree that this is wrong, because it may lead them to a self-righteous, Godless path. They can believe that if they still visit their grandmothers, or donate to charity, that sleeping around, or engaging in immoral activities is justified, but it is still wrong.
After watching this video, I'm going to be very conscious about the choices I make, and the way I think... Sometimes we (the youth) get so bombarded by all these "modern ways of thinking" that we forget that we must still abide by the moral law written in our hearts. We become so sure that the Church is backwards thinking and so very strict, and that they're preventing us from enjoying life, or our freedom, when in fact, we're the ones who need them most, to guide us to the path to God. They're just trying to help us by sticking the to "basics" of the Church, the Moral Law, but they can't unless we let them by letting of these silly notions that give us excuses to do immoral things.
I don't think I ever really understood what my dad's been telling me since I was a kid until I watched this video. I remember that he used to say, "Character is what matters. You're going to have such a hard time in life if you don't build a good character now."
ReplyDeleteTurns out he was saying the same thing that Blessed Pope John Paul II was!
Something that young people need to learn nowadays is how to identify the consequences of their actions and how to live with these consequences, because as Fr. Barron said, young people look at the person as two separate things: a body and a spirit.
They claim that the spirit remains good even though the body does bad all the time. What they don't understand is that the body and spirit go hand in hand. Our bodies shape our character and ultimately, the person we become.
You can't just say, "I'm still a good person despite all the immoral things I've done in life." Whatever we do now shapes who we are in the future, so if you choose to continuously do evil then you will end up inclined to do immoral things (therefore becoming an immoral person).
This is why so many people are getting depressed and committing suicide: there is dissonance within themselves. They're torn between what the wider culture is telling them to do (Hook-Up Culture) and what their conscience tells them is right and wrong. There is extreme conflict between what we do and who we are- and it shouldn't be that way!
This just emphasizes the importance of developing our character now because when we do, we train ourselves to choose what is right (by listening to our conscience) In the process, the decisions we make shape us into better people. A person who is founded on good morals and who lives in accordance with those morals will be much happier in life and closer to God and will eventually reach heaven, which is where we will find true happiness.
The most striking portion of the series of comments of Fr. Barron is the one about the danger of modern attitude. I agree with what he said, that the young people of today say that they're "still good people inside" when outside we see bad things. The example he gave about young relationships today is very evident: teenagers have sex out of marriage and pretend to do it out of love. The teens' intentions of love may be good but the circumstance is evil. The internal and external parts of man are meant to be united--it's not "the external body does not affect the internal self". The persons we have become or are becoming is not good character--some day the long term effects of modern attitude will take place. All we will be able to do is sit and regret; so today we should already get rid of these bad attitudes/ habits.
ReplyDeleteFrom the comments of Father Barron, I learned that there are two consequences for our moral acts: the immediate consequence and the long-term consequence. From what I understood, the long-term consequence is more crucial to us than the immediate consequence. The person we are is dependent on our actions, if we keep performing badly then it will cripple our character, but if we carry out good acts, then it will strongly build up our character.
ReplyDeleteIf we repetitively commit immoral acts, in time we will grow to become immoral. As a consequence, our acts will be bonded into our very being because everything we do affects our character whether or not we want it to. But if we lead a good and moral life, then we will grow to have a good character, so there is nothing to be afraid of but the evil.
I also learned that I should be more careful before taking action. Likewise, in the example of Father Barron about the golfer, I should change my attitude in order to create a better character of myself. And in order to achieve a more virtuous character I should make sure that all my actions are inclined to the Good. Lastly, in agreement with Dr. Sax said, there is indeed a relationship between what we do and who we are because for every action that we execute, we are continuously shaping ourselves into somebody that we might or might not like as a consequence of our actions. In the end, we should all make sure our actions are morally inclined to the Good so that we create a good character of ourselves.
There are two main things that stuck to me after watching the video, these being the effects of each and every moral act and the danger of the modern attitude.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that our moral acts accomplishes and makes two essential things, the immediate and the long-term products. The immediate effect is the fact that our moral acts produces immediate consequences while the long term is that it helps produce your character. It builds our character in the course of our lives in a negative or positive way. Between the two effects the long term one affected me the most and lead me to reflect on myself. I noticed that the decisions that I made in the past did lead me to who I am today. The actions that I took in the past did form me to what and who I am in present. Although those choices I made did not seem big or important in the past, those were the ones that made my character and identity today. It made me see the importance of my decisions in the present and that I should take all things and choices seriously because these are what will form my character in the future.
The second thing that struck me the most is the danger of a modern attitude. This attitude is somehow similar when you say “I am a good person even if I did a lot of bad things.” The proper name of this is GNOSTICISM. Gnosticism is “the view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” We all know that the spirit and body or matter unites or comes together in us or through us. As what he says, The body matters in terms of shaping the character that we are becoming. Gnosticism leads people to think that some practices may be right even if they are wrong such as the “Hook-up” culture.
This culture is the acceptance of the most casual, impersonal, manipulative forms of sexual behavior. Through media, the youth think that this culture is good or okay. The wide culture says that we should do whatever we want because deep down you are a good person while their conscience says that this is a dangerous in terms of the formation of the character of people. How is it dangerous? The “Hook-up” culture is damaging people, especially the girls, by leading them to suffer depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and suicidal tendencies. Because of what the wide culture or the media, they are blinded and confused in which acts or choices in their lives are the right ones and the wrong ones.
We should remember that our entire moral acts shape our characters and ourselves. We are forming the person that we are becoming.
From this commentary I learned that building our character is like playing golf or any sport. Building my character doesn't happen overnight. It requires practice. Because of this I have to keep trying to do good to be able to build my character and reach my goal in life which is to be more Christ-like. Another thing I learned is that every act either builds up or undermines your character.This truth is important for the people- especially the youth-to know in order to grow up as the best person we can be. I agree that in our generation, many teenagers have this idea that "It's okay for me to do these bad thing because I'm still a good person." This typical modern attitude is wrong and quite dangerous because it leads us to make the wrong choices in life. So often teenagers manipulate their actions in order to convince themselves that what they are doing is all right when it isn't. In addition to this the "hook-up culture" we have now does damage the youth. It does not just bring suffering, depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem to the youth; In the process it also loses true meaning of love and marriage among the youth. I think this is the reason why so many people are divorcing and this is a sad reality. Because of this, I love how the Church gathers the youth every 2 or 3 years to keep them rooted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith.
ReplyDelete-Mia Santiago, IVC
The comments of Fr. Barron made me realized that what I do everyday builds up my character in the long term. I should be aware of what I am doing so that I can grow up my character in a good way rather than a bad one. It made me reflect on myself whether what my acts nowadays can make me build up a good character or not.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really liked about Fr. Barron's comment was about the teens nowadays. They just sleep with anyone and they say to themselves that it is okay because deep inside they are good. But this is not true because what you do is related to who you are right now.
I learned that I really have to be conscious of what I do right now and what I say. This is because this really shows who I am and what kind of character I have.
-Bang, Woo Jin IVA-
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDAN BI KIM (IV-B)
ReplyDeleteIt is true that the "hook-up" culture is harassing the today's youth. With this is mind, I absolutely agree with D.Sax that because of this culture, many youths are suffering from depression, anxiety, suicides and many more harmful thoughts. What I learned from this video was that our every action affects who we are and who we will become. the immediate and the long term results from the moral act acts upon our characters and "WE" either develop or undermine our characters with our moral actions. this means simply, We are the ones responsible for shaping ourselves into a better person. Also, I learned the new term "Gnosticism" which Fr.Barron says that it is a “view that there is a division between the interior dimension and exterior dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority." We are not a dualistic hybrid but we are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that we are and will be becoming.
In conclusion, I have decided that I should be more careful with my actions and control what I will be doing, because I now know that even a very small action that I make can make up my character or "ME" as a human person.
Finally, and more important than any arguments or advice, I believe we should all seek out the God's grace with prayers and gospels :) And I personally believe we should not despair because of single wrong action because I believe even though you can do some actions that are morally bad, through God's grace we can reshape our characters and free ourselves from the slavery of sin for a love that is free, full, faithful, and fruitful.
Watching this video helped me understand why we have to look at things in a different perspective, not everything we do makes us a good person. It takes time to become a good Christian and as what Father Barron said, we need practice to become better Christians. His example of practicing playing golf will make one better at playing golf is the same as practicing to become better Christians (like: praying, going to confession, going to mass, try to understand others better, be the better person, take things into consideration, etc.). We need to be able to show God that we accept his offer in helping us become better people. Now, I understand why we have parents, older siblings, teachers, friends, relatives and HIM-- it's because we need guidance; we need to be able to learn from their mistakes and think about better decisions. Watching this video made me think about my past and my future because I understand that the decisions I make will shape me as a person and I don't want to make a bad choice. I don't want to look back at my past and dwell on the wrong decisions I made that can probably ruin my future.
ReplyDeleteMost teenagers nowadays don't care if they get drunk or do improper sexual actions as long as they have fun. They do not notice the consequences they have to face when they are sober and they will surely regret it. Teenagers now have a hard time making decisions, but that is why we have our friends, family and especially God. They are all here to help us make a better future for ourselves and as what most people are saying every action shapes who we are.
Alek Tagle, IV-C
What really struck me is when Fr. Barron talks about how many of us today think we're good people despite the sins we commit. This is potentially a very dangerous attitude which could lead to very unfortunate consequences.
ReplyDeleteI find it funny how we all think that we're all good people despite the things that we've done because it's quite true and relatable. We're all deluding ourselves into thinking that the small sins we do don't matter because as a whole we're actually pretty "good". We take for granted the little things we do because in our heads we're not as bad as a lot of other people out there. This is a horribly wrong misconception and attitude that we as Catholics must learn to fight.
As Fr. Barron says our actions continuously form our character and the person we are today. No matter how small an action is, the more we do it, the more we either enhance or damage our 'mold'. It's the little things that become big things in time. If we practice good habits, we turn out indeed good. But if we unconsciously practice bad habits, we turn out well ...not so good.
Especially now, we as teenagers definitely need to form ourselves right in order to keep growing up right. If there's something wrong with our habits or our attitudes now it's not too late to change. It does take time and a lot of sacrifice to form ourselves into good persons and develop good habits, but in the long run we come out stronger and more disciplined as a Catholic and as a person which is always a good thing I'd like to believe.
"Everything I do in the course of a day is either building up my character or undermining it."
ReplyDeleteThis video helped me understand what it means to build oneself into becoming a better person, or someone of good character. These means that help build our character are our moral acts which comprise of the decisions we make and the things that we do based on our decisions. It seems that nowadays people, myself included, usually tend to do the wrong things thinking that they can "make-up" for these wrong doings, but like what Fr. Barron said, and I quote:
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: On the one hand a moral act produces it's own immediate consequence, but in the longer run, every act also helps to produce your character contributes to the person you are becoming."
Who we are, or who we are to become is highly dependent on the way we act, or the choices we make. If we make the wrong choices and choose to do bad things, then that will reflect on who we are as a person since we are allowing ourselves to fall into such bad things. We can never be someone who can remain a good person, but does wrong acts because such person cannot exist. Fr. Barron explains this by talking about "Gnosticism" which is a “view that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as if the body is not affecting interiority.” This is wrong because what we do to our external self, will always affect our spiritual, or interior self. You cannot separate the two.
The example Fr. Barron gives us is the "Hook-Up" culture that we see in the youth today. Many young people continuously follow what the wider culture is telling them to do which influences them to ignore their own conscience and do certain things which they most likely know is wrong (e.g. Peer pressure). As stated in the video, people who usually fall into these bad influences tend to be victims of depression and other psychological (internal) problems.
I learned that all our actions and decisions should always lean towards what is good to be able to build good character. We must make sure that we make right decisions and do good things because that determines and defines who we are as a person.
Nicole Duran, IV-A ^ ^
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFrom this video what really stood out to me was what he said about how a moral act can produce it's own consequences (immediate reaction/consequence) and every act helps produce your character (long term result). Everyday we are faced with different choices, do this or that, go here or there are each one of these choices help us sculpt our character. I agree with this because when we choose to do bad things, like smoke, get drunk, engage in sexual acts then what character do you think you are forming of yourself? On the other hand, if we do good acts, be charitable to others and etc. then you will find yourself sculpting good character for yourself. Now it is just up to us to make these daily decisions/choices whether good or bad to "sculpt" our character.
ReplyDeleteThrough this video, I learned how important every action is because of what Fr. Barron shared. "Also helps to produce your character. Every act contributes to the person you are becoming." Truly, character is what we always take with us in order to be recognized by others as either someone with good or bad values, qualities and many more. Fr. Barron compared our character to a sculpture which we continue to sculp. We have the freedom to make our character pleasing to others by doing good acts of kindness toward them. We also have the freedom to make our character repulsive by being mean to everyone. Character is something that should be taken care of in order for it to reflect the best person we can be for others and to God.
ReplyDeleteActs define who you are but it doesn’t mean you will remain unchanged. We are given the freedom but we are also given the knowledge to know what is right and what is wrong. We change according to our acts and with our actions (be it good or bad), we will strengthen our character.
From what I learned, I hope to be able to develop my character to be both good and strong. Each action counts so I will do my best in making my character what it should be. We all know what we should be (or a basis), then what could be keeping us from being the best person today?
~ Hanna Arbilo IVA ~
This video talked about how every action we make contributes to the person who we want to be in the future. the things we do everyday is what shapes our character and the person we will become. a lot of teenagers nowadays are lost and dont know who they want to be because they tend to get influenced by everything/ everyone around them. They try to convince themselves that the choices they make are "good" even if they're not. If they keep making the wrong choices, then they will end up being a 'bad' person. just like how Fr. Barron talked about playing golf. if you continue to play golf the wrong way, in the end, you will become a really bad golf player.
ReplyDeleteBecause of this, I realized that from early on in my life, I need to know who I want to become and how I am going to achieve this. I need to reflect and thing about my decisions before even putting them into action. By doing this, I’ll have less chances of regretting the actions I’ve made and have more chances of becoming the good person I want to be.
Ivana Ohara, IV-C
Moral act accomplishes two essential things. one is it produces own consequence. and the other hand moral act helps produce character, it contributes to what person you are in a long term. While listening to this I realized that I should act good so I can build up a good character in the future. and I should know that there are consequences so I should act well not to receive the bad consequences. It helped me look at the future of myself while watching this video.
ReplyDeleteAngelica Alberto IV-B
ReplyDeleteThis video opened my eyes to the many misconceptions popular culture has left with the youth. I must admit that even I, someone who has had a Catholic upbringing and a strong moral foundation, am part of the people who have shared in the belief of gnosticism. It scares me to think about teenagers from other parts of the world who have not had the same benefits. What do they think? What Fr. Barron mentioned about committing immoral acts yet still being a good person "deep down inside" is something I have heard more times than I can count, and even fell for. I think that the youth, as well as the rest of the populace, needs a strong reminder of thinking actions through.
A popular saying among teenagers nowadays is "YOLO" (You Only Live Once) and they use this as an excuse of sorts to do things that they know would normally be stupid to do. "Oh there's a party on Saturday but I have exams on Monday. What should I do? YOLO let's party!" The most ironic aspect of the concept of "YOLO" is that people believe that they are enriching their lives by doing dangerous/stupid things because it makes life more exciting when in fact, what they are doing is damaging, not just their lives, but their souls. As Fr. Barron mentioned in the video, every act contributes to either the build-up or the undermining of a person's character. The decisions that people make based on the YOLO philosophy do nothing but damage to the people they are and the people they could become.
I think that the biggest problem with most people's beliefs at present is their focus on "right now" and disregard for the future. While society tells a person that what he's doing is okay because he is a "good person deep down inside", he severs every connection he has to his true nature which is to be good and keep true to the natural law written on his heart. In effect, this draws him away from what is most important - God and His tremendously perfect love for us.
After watching this video, I realized how important all my actions are because all of the things I did then and I do now will greatly affect my future self. Fr. Barron talked about how the youth today are so wild and reckless that they do hints without thinking about how it will affect them in the future or in the long-run. For example, teenagers nowadays have a habit of "sleeping around" they only think about the pleasure they will get when they do it now but they don't think about how sleeping around will affect them in the future. In the future they might have diseases that you can only get from intercourse with lots of different people. I think this is sad because everybody deserves an amazing future but if in the course of life a person builds up his character negatively then his future will be negative or bad unlike someone who starts his life building up his character positively. This is why it's important for us to think before we act so we don't do anything reckless that will affect us negatively in the future.
ReplyDeleteFr. Barron mentioned that Dr. Sax said that hook-ups are enormous negative effects especially for the youth and this is true as shown in my example above. I believe this is also true because this may not only affect people physically but mentally also which to me is much worse. Fr. Barron also said that there is an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are and that we are shaping ourselves and the person we are becoming. This is why it is important to do things now that will affect us positively so we can be more like the image and likeness of God that we are supposed to be instead of going down the wrong path and being the opposite of what God wants us to be.
I don't understand how people can separate their actions from their character. What else then shapes them into the people they'll become? What else but the choices we make and the actions we chose?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like such a surface level form of thinking, believing that there is no direct relation between action and character.
It's a pity that so many people engage in such destructive behavior, more than anything though it's self-destructive since what they do affects them the most in the most detrimental ways. Not only because they're conscience can drive them mad but also of how they themselves will be worn out and tired before they are done. A lot of these young people are too young to be doing what they are doing- they want to act as adults, they want to be mature and yet they don't even know what those things mean.
I have never known, till now, that this has been forgotten so easily- our choices shape us.
What really struck me about this video is his analogy of morality and the soul to golf. If a golfer swings badly again and again and again, then he will only end up being a bad golfer while if a golfer swings well again and again and again, then in time he will become a good golfer. He was comparing moral acts to the golfer's swing, and he's right. A person who keeps on doing immoral acts will not end up as a moral person, he will end up as an immoral person. Every moral act we do or don't do shapes our character. Our acts either build our characters up or or bring them to ruin. The reason for this is that my body and my soul are one, and the bodies and souls of every person as well. The physical acts that we do affect who we are on the spiritual, internal side. Some people believe that even if they've done bad things they can still say that they're good people. They're wrong. If they've done bad things on the outside, then they can't deny that they're bad people on the inside as well. Doing immoral acts makes a person an immoral person. A lot of people in this generation don't really understand this concept and because they don't understand it they continue to act immorally. They have to understand that one's actions also affect one's soul and character as well.
ReplyDeleteEricka Capulong IVC
In relation to this video, I remember one of Father Reyes's mediation topics , please correct me if I'm wrong, wherein he told us about a girl who was truly a good person and a "devoted" catholic, who engaged in "wrong doings" probably such as cursing a lot, drinking and partying hard when she was in college so that she could fit in. Although she prayed a lot and still went to mass. And then one sunday a friend approached her and asked her if she wanted to go out, but then she declined because she said that she needed to go sunday mass, and her friend was shocked because he didnt think that she was Catholic due to the way the she was acting as a person, and so hearing this she felt bad and realized that what she was doing was wrong and that she learned that she couldnt just please everyone by doing things that everyone is doing. This story and the video both tell us that it is wrong to be and to be known of being someone who does things that are morally wrong just because it's what popular around us. And also I learned that we cant truly be a genuine good person if we do bad acts. The message of Fr. Barron that really spoke out to me was that whatever you do, good or bad, won't just stop at the immediate consequence, rather that it is something that will affect you in the long run, and that all of our actions definitely reflect who we are as a person, no matter how "good" you think you are inside, but still choose to do wrong, reflects you as someone who is confusing, and in the end, someone who is wrong, since it is that action that you are demonstrating physically after all. Since I want to be a good person, when I grow up, I will choose to do what is truly right, even if everyone else is doing the opposite. Similar to what Paul McCartney said “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” Meaning no matter how good of man he may claim to be or seem to be, judging by the way he treats animals, like if he beats them and abuses them comes to show how he really really is.
ReplyDeleteSAM T. QUIBILAN IVA
I think the crucial part of this video is when Fr. Barron talks about building a character. Anyone would agree on the fact that every moral act accomplishes two essential things, the immediate consequences when we choose to do certain things and the longer-run which helps to produce our character. I believe this is true because our moral acts define ourselves. Our character is built according to the goodness and the badness of our moral act. The example about the bad and the good golfer Fr. Barron gave was very easy to understand and helped me learn more on building the character. If we keep on making the wrong and bad move, we will eventually stay that way unless we learn the right way. If we continue to practice to change this bad way, we will be able to go to the good way.
ReplyDelete“View that there is a sharp divide between the interior spiritual dimension and exterior bodily dimension as though the body is not affecting interiority. We are not a dualistic hybrid but We are a union of spirited matter. The body matters in terms of shaping the character that I am becoming." This is Fr. Barron's definition of Gnosticism. Even though we may do good things outside, our character will be affected if we do bad actions because, again, our moral act shapes our character. Others may tell a person what he is doing is okay because he is a good person. They should know that whether this person is good or bad now he will turn out to be bad in the future since that is how he built his character.
I think the most important fact in this video is that yesterday, today, and tomorrow will greatly be affected by how we shape ourselves. Yesterday is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for today. Today is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for tomorrow. And tomorrow is important because it is the day wherein we choose to do good or bad for the rest of our lives. We should always keep in mind that nothing can affect our character except ourselves; we should know how to decide the best moral act for ourselves.
KIM, YE JI IV-B
What I learned from this video was that every action that we make shapes our character. Everything that you do now will affect your future self. I realized that people shouldn't only focus on the present but also be mindful of their future, because just as Fr. Barron said, "Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: First, it produces it's own immediate consequence, and second, it produces your character, every act contributes to the person you are becoming."
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me the most was when Fr. Barron talked about how we still think we're good people despite the actions that we do. That is why I think that this video is VERY beneficial to the youth because we are very inclined to something called "peer pressure". Everyday, we are faced with different choices to make, and the action we do after making that decision will shape our character. The thing is, many people tend to forget that. They may think it is okay because "no one will know" or because "it felt right at that time". They seem to forget that there is a relationship between the action that they make and the character that they form. There is always a long term effect to the decisions we make and that is simply, molding our character.
We learned from the onset that the body and soul are connected. Fr. Barron justifies this further in the light of moral acts. Everything you do in a day builds up or destroys character. In depth, our physical or bodily actions are directly proportional to our spiritual make up. If we do bad things or immoral things, our character gets destroyed. Alternately, if we do good or moral things, our character is strengthened.
ReplyDeleteFr. Barron Furthers expands that fact in the light of a current issue. People have developed the tendency to disregard the gravity of one's actions in effect of ones character. They go about the excuse "he may do bad things, but he is a good person in the inside". You see this problem even in a sexual like. People are becoming less aware of the connection between body and soul through the power of true love that is created when engaging in the conjugal act or other sexual behaviors (Hook up culture). Even in something as powerful as sex, today's society disregards that powerful connection.
He adds an analysis by Dr .Sax, before concluding: people are becoming more prone to depression and suicide because they aren't united, body and soul. That made me realize how much our body affects us spiritually. If our spirits aren't contented, then clearly there's something wrong with what we are doing. Ironically, we try so hard to please ourselves physically, but we end up buying into false representations of happiness like drugs or premarital sex that eventually ruin us to an extent, all because we don't integrate our spiritual essence in the situation.
Before I blabber about further more, i'd like to end with a short conclusion, which is similar to that that i gave in the conscience video: we have all the answers. Our spirit and moral capacity, hidden in our conscience tells us what will make us happy everyday. We just need to listen and act on them. Use our bodies as tools to carry out tasks presented by our spirits.
CLAUDINE AFABLE: In the video, Fr. Barron talked about how our actions affect our character. The actions that we do define the kind of person that we are. Our actions can either destroy or build up our character. The problem that we see in the youth nowadays is that they engage themselves in improper sexual behavior and think that it is simply a way of showing their love. Some people think that they are not doing anything wrong when in fact they are destroying their own character. Watching this video also made me realize that I whenever I would make decisions I should always think about the kind of person that I wanna be and see if doing the specific action will help me become that person. This can also be related to the 10 questions of the guide to make a good decision. One of the questions in the guide is "Does this represent my best-self?". Whenever I decide on doing a specific action I should ask myself if it represents my best-self since my actions can either build up or destroy my own character.
ReplyDelete-Claudine Afable, IV-B
Fr. Barron is saying that whatever we do, whether it's a big act or a small act, affects who were as humans. We can't tell ourselves "it's okay, i cheat on this test, because i'm still a good person in general" These negative/bad actions actually reflect who were are and who we WILL continue being if we don't stop and change. Moreover, our internal self and external self are one. We can't separate these two. These two work together to form our character and ourself. if we want to achieve the optimum kind of character, we have to work on both (internal and external) aspects. We have to be pure in our actions and thoughts. We can't allow ourselves to continue doing these bad habits, because sooner or later, these habits will corrupt not only our internal selves but our external selves as well. Since these two exist and work together, these two will also fall and deteriorate together as well.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, especially today, in a society that's so engrossed in sensuous objects and concepts, we think that that it's okay to be engaged in all these things, because they really won't affect us. But the thing is, if we continue to engage in these things, we're slowly going to be corrupted. It will affect us in time, just like how Father Barron compares ourselves to a golfer's swing
The most important thing I learned from this video is that all the things that we do right now have a long term effect on us. Every single action that we do and every single choice that we make slowly determines what kind of person we become. In life, we are faced with many situations in which we have to choose from doing what is truly right or from doing what merely feels right but is really not. It is through these decisions that we make that we either build or undermine our character. The problem with the youth today is that they are unaware of the consequences of their actions - they dont know that by doing something immoral, you also become an immoral person. It is so unfortunate to see that most teenagers give in to peer pressure because they are afraid that by not doing so, it will make them look uncool. They ignore what their conscience is telling them and they allow the influence of others to dictate what they should do when they should know better to not allow themselves to listen and do the wrong things.
ReplyDeleteThis video has made me realize that it is important for us, while we are still young, to be taught the right values and characteristics needed for any true catholic because these values are the values that we will carry within us for the rest of our loves. We should also never allow peer pressure to define who we are but instead we should do what we know is right. We are the makers of our faith and therefore, to build a good character, we must listen to God within us and do what is morally right.
- MARIEL LOPEZ IVA
Father Barron, in this video, talks about how every moral act does not just produce immediate consequences. It also leaves an impact on our character. It either builds up your character or destroys it. Everything that we do forms our character, from simple everyday decisions to choices that affect our lives in the long run. In the video, Father Barron mentions the Hook-Up Culture that is extremely persistent in today's society. It removes the value of sex and of marriage. In short, it goes against what God originally intended the conjugal act to be. It has been proven that this "mentality" can destroy you in the long run. This further concretizes what Pope John Paul II believes in. Whatever we do affects our very character. There is indeed an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are. There is a direct link between every single decision we make and our character. It is in our decisions that we form our character. I remember someone telling me that it is in the choices that we make that we become ourselves. I can relate that to this video in so many ways. We become who we are because of what we choose to do. Let's say I want to lead a certain life. My decision will affect every other aspect of my life no matter how hard I try to push it aside. It's through these choices that we show our character and in turn, form our character into what we want to become.
ReplyDelete--Monica Lorenzo, IVB
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"We're not a dualistic hybrid; in fact, we're this coming together of spirit and matter. Matter affects who I am, the body matters in terms of shaping the character that I'm becoming."
ReplyDeleteAll actions lead to something else, whether for the positive or the negative, whether the effect is immediate or long term. Fr. Barron explained in the video that everything we do has a consequence, whether we realize it or not. We seem to convince ourselves most of the time that one little thing won't matter, as long as we're good the rest of the time, but we don't realize that every little thing does indeed count. All of them, in one way or another, shapes who we are as a person. Everything we choose to do will add to our character, and it's not merely something that our spirit alone can build up. It's something that we, as a whole with soul and body, will have to develop and take care of. The two aspects cannot be separated, and whatever we choose to do with our bodies can affect our interiority.
Fr. Barron stated that we have to treat our lifestyle and the choices we make the way a golfer would swing. We don't make a bad swing, telling ourselves that we'll do better next time, and before we know it, all the bad swings affect the way we play later on. All the inefficient swinging will just lead to bad games and more losses than wins. If we swing right the first time, however, we will get accustomed to doing it right, over and over, to the point that we are so skilled, that we may even be called the best at what we do.
He also mentioned that our generation is led to believe that hooking up, having these inappropriate relations will lead to more problems. We see in media, books, television, movies, etc., and even among the people we see on a daily basis, that these sexual acts have become so casual to the point that people see it as something to do for "fun," even though they should know a lot better. It comes to a point where the youth of today can find themselves/ourselves depressed, and psychologically unwell.
We have to build our own character, and to have a good one, must must be willing to listen to what is objectively right, and just not what is socially acceptable or subjectively okay. Because every little thing counts, we have to make sure for ourselves that those little things are something that we can be proud of.
I learned from this video that everything you do may have a positive or negative outcome. It may have a consequence depending on what you did or it may shape who you are as a person. Also, since we are still young we should start making the right choices in life so that we would reward ourselves with a good future. I also learned that we cant make or think of the bad actions we make as something good because we know that in our conscience what we did was wrong.
ReplyDeleteFr. Barron also talks about the "hook-up culture" wherein the youth, no matter what wrong thing they do, they can't make themselves think of it as something good. If they are irresponsible for their actions they will have a consequence for what they did. From the decisions they make and the things they do, they shape themselves into what kind of people they really are.
-- Jaci Yatco IVB
From the video, I learned that what one does shapes who he is. Every act has an immediate and long term consequence. As one goes through life, he is either building up or undermining his character.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is better to build up your character instead of undermining it. However, a lot of the youth now have the idea that they can do whatever they want because deep down they're still good persons, and this is wrong. The thought of one's self being a good person isn't enough. He has to do good acts in order for him to actually be a good person, not just in his mind.
Fr. Barron gave an example about golf which explains his point very well. If you keep playing golf the wrong way or with bad swings, you become a bad golfer. If you practice doing good swings, you will become a good golfer. This shows that if you know a certain action is bad, you have to stop doing it in order to not end up as a bad person. What you can do instead is to find good actions and to do them in order to be a good person.
In this video, I've learned that in every act we choose to do has it's own consequences in it. But from these consequences, we learn from our mistakes and that is how our character is formed. Because of what we have done in the past we now know ourselves even more. We now know what we are capable of doing and how we should be able to do something. We build our characters with the use of practice. We need to practice doing what is right in order to be a good person. By making it a habit, we can be able to be good persons to everyone. Man can't say he is good if he has done something bad. The body and the soul works together to produce something good. It can't only be the soul without the body or the body without the soul. These two gives importance to what it really is for. Which affects our character through our actions.
ReplyDeleteFr Barron began his video with Pope John Paul II’s concern for the youth nowadays regarding immoral behavior and acts. He stressed the Church’s moral teachings, especially regarding the sacrament of marriage and the conjugal act. Fr. Barron focuses his video on one point from John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body”: Every moral act does not only result to an immediate consequence but also to the development of one’s character- “the person that you are becoming.” As we learned in Theology class, character has a lot to do with relationships- how one relates to God, his neighbors and even himself. Furthermore, character deals a lot with how we live our life on earth and how we act towards God, neighbor and ourselves. Also, it is interesting to think how good and bad acts shape one’s character. I quote, “the body matters in terms of shaping the character I am becoming.” From this, I understood that our physical actions affect and shape our character; thus, one can not say that even though he has done bad things, he is still a good person deep down. Relating this to the current issue of moral relativism wherein teens get the idea that it is okay to participate in the conjugal act outside of marriage and doing it for the satisfaction of sexual desires. This physical act devastates one’s character by ruining the relationships one has with herself, her parents, and even her (future) spouse. This act causes her to have emotional problems like depression and even confusion on what to follow to know what is right from wrong. It can even ruin the trust her parents has given to her to be a responsible person. Furthermore, this example shows that physical acts do affect a person’s character.
ReplyDeleteMika Rodas IV-A
ReplyDeletePresently, a number of people ignore the immediate consequences they have to face in every action they make. People have the tendency to loiter around and do things they are able to do but disregard the effects these have for them. The reason that these happen is people often compare the smaller actions we do to the bigger actions we do, when in fact, these are still equal because these result as actions that will affect us as we go on with our lives. Our actions are a factor to the value of our character. Making decisions is an example of action, so in every decision we make, we should be mindful of the consequences we may face because we are responsible for it. This video reminded me of how I should be aware of my daily actions. Relating it to conscience, it is from our conscience that makes us do the right deeds, and it is from our deeds we build the character we would want to have. I believe there shouldn’t be a comparison between the bigger and smaller actions because every action may modify our character. Father Barron’s words reminded me of how I should not do the right deeds by just knowing what’s right or good, but by knowing it and using the knowledge by practicing avoiding temptations.
Aliya Ambray
"Every act either builds up your character or undermines it". Positive and negative acts shape the person who become in the future. I agree with what Father Barron and Dr. Sacks observed about our morality, conscience, and relationships. What a person does, whether it is good or bad, affects him one way or another. In other words, we are what we do because all of our actions shape the person we become. Our actions shape our personality and character.
ReplyDeletePeople today sometimes think that they can do "whatever they want because they are still a good person". This belief is wrong because every physical action we make affects us internally. Our actions and thoughts go hand in hand. God gave us a conscience to choose what is good over evil; He gives us this supernatural help to do what is right. We should follow our conscience because this leads us to transcendence. To do what is good leads us to perfection, which is unity in Heaven with God.
We need to keep in mind that every action has a reaction. The things we do shape our character. It is best to live a good life so that you form a good moral character. By living a life of sin, this will stray a person away from God. The youth really need to be careful in making choices because this affects their character and well being.
-Monique Kahn, IV- B
People nowadays are very fond of making excuses for every morally wrong decision one makes. We like blaming the circumstances for our actions. For example, a teenager would think that it's okay to get drunk and engage in what Father Barron mentioned in his video as the "hook-up culture" because at school, we get high grades and at home, we are obedient to our parents and kind to our siblings. We like to tell ourselves that it's okay to make bad decisions sometimes because most of the time, we make good decisions so deep down inside, we're good people. We like to fool ourselves into thinking that we are doing nothing wrong. This is certainly not the case. Our circumstances do not determine our actions. Just because you're a straight A student or the perfect daughter, does not mean that it's okay to make bad decisions once in a while. Our actions determine our circumstances. For every wrong decision you make, there are circumstances or consequences you have to face. One must understand the importance of realizing that engaging in the hook-up culture and separating the body and the soul can do great damage to a person.
ReplyDelete"There is an intimate relationship between what we do and who we are." This is what Father Barron talks about in his video –how one can either build or undermine one's character. Every action we do shapes our character, who we are, and who we will be. Just like he said, we can either be a bad golfer who swings badly over and over again even if one knows it's a bad swing or be a good golfer who swings correctly until one becomes an even better golfer.
Felicia Dominguez IV-C
In this video clip, Fr. Barron shared his insights about morality and shaping one’s character. He cited the works of Pope John Paul II as a professor of sexual ethics which produced two books namely the Acting Person and Love and Responsibility. According to Pope John Paul, every immoral act has an immediate and long term effect on a person’s character. He emphasized that one cannot engage in doing immoral acts and still remain a good person, which is a dualistic behavior. According to John Paul, our character is shaped by our acts either positively or negatively. For every moral act, we are shaping our own self, our own soul and our own character. There is an intimate relationship on what we do and who we are.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, I totally agree with the comments of Fr. Barron. For every act that we do contributes to what we will become as a person. I strongly believe that we cannot separate our acts from who we are as a person. Although some may argue that a person can still be judged as a good person even if he is doing an immoral act is just difficult to accept without a cloud of doubt on a person’s character and behavior. We therefore should not think and support that we can engage in immoral acts and make ourselves and others believe that we can still remain good. If this is true, I am convinced that it will just be matter of time before these immoral acts shape our character negatively.
"Every moral act accomplishes two essential things: a moral act produces its own immediate consequences but in the longer run every act also helps to produce your character, every act contributes to the person you're becoming." This quote from the video basically summarizes Fr. Barron's entire point - that we are responsible for what we become.
ReplyDeleteIt's not enough to know a right choice from a wrong one; we must act upon what we know is good, and continue to do it. Like the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." Just like Fr. Barron's example with the golfer, the habits that we do will define us eventually. Because morals and ethics are inherently imprinted in us, we should take it upon ourselves to correct all the bad qualities that we see within ourselves.
Similar to the other example Fr. Barron gave about hooking up, if teenagers nowadays get so used to making out and dating other people so carelessly, then that's the sort of 'love' they'll always look for. Teenagers would end up defining love as some form of physical connection (like kissing or holding hands) because that's the only 'love' they see, and that's the only 'love' they'll know how to do. The true purpose of kissing and having sex would lose its meaning, because these actions were done so indifferently to begin with.
We are psychosomatic beings, our souls unified with our bodies. Because of this, people can't say they're good, and end up doing bad things around them. Both our thoughts and our actions will make us who we are.
Tippie Co
IV-A
This is very insightful!
ReplyDeleteI learned that how we act affects how we shape ourselves. We are shaping who we want to become. For example, when one takes a pre-med course, one is shaping and preparing herself for the medical world. If we do moral acts, we are actually shaping ourselves - our soul and character. That is why we can't just be involved in the "Hook up culture" because this act makes us look cheap like objects. We, especially us teenagers, should always remember that we have HUMAN DIGINITY (SOUL) that must be protected. I know no one wants to be treated like this.
Anne Grace Dizon
IV-A
Fr. Barron talks about John Paul's insights on moral actions and in particular how this applies to the youth today. He explains that John Paul clearly saw how our actions are not just isolated actions but they actually help shape our characters.
ReplyDeleteHe also compared this to a golfer who keeps practicing the wrong ways on how to hit the ball. And in the end, he ends up being a bad golfer. The same way goes with our moral actions. The more we do them, the more we get to shape our character.
John Paul was concerned about the way the people today believe that you can be a good person inside, but do bad things. Just as good fruit coming from good trees, and bad trees produce bad fruit.
He was also very concerned about the "hook-up" mentality of young people today wherein sex is so casual that it is not even connected to loving the person anymore or at least having a relationship with that person. We see this happening everywhere around the world. And most especially, now that we are going to college, we will soon be exposed to the world out there and we are going to have to be strong. Just because you are in a certain environment does not mean that you should allow yourself to be influenced by it, but instead, you should be the one to influence others.
Via Lorenzo
IV-A
Father Barron on Morality, Character and Relationships
ReplyDeleteMorality is one of the more controversial issues of our time. The rise of Moral Relativism even makes things more complicated. I think this is when we Christians/ Catholics will stand out from the rest of the crowd. While other people conform to things like immoral sex and contraception, the real Catholics will stop and say, “No!” Morality really builds up our character; why, it’s the fiber of how we live life and live well. I noticed the themes of Double Effect in Fr. Barron’s speech. His analogies are very entertaining and relatable, which interests me even more. That example of the golfer is a good one. Nowadays, the problem that really rises is that people just do whatever they want. No one is afraid anymore. The problem, more especially about immoral sex, is that people think that it is equated to love! That is not love! Love is not putting your soul in danger by doing promiscuous acts. If people really want to look for love, then they should look to the cross! That is the real example of love. Jesus gave up his life for us on that cross; he sacrificed himself to save us! And what better love is there then for a man to give up his life for a brother!
(Posting for Twix Tan Gana IV-B)
ReplyDeletePeople nowadays think it's okay to have hook-ups, because it's one way of showing one another they love each other. However, what they don't know is that this can affect them emotionally. There's also peer-pressure, whether they get it from their surroundings, movies or from each other. They choose to ignore their conscience, which is wrong because sometimes this is God's way of communicating with us. After this video, I learned that our actions define who we are, this is why it is essential we think before we act. We think of the possible outcomes and consequences before we act. For every action we make, this will affect our future.
"Everything I do in the course of a day is either building up my character or
ReplyDeleteundermining it."
This quote from the video is definitely something that I will make sure to ALWAYS keep in mind. Throughout the day, we experience different things, and it is all up to us to choose how to respond to these things -- positively or negatively. Obviously, we would all want to respond to them positively in order to build up
our character. But we fail to realize that even those wrong little things that we think don't really matter and wouldn't affect us that much, undermine our character.
Fr. Barron also mentioned the typical modern attitude: We say we're good people even though we've done all kinds of bad things.
This made me think "that's so true!" and it also made me feel guilty because I think this way sometimes. It made me realize how we are such hypocrites nowadays; we boast about how good we are or how holy we are even though we do so much wrong things.
He talked about 'hook-up culture' which I personally think is one of the dumbest things my generation has become or is engaged in. It makes me ashamed to be part of this generation. People these days do not even stop to think before doing what they want to -- they do not think of the immediate or long-term consequences of their actions. Hooking up, as Fr. Barron mentioned has led to the enormous damage on young people who suffer from depression, anxiety, low self esteem and suicidal tendencies. We know what our actions will lead to so we should always think twice about what we're doing because every action shapes the person that we become. As Fr. Barron concluded in his video "Every time you perform a moral act, you're shaping something -- mainly you, you're shaping your own self, your own soul, your own character."
-Shaka Dialani