This PhD thesis falls within the fields of public finance and public choice. It studies the following issues: ideological polarization, decentralization and conflict. It consists of three chapters can be read independently.In the first chapter the focus is on the importance of ideological polarization between but also within political parties on the level and composition of cantonal public spending. The analysis is on Swiss cantonal parliaments and is based on the use and econometric treatment of a very rich database. We made two contributions to the literature on the impact of political fragmentation on public spending. First, we showed that ideological dispersion within political parties is associated with higher public spending while the dispersion between political parties is associated with less public spending. This finding implies that the mode of organization and discipline within political parties are both important. This result is particularly interesting given that previous literature has completely abstracted from ideological dispersion within political parties. Lastly, we showed that ideological dispersion between and within political parties is mainly relevant for current expenditures.The second chapter focuses on the conflict of objectives that may exist between economic agents in a two-stage game with asymmetric payoffs. The literature showed that coordination failures are frequent in one-stage games and that communication can help individuals coordinate with the use of take turn strategies that allow for a reduction in the payoffs' inequality in the long run. Our contribution was to study whether communication has the same capacity in a two-stage game where the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium requires both players to make opposite choices at both stages of the game and accept unequal payoffs. Our results show that coordination failures occur half of the time and that 18% of the pairs use the take turn strategy. Communication significantly increases coordination on the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium because it increases the ability of subjects to initiate a take turn strategy and to maintain it. Thus, communication allows subjects to establish a long-term strategy that increases efficiency and reduces payments differences, induced by the asymmetry in payoffs, by exchanging their relative positions in a fair way. Our results show that communication can solve coordination conflicts, even in more complex situations than in one-stage games usually studied until now.The last chapter focuses on a particular type of conflict: political secessions. Specifically, it addresses the link between secessions, decentralization and group identity. We aim at determining, by means of a laboratory experiment, if decentralizing the provision of public goods reduces the likelihood of secession. We emphasize the importance of local identity. Our experimental design, obviously, do not reproduce all the trade-offs that separatist movements face in the real world. It allows, however, capturing at least two key forces that drive these movements: the proximity to public goods that reduces the phenomena of free-riding and brings public goods closer to citizens' preferences and the importance of local identities. Our results indicate that the Decentralization treatment increases contributions to local public goods and decreases the likelihood of secessions also when identity is made more salient. If fact, reinforcing local group identity increases the likelihood of secession only when local group members are cooperators. ; Cette thèse de doctorat s'inscrit dans le domaine des finances publiques et des choix publics et s'articule autour des questions de polarisation idéologique, décentralisation et conflit. Elle est composée de trois chapitres qui peuvent être lus de façon indépendante.Dans le premier chapitre l'accent est mis sur l'importance de la polarisation idéologique entre mais aussi à l'intérieur des partis politiques sur le niveau et la composition des dépenses publiques cantonales. L'analyse est menée au niveau des parlements cantonaux suisses et repose sur l'exploitation et le traitement économétrique d'une base de données très riche. Nous avons fait deux contributions à la littérature sur l'impact de fragmentation politique sur les dépenses publiques. Premièrement, nous avons montré que la dispersion idéologique à l'intérieur des partis politiques est associée à des dépenses publiques plus élevées alors que la dispersion entre partis est associée avec moins de dépenses publiques. Cette constatation implique que le mode d'organisation et la discipline au sein des partis politiques ont de l'importance. Ce résultat est particulièrement intéressant car la littérature précédente a fait abstraction de la dispersion idéologique au sein des partis. Ensuite, nous avons montré que la dispersion idéologique est principalement pertinente pour les dépenses de fonctionnement.Le deuxième chapitre s'intéresse au conflit d'objectifs qui peut exister entre agents économiques dans le cadre d'un jeu en deux étapes avec paiements asymétriques. La littérature a montré que les défaillances de coordination sont fréquentes dans les jeux en une étape et que la communication peut aider les individus à se coordonner par l'emploi de stratégies de take turn pour réduire l'inégalité des gains à long terme. Notre contribution a été d'étudier si la communication a la même capacité dans un jeu en deux étapes où l'équilibre parfait en sous-jeux exige que les deux joueurs fassent des choix opposés aux deux étapes du jeu et acceptent des gains inégaux. Nos résultats montrent que les défaillances de coordination se produisent la moitié du temps et que 18% des paires utilisent la stratégie de take turn. La communication augmente considérablement la coordination sur l'équilibre parfait en sous-jeux car elle augmente la capacité des sujets à amorcer une stratégie de take turn et à la maintenir. Elle leur permet d'établir une stratégie de long terme qui accroît l'efficacité tout en diminuant les écarts de paiements, induits par les gains asymétriques, en échangeant leurs positions relatives d'une manière équitable. Nos résultats montrent que la communication peut résoudre les conflits de coordination, même dans des situations plus complexes que dans les jeux en une étape généralement étudiés jusqu'à présent.Le dernier chapitre s'intéresse à un type de conflit particulier : la sécession politique. Plus précisément il traite du lien entre sécession, décentralisation et identité de groupe. Nous essayons de déterminer, au moyen d'une expérience de laboratoire, si décentraliser l'offre de biens publics permet de réduire la probabilité de faire sécession. Nous mettons en exergue l'importance de l'identité au niveau local. Le protocole expérimental ne permet évidemment pas de reproduire l'ensemble des arbitrages auxquels les mouvements séparatistes font face dans le monde réel. Il permet, néanmoins, de capturer deux forces essentielles: la proximité avec le bien public qui réduit les phénomènes de passagers clandestins et rapproche le bien public des préférences du citoyens et l'importance des identités locales. Nos résultats indiquent que la décentralisation augmente les contributions aux biens locaux et diminue la probabilité de sécession aussi lorsque l'identité locale est rendue saillante. En fait, une forte identité locale augmente la probabilité de sécession seulement lorsque les membres des groupes locaux sont des coopérateurs et qu'ils contribuent aux bien publics locaux.
This PhD thesis falls within the fields of public finance and public choice. It studies the following issues: ideological polarization, decentralization and conflict. It consists of three chapters can be read independently.In the first chapter the focus is on the importance of ideological polarization between but also within political parties on the level and composition of cantonal public spending. The analysis is on Swiss cantonal parliaments and is based on the use and econometric treatment of a very rich database. We made two contributions to the literature on the impact of political fragmentation on public spending. First, we showed that ideological dispersion within political parties is associated with higher public spending while the dispersion between political parties is associated with less public spending. This finding implies that the mode of organization and discipline within political parties are both important. This result is particularly interesting given that previous literature has completely abstracted from ideological dispersion within political parties. Lastly, we showed that ideological dispersion between and within political parties is mainly relevant for current expenditures.The second chapter focuses on the conflict of objectives that may exist between economic agents in a two-stage game with asymmetric payoffs. The literature showed that coordination failures are frequent in one-stage games and that communication can help individuals coordinate with the use of take turn strategies that allow for a reduction in the payoffs' inequality in the long run. Our contribution was to study whether communication has the same capacity in a two-stage game where the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium requires both players to make opposite choices at both stages of the game and accept unequal payoffs. Our results show that coordination failures occur half of the time and that 18% of the pairs use the take turn strategy. Communication significantly increases coordination on the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium because it increases the ability of subjects to initiate a take turn strategy and to maintain it. Thus, communication allows subjects to establish a long-term strategy that increases efficiency and reduces payments differences, induced by the asymmetry in payoffs, by exchanging their relative positions in a fair way. Our results show that communication can solve coordination conflicts, even in more complex situations than in one-stage games usually studied until now.The last chapter focuses on a particular type of conflict: political secessions. Specifically, it addresses the link between secessions, decentralization and group identity. We aim at determining, by means of a laboratory experiment, if decentralizing the provision of public goods reduces the likelihood of secession. We emphasize the importance of local identity. Our experimental design, obviously, do not reproduce all the trade-offs that separatist movements face in the real world. It allows, however, capturing at least two key forces that drive these movements: the proximity to public goods that reduces the phenomena of free-riding and brings public goods closer to citizens' preferences and the importance of local identities. Our results indicate that the Decentralization treatment increases contributions to local public goods and decreases the likelihood of secessions also when identity is made more salient. If fact, reinforcing local group identity increases the likelihood of secession only when local group members are cooperators. ; Cette thèse de doctorat s'inscrit dans le domaine des finances publiques et des choix publics et s'articule autour des questions de polarisation idéologique, décentralisation et conflit. Elle est composée de trois chapitres qui peuvent être lus de façon indépendante.Dans le premier chapitre l'accent est mis sur l'importance de la polarisation idéologique entre mais aussi à l'intérieur des partis politiques sur le niveau et la composition des dépenses publiques cantonales. L'analyse est menée au niveau des parlements cantonaux suisses et repose sur l'exploitation et le traitement économétrique d'une base de données très riche. Nous avons fait deux contributions à la littérature sur l'impact de fragmentation politique sur les dépenses publiques. Premièrement, nous avons montré que la dispersion idéologique à l'intérieur des partis politiques est associée à des dépenses publiques plus élevées alors que la dispersion entre partis est associée avec moins de dépenses publiques. Cette constatation implique que le mode d'organisation et la discipline au sein des partis politiques ont de l'importance. Ce résultat est particulièrement intéressant car la littérature précédente a fait abstraction de la dispersion idéologique au sein des partis. Ensuite, nous avons montré que la dispersion idéologique est principalement pertinente pour les dépenses de fonctionnement.Le deuxième chapitre s'intéresse au conflit d'objectifs qui peut exister entre agents économiques dans le cadre d'un jeu en deux étapes avec paiements asymétriques. La littérature a montré que les défaillances de coordination sont fréquentes dans les jeux en une étape et que la communication peut aider les individus à se coordonner par l'emploi de stratégies de take turn pour réduire l'inégalité des gains à long terme. Notre contribution a été d'étudier si la communication a la même capacité dans un jeu en deux étapes où l'équilibre parfait en sous-jeux exige que les deux joueurs fassent des choix opposés aux deux étapes du jeu et acceptent des gains inégaux. Nos résultats montrent que les défaillances de coordination se produisent la moitié du temps et que 18% des paires utilisent la stratégie de take turn. La communication augmente considérablement la coordination sur l'équilibre parfait en sous-jeux car elle augmente la capacité des sujets à amorcer une stratégie de take turn et à la maintenir. Elle leur permet d'établir une stratégie de long terme qui accroît l'efficacité tout en diminuant les écarts de paiements, induits par les gains asymétriques, en échangeant leurs positions relatives d'une manière équitable. Nos résultats montrent que la communication peut résoudre les conflits de coordination, même dans des situations plus complexes que dans les jeux en une étape généralement étudiés jusqu'à présent.Le dernier chapitre s'intéresse à un type de conflit particulier : la sécession politique. Plus précisément il traite du lien entre sécession, décentralisation et identité de groupe. Nous essayons de déterminer, au moyen d'une expérience de laboratoire, si décentraliser l'offre de biens publics permet de réduire la probabilité de faire sécession. Nous mettons en exergue l'importance de l'identité au niveau local. Le protocole expérimental ne permet évidemment pas de reproduire l'ensemble des arbitrages auxquels les mouvements séparatistes font face dans le monde réel. Il permet, néanmoins, de capturer deux forces essentielles: la proximité avec le bien public qui réduit les phénomènes de passagers clandestins et rapproche le bien public des préférences du citoyens et l'importance des identités locales. Nos résultats indiquent que la décentralisation augmente les contributions aux biens locaux et diminue la probabilité de sécession aussi lorsque l'identité locale est rendue saillante. En fait, une forte identité locale augmente la probabilité de sécession seulement lorsque les membres des groupes locaux sont des coopérateurs et qu'ils contribuent aux bien publics locaux.
En el año 2012 se aprobó una reforma laboral de importante trascendencia en varios aspectos de las relaciones laborales. Esta tesis, trata de realizar un análisis del contenido general de esta reforma, para centrarnos posteriormente en uno de estos aspectos de más relevancia, debido al alcance de los cambios introducidos. Nos referimos a la negociación colectiva, especialmente a aquella llevada a cabo en el ámbito empresarial o inferior. Y es que con la entrada en vigor de esta reforma laboral los convenios colectivos sectoriales, provinciales, autonómicos o nacionales dejan de tener prevalencia sobre los convenios de nivel empresarial o ámbito inferior en contenidos de gran importancia. Con la nueva regulación, se da prioridad al convenio de empresa, garantizándose una descentralización convencional, pudiendo negociarse en cualquier momento la vigencia del convenio colectivo de ámbito superior. Además, a partir del 10 de febrero de 2012, se prevé la posibilidad de descuelgue respecto del convenio colectivo en vigor por causa económicas, técnicas, organizativas y de producción. Con el objetivo de analizar la transcendencia de estos cambios normativos en nuestra Región, se ha realizado este estudio utilizando una metodología tanto cualitativa como cuantitativa. La tesis doctoral se divide en cinco capítulos: El primer capítulo está dedicado a la descripción y justificación del estudio, detallando los objetivos y la metodología utilizada, así como las fuentes consultadas y el estado de la cuestión en el momento de empezar el estudio. El segundo capítulo supone un acercamiento teórico a la negociación colectiva y al marco jurídico de la misma. En este capítulo se diferencian los tipos de pactos colectivos, acotando posteriormente aquellos que son de relevancia para nuestro análisis. También se aclara la diferencia entre contenido obligacional y contenido normativo del convenio colectivo, para centrarse posteriormente en el estudio exclusivo de este último tipo. El tercer capítulo se centra en el análisis de la reforma laboral de 2012. En primer lugar, se analizan brevemente las reformas que se llevaron a cabo en los dos años anteriores para contextualizar esta norma. En segundo lugar, se realiza una descripción de los objetivos que persigue. Y en tercer lugar, se analiza el contenido de la misma, dedicando apartados específicos a temas tan relevantes como el nuevo marco regulador de la ultraactividad en los convenios colectivos o la inaplicación de los convenios colectivos cuando existen causas que lo justifican. El cuarto capítulo de esta tesis se centra en el estudio de la situación de la negociación colectiva a nivel empresarial tras la Reforma Laboral de 2012, analizando la situación de la misma tanto en el momento de publicación del RD-ley 3/2012,de 10 de febrero, convalidado por la Ley 3/2012, de 6 de julio, como después de la entrada en vigor del mismo, para poder comparar y analizar los efectos que esta reforma ha tenido sobre los convenios colectivos que se han negociado con posterioridad a la misma. En este capítulo son objeto de estudio todas y cada una de las mejoras introducidas en estos convenios: permisos retribuidos, vacaciones, jornada de trabajo, contratos, estructura salarial, excedencias, extinción del contrato de trabajo, formación, acción social, etc. Por último, a modo de epílogo, se presenta el quinto capítulo, donde se detallan los principales cambios que ha conllevado la reforma laboral de 2012 y se detallan las conclusiones finales del estudio, entre las que cabe destacar, la influencia de esta reforma en múltiples aspectos de las relaciones laborales de los trabajadores de nuestra Región. Palabras clave: negociación colectiva, reformas, constitución, libertad de empresa, flexibilidad, sindicatos, convenios de empresa, ultraactividad. ABSTRACT In 2012 was approved a Labor reform with high importance in various aspects of industrial relations. This dissertation focuses on the analysis of the general content of this reform, to focus later in one of the most important aspects, because of the extent of the changes. We refer to collective bargaining, especially those carried out in the business or lower level. And with the entry into force of this reform sector, provincial, regional or national collective agreements fail to take precedence over conventions enterprise level or lower level in highly relevant content. With the new regulation, priority is given to the company agreement, guaranteeing a conventional decentralization, may be negotiated at any time the term of the collective agreement of higher level. In addition, as of February 10, 2012, it provides for the possibility to pick respect the collective agreement for economic, technical, organizational and production causes. In order to analyze the significance of these regulatory changes in our region, we have conducted this study using both qualitative and quantitative methodology. This thesis is divided into five chapters: The first chapter is devoted to the description and justification of the study, detailing the objectives and the methodology used as well as the sources and the state of affairs at the time the study began. The second chapter is a theoretical approach to collective bargaining and the legal framework for it. This chapter describes the types of collective agreements, and then delimiting those that are relevant to our analysis differ. The difference between obligational content and normative content of the collective agreement also clarifies to focus later in the exclusive study of the latter type. The third chapter focuses on the analysis of the labor reform of 2012. First, the reforms carried out in the previous two years to contextualize this standard are briefly discussed. Secondly, a description of the objectives is done. And third, the content thereof is analyzed, specific sections devoted to such important issues as the new regulatory framework ultraactivity in collective agreements or the non-application of collective agreements when there are reasons justifying it. The fourth chapter of this thesis focuses on the study of the situation of collective bargaining at the enterprise level after labor reform of 2012, analyzing the situation of this issue both the time of publication of Royal Decree-Law 3/2012, of 10 February, validated by Law 3 / 2012, of July 6, and after the entry into force of this new regulation, in order to compare and analyze the effects this reform has had on the collective agreements that have been negotiated after the same. In this chapter we are studied each and every one of the improvements in these conventions: paid leave, holidays, working hours, contracts, salary structure, leave of absence, termination of the contract of employment, training, social action, etc. Finally, as an epilogue, the fifth chapter, where the major changes that has led the labor reform of 2012 and the final conclusions of the study are detailed, among which include the influence of this reform on many aspects of labor relations of workers in our region. • Keywords: collective bargaining, legislative reforms, constitution, free enterprise, flexibility, trade unions, ultraactive effectiveness.
Pašlaik Latvijas Republikas ekonomika ir uz atgūšanas ceļa, taču, krīzes laikā, izsniegto kredītu apjomi un pakalpojumi ar pēcapmaksu, ir kļuvuši par apgrūtinājumu daudziem uzņēmumiem un fiziskam personām, līdz ar to, arvien aktuālāks kļūst jautājums par parādu atgūšanu. Tas rada situāciju, kad uzņēmumam ir jāpieņem lēmums, vai šīs lietas uzņemties pašam, vai uzticēt piedziņu profesionālām kompānijām, kas ar to nodarbojas. Pacta sunt servanda!" jeb "Līgumi jāpilda!" – tā formulēts viens no svarīgākajiem civiltiesību pamatprincipiem. Diemžēl šis princips ne vienmēr tiek īstenots dzīvē. Ja pat "treknajos gados" naudas nesaņemšana no parādniekiem bija viena no aktuālākajām komersantu problēmām, tad šobrīd ekonomiskās krīzes ietekmē parādu nemaksāšanas jautājums daudziem komersantiem var izrādīties kritisks darbības turpināšanai. Kā risinājums tādai situācijai ir tā saucamā parāda nodošana, kas nozīmē, ka kreditors nodod pret to izveidojušos parādu trešajai personai, parasti – juridiskai, kura tieši nodarbojas ar parādu piedziņu vai ir speciāli izveidota šādam parādu piedziņas mērķiem, paralēli veicot arī ar to saistītu saimniecisko darbību. Arvien vairāk tirgū ienāk jaunie dalībnieki, kuri arī grib ieņemt savu tirgus daļu. Katrs tirgus dalībnieks kaut kādā veidā atšķiras no konkurējošā uzņēmuma ar savu specifiku. Autors izpētīja Latvijas parādu piedziņas tirgu un ir nolēmis ieguldīt līdzekļus parādu piedziņas kompānijas izveidē. Projekts dibināt parādu piedziņas uzņēmumu tiks realizēts ar AS "Akciju komercbankas "Baltikums"" palīdzību, arī uzņēmuma darbība tiks veicināta ar komercbankas palīdzību, tiks nodrošināta piekļuve pie komercbankas "problemātisko" klientu datu bāzes. Šīs datu bāzes apstrāde un komercbankas klientu parādu piedziņa, būs uzņēmuma darbības sākumposms, lai iekarotu savus tirgus daļu darbības nozarē. SIA ''Parāds'' ofiss atradīsies Rīgā, Mazā Pils iela 13, telpās, kuras pieder komercbankai, taču šobrīd netiek izmantotas, telpas būs piešķirtas bezmaksas. Uzņēmums SIA Parāds darbības nozare ir kredītmenedžments, kas ir saistīts ar finanšu un jurisdisko pakalpojumu sniegšanu, šie pakalpojumi tika apvienoti, lai veiktu parādu piedziņu. Uzņēmums galvenā darbības sfēra ir kavēto maksājumu iekasēšana – tā ir pasākumu kopums, kurus kreditors plāno veikt attiecībā uz klientiem, kuri nav savlaicīgi apmaksājuši rēķinus. Tā sevī ietver lēmumus, kas saistīti ar iekasēšanas metožu izvēli un kombināciju (vēstules, pārrunas, tikšanās, juridiskas darbības u.c.). Labi definēta kavēto maksājumu iekasēšanas politika sevī iekļaus skaidri noteiktas kavēto maksājumu iekasēšanas secības vadlīnijas. Kopumā kavēto maksājumu rašanos ietekmē trīs faktori: konkurence un līgumu nosacījumi, uzņēmuma un klientu darījumu vadība, kā arī ārējā un finanšu vide. Parādu piedziņa ir salīdzinoši jauns uzņēmējdarbības veids jeb pakalpojums. Parādu piedziņa sāka veidoties vienlaikus ar Latvijas neatkarības atgūšanu. Tajā laikā gan parādu piedziņā pielietoja pavisam citas metodes nekā šodien. 90.gadu sākumā ļoti pārliecinošu līdera pozīciju ieņēma tā saucamie "reketieri", kuri izmantoja nelikumīgas metodes un pieprasīja par šo pakalpojumu ļoti lielu procentu no atgūtās summas. Šodien parādu piedziņu lielā mērā nosaka likumdošana, kas ieviesa krasas izmaiņas piedziņas metodēs. Parādu piedziņas darbības pamatojums balstās uz to, ka liela daļa darījumu tiek sniegti uz pēcapmaksu, kā rezultātā daļa klientu laikā nemaksā vai mēģina nemaksāt vispār. Tas attiecīgi dod iespēju šajā procesā iesaistīties parādu piedzinējiem. Pasaules prakse rāda, ka globālajos apstākļos efektīva ir tieši darba dalīšana, tas nozīmē – koncentrēties uz sava pamata biznesu un izmantot ārpakalpojumu. Laikā, kad Latvijā strauji uzlabojās ekonomiskā situācija, daudzi uzsāka uzņēmējdarbību. Tas bija labs laiks celtniecības, tirdzniecības un dažādu pakalpojumu sniegšanai, jo bankas bija pretimnākošas un piedāvāja dažādus jauno uzņēmēju atbalsta komplektus: skaidras naudas aizdev ; Currently the Latvian Republic's economy is on a recovery path, but, in times of crisis, credit exposure and post-paid services have become a burden for many companies and individuals, therefore, is becoming increasingly topical issue of debt recovery. This creates a situation where a company has to decide whether to take the case himself, or may have driven a professional company, dealing with it. Pacta sunt servanda "or" Contracts play "- it reads as one of the most important civil rights principles. Unfortunately, this principle does not always happen in life. If even the" fat years "non-receipt of money from debtors was one of the most topical problems of businesses, the current economic crisis impact of non-payment of debt issue for many businesses may be critical to continue to operate. As a solution to a situation is the so-called transfer of debt, which means that the creditor shall be against the indebtedness to a third party, usually - in law, which is directly engaged in the collection of debts or are established especially for that debt collection purposes, accompanied by the related economic activities . More and more new players entering the market, which also wants to take its market share. Each player in some way different from a competitive company with its own specificity. The author studied the Latvian market for debt collection and has decided to invest in the debt collection company's development. The project will establish a debt collection company will be realized with AS Joint Stock Commercial Bank "Baltikums" "to the company's activities will be encouraged to help commercial banks, will have access to the commercial banks 'problem' client database. This database, processing and commercial clients debt collection, will be in the early stages to conquer their market share in the industry. SIA Parāds office will be located in Riga, Maza Pils Street 13, on premises owned commercial bank, but are not used, space will be allocated free of charge. SIA Parāds industry is a credit management, which is related to the financial and's legal services, these services were combined in order to recover the debt. The company main activity lies in a late payment charge - it is a set of measures, the creditor intends to take with regard to customers who are not timely paid the bills. It includes decisions relating to the collection methods of selection and combination (letters, interviews, meetings, legal actions, etc.). Well defined for late payment collection policy itself will include a clear account of late payment charge sequence guidelines. Overall, the occurrence of late payments are subject to three factors: competition and contract conditions, the company's business and customer management, as well as external and fiscal environment. Debt collection is a relatively new type of business or service. Debt collection began to take shape at the same time the Latvian independence. At that time, the debt-recovery methods applied quite different than today. In the early 90s a very strong leader took the so-called "racketeer" who used illegal methods and asked for this service a very large percentage of recoveries. Today, debt recovery is largely determined by legislation, which introduced radical changes in recovery methods. Enforcement action rests on the fact that much of the transaction are provided to post-paid, as a result of the customers at the time trying not to pay or not pay at all. This shall enable the process to engage in debt-collecting. World practice shows that global conditions are directly effective division of labor, it means - to focus on their core business and the use of outsourcing. At a time when the Latvian rapidly improving economic situation, many started business. It was a good time for construction, trade and various services, as the bank was welcoming and offered a variety of new business support package: cash loans, consumer loans, overdrafts, credit lines, etc. But even then, ma
Generar la cultura de la internacionalización de la educación superior en Colombia es un paso fundamental para insertarse al mundo del conocimiento y al mundo global del saber, que se espera contribuya a promover la identidad nacional, a mejorar la competitividad económica y tecnológica del país, a garantizar las competencias necesarias en el profesional de hoy, a explorar nuevos mercados que permitan el libre comercio de los servicios de educación superior, al mejoramiento de la calidad académica a través del logro de estándares internacionales para la enseñanza-aprendizaje y la investigación y para el desarrollo de los estudiantes, profesores, investigadores y administradores como individuos, no ya de una sociedad cerrada, sino como ciudadanos del mundo. La internacionalización del sistema de educación superior es un fenómeno reciente aunque las universidades han estado internacionalizadas desde el momento mismo en que fueron fundadas por los europeos algunos cientos de años atrás. Pero la internacionalización ha vivido un proceso interesante de analizar particularmente desde 1990 cuando el país vivió un proceso de apertura económica sin precedentes en su historia. Desafortunadamente en Colombia, este proceso ha sido insuficiente y desigual en su desarrollo, y ha contado con poca atención por parte del Estado lo que ha implicado que el sistema de la educación superior del país no se haya insertado plenamente en el contexto internacional ni que los actores del sistema hayan internalizado a cabalidad la naturaleza del proceso. Este será el principio de una permanente reflexión que siempre pretenderá conocer mejor las características del proceso y tener una mejor comprensión de los avances de esta nueva dimensión para la educación superior colombiana la que la Asociación Colombiana de Universidades ha identificado como escasa y carente de sentido propio. ; Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ; INTRODUCCIÓN 1 1. LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN: un reto para las universidades 1 a. Objetivos Generales 5 b. Objetivos Específicos 5 2. DISEÑO METODOLÓGICO 6 I. LOS DESAFÍOS DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR SIN FRONTERA 11 1. LA GLOBALIZACIÓN: un nuevo paradigma 11 a. La educación superior en el mercado global 13 b. La democracia global y el impacto en la educación superior 15 c. El conocimiento sin fronteras 16 d. La construcción de la identidad nacional 17 2. LA REFORMULACIÓN DEL ROL DEL SECTOR EDUCATIVO 18 II. EL MARCO POLÍTICO EDUCATIVO DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACION 21 1. ANTECEDENTES HISTÓRICOS DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR 21 2. EL PAPEL DE LOS ORGANISMOS INTERNACIONALES 24 a. La UNESCO y la Internacionalización 28 1) Declaración de La Habana, 1996 29 2) Declaración Mundial sobre la Educación Superior, París, 1998 37 3. EL DESARROLLO DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN EN EUROPA 42 III. LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR COMO UN INSTRUMENTO PARA EL CAMBIO 47 1. RELEVANCIA Y SIGNIFICADO DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN 47 2. LA PRÁCTICA DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN A NIVEL INSTITUCIONAL 51 a. las actividades 52 b. el ethos 53 c. las competencias 53 d. el proceso 53 3. EL POR QUÉ DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN 52 a. Razones politicas 54 b. Razones económicas 57 c. Razones socio culturales 59 d. Razones académicas 59 4. ESTRATEGIAS PARA EL LOGRO DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN 59 a. Estrategias organizativas o administrativas 59 b. Estrategias programáticas o académicas 60 IV. LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN Y SU DINÁMICA EN COLOMBIA 63 1. HISTORIA DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR COLOMBIANA 63 2. ANTECEDENTES DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACION DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR COLOMBIANA 70 a. La polarización en la "guerra fría" 74 3. UNA 'NUEVA' INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN 79 4. EL MARCO LEGAL 81 a. La Constitución Nacional de 1991 82 b. La Ley 30 de Educación Superior de 1992 83 c. Planes de Desarrollo Nacional 86 5. INICIATIVAS GUBERNAMENTALES 91 a. Movilidad estudiantil 91 1) ICETEX 91 2) COLCIENCIAS 93 3) ICFES 95 6. INICIATIVAS PRIVADAS 97 a. COLFUTURO 97 7. PROGRAMAS BILATERALES 99 8. LAS REDES UNIVERSITARIAS 100 a. Red Colombiana de Cooperación Internacional para la Educación Superior, RCI 103 b. Redes Internacionales 107 V. LAS CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LA PRÁCTICA DE LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN EN COLOMBIA . 111 1. ANÁLISIS EMPÍRICO 111 2. METODOLOGÍA 112 3. ANALISIS DE LA ENCUESTA 118 a. Estrategias para la implementación de la internacionalización 118 1) Estrategias organizacionales 119 a) Gestión de la dimensión internacional 119 b) Liderazgo y compromiso institucional 121 c) Razones para la integración de la dimensión internacional 122 d) Políticas institucionales para la internacionalización 123 e) Políticas gubernamentales 124 f) Creación y conformación de las unidades administrativas 125 g) Capital humano 126 h) Perfil profesional de los responsables de las Oficinas de Relaciones Internacionales 126 i) Ubicación en el organigrama institucional 127 j) Infraestructura organizativa de soporte 128 k) Principales funciones 130 l) Financiamiento 131 m) Comité Asesor 132 n) Políticas de Incentivos 134 2) Estrategias Programáticas 136 a) Programas académicos 136 b) Idiomas extranjeros 138 c) Alianzas estratégicas 139 d) Convenios por países 141 e) Convenios por áreas del conocimiento 142 f) Movilidad académica 144 g) La investigación y la internacionalización 145 h) Evaluación y acreditación internacional 146 i) Actividades extracurriculares 147 j) Programas de egresados 148 k) Presencia internacional 149 l) Nuevas tecnologías 149 VI. ENFRENTANDO LOS RETOS 153 1. LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DESDE EL ESTADO 157 2. LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DESDE LAS INSTITUCIONES 165 BIBLIOGRAFÍA 173 ANEXO 180 ; Maestría ; Generating the culture of internationalization of higher education in Colombia is a fundamental step to enter the world of knowledge and the global world of knowledge, which is expected to contribute to promoting national identity, to improve the economic and technological competitiveness of the country, to guarantee the necessary competencies in today's professional, to explore new markets that allow free trade in higher education services, to improve academic quality through the achievement of international standards for teaching-learning and research and for the development of students, teachers, researchers and administrators as individuals, no longer in a closed society, but as citizens of the world. The internationalization of the higher education system is a recent phenomenon although universities have been internationalized from the very moment they were founded by Europeans a few hundred years ago. But internationalization has undergone an interesting process to analyze, particularly since 1990 when the country experienced a process of economic opening without precedent in its history. Unfortunately in Colombia, this process has been insufficient and uneven in its development, and has received little attention from the State, which has implied that the country's higher education system has not been fully inserted in the international context or that the system actors have fully internalized the nature of the process. This will be the beginning of a permanent reflection that will always seek to better understand the characteristics of the process and have a better understanding of the progress of this new dimension for Colombian higher education, which the Colombian Association of Universities has identified as scarce and lacking in its own meaning.
Abstract Smallholders in the Amazon are one of the most important actor groups for achieving long-term maintenance of the remaining forests. They manage vast areas of forestlands based on customary rights, and possess significant local knowledge about their resources. Smallholders have been exploited and marginalized throughout centuries within paternalistic societies ruled by economic and political elites. More recently, in response to pressure from emerging societal movements, many national governments, supported by the international community, have recognized the rights and roles of smallholders living in rural, often still forested landscapes. During the 1990s, Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) proliferated throughout the Amazon region as a promising approach to halter deforestation and biodiversity loss, as well as to mitigate climate change. While SFM initially focused on the capacities of professionally working timber companies managing public forests in concessions, soon the need became obvious to consider the smallholders living in and from these forests. This gave rise to the concept of community-based forest management that primarily relates to the management of timber by small local forest owners based on legally authorized management plans grounded in the principles of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL). Accordingly, many different governmental and non-governmental organizations, supported by the international donor community, started initiatives to support this new approach. However, after many years of promotion of community-based forest management, experiences have been rather ambivalent. Despite some impressive success stories of some forest development projects, only very few smallholders adopted the proposed management schemes. This lack of broader success indicated a lack of compatibility between the regulatory and market frameworks for community-based forest management and the capacities and interests of smallholders. This raised the more general question if and to what degree the management of forests for timber under the specific conditions of the Amazon region is a feasible option for smallholders to generate the urgently required income in a sustainable way. Against this backdrop, this study aimed at analysing the effective potential of timber management for smallholders in the Amazon to provide orientation for the formulation of policies to promote community-based forest management for the benefits of smallholders. The study considered two critical impediments to community-based forest management: the locally absent technical skills and financial means needed to act successfully in timber markets; and a low abundance, unsatisfactory regeneration and productivity of marketable species in natural forests. Related to this, it is often argued that smallholders tend to seriously overexploit and damage their forests if not controlled. Accordingly, the study followed four research questions: i) What possibilities do smallholders have to engage in timber markets?; ii) What is the commercial potential of their primary and secondary forest areas?; iii) What are the effects of smallholders' timber logging on forests?; and, iv) What are the possibilities for long-term management of timber resources?. As part of the EU-financed international research project "Forest management by small farmers in the Amazon - An opportunity to enhance forest ecosystem stability and rural livelihood", this study addresses these three questions by empirically analysing 21 communities in four forest regions in Bolivia (Riberalta), Ecuador (Macas) and Peru (Pucallpa and Puerto Maldonado) selected for their relevance and representativeness regarding regional contexts in terms of markets characteristics, smallholder's management strategies, and forest characteristics. The analysis included three studies: i) A market and value-chain analysis to understand the role of smallholders in contemporary timber markets and to identify the barriers and potentials to make forest management an attractive source of income. ii) An analysis of the monetary value of timber in smallholders' primary and logged areas. iii) An assessment of the effects of smallholder's logging activities in primary and secondary forests on forest structure and composition through comparisons between primary and logged farm forests. In these studies, farm inventories were carried out in primary, secondary, and logged forests. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with smallholders about timber management practices, generated incomes, production costs, and timber marketing. Secondary information and expert interviews complemented information particularly related to the scientific names and ecological characteristics of the inventoried trees, production chains, and relevant legal aspects. Multivariate and univariate approaches were used to analyse farm forests, and to classify smallholders according to their forest management strategies. In a final step, the findings were used to calculate the financial and ecological potential of community-based timber management under consideration of different area size, logging intensity, and productivity scenarios. The market analysis revealed that the number of species with commercial potential for regional or international markets differed largely between the study areas. Whereas in Riberalta, Bolivia, 15 tree species were regarded as commercial, 22 commercial species were regarded as such in the Pucallpa and Puerto Maldonado regions in Peru, and up to 80 species in the Macas region in Ecuador. Accordingly, the stocking commercial volumes in the analysed forests varied from around 20 m-3 in Riberalta, Pucallpa and Puerto Maldonado, to up to 80 m-3 ha-1 in Macas. The specific numbers strongly varied between the different smallholder forest stands due to previous logging practices and local forest composition. Also, the prices paid by local traders for timber varied strongly. For Cedrelinga cateniformis, a timber tree species found in all the study regions, the price varied from only USD$ 3.7 in Riberalta, to USD$ 6.7 in Pucallpa and Puerto Maldonado, up to USD$ 16 m-3 of round wood in Macas. Accordingly, the monetary value of stocking timber volume for one hectare varied from USD$ 0 in a logged farm forest located near Riberalta, to USD$ 1,324 in a smallholder forest located in the Macas region. The analysed households used this potential to different degrees. It is possible to distinguish five general categories of smallholders: (1) Those not dependent on income from timber; (2) those requiring occasional income from timber; (3) smallholders requiring complementary income; (4) those obtaining their principal income from timber; and (5) smallholders specialized in timber harvesting and trade. Depending on market opportunities, forest conditions and the strategy of the smallholder, incomes from timber varied from USD$ 194 yr-1 in Pucallpa and Puerto Maldonado, to USD$ 216 in Riberalta, up to USD$ 2,589 in Macas. Forests previously logged by smallholders showed significant differences to pristine forests regarding basal area, number of trees and DBH distribution of the principal commercial species. Particularly, a large shift towards smaller size classes was observed. In secondary forests, the commercial timber potential depended in particular on the regeneration and dominance of commercial tree species. In some young secondary forests, dense regeneration of pioneer species with a commercial value in local markets dominated the forest composition. In other cases, only few commercially interesting trees were found. Projections of timber production for the next thirty years resulted in the volumes: between 7.4 m3 ha-1, 12.2 m3 ha-1, and 20.9 m3 ha-1 for Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador respectively, with large variations depending on previous logging practices. These values translate into Annual Allowable Cuts between 0.05 m3 ha-1 yr-1 in a stand located in Puerto Maldonado, up to 1 m3 ha-1 yr-1 in a still pristine forest in Ecuador. Considering the average forest areas of smallholder farms of 53 ha in Bolivia, 46 ha in Peru, and 31 ha in Ecuador, the yearly harvestable volume per smallholder is around 11.5 m3 yr-1, 12.5 m3 yr-1, and 7.2 m3 yr-1 in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, respectively. These translate into potential annual incomes of around USD$ 45 (Bolivia), USD$ 84 (Peru), and USD$ 115 (Ecuador) for the three countries. The potential annual net income also strongly varied depending on transport distance to the nearest road and the availability of horses and chainsaws. Thus, income prospects of forest that were three hours distant from a road were around USD$ 200 yr-1 compared to USD$ 1,000 yr-1 --- for a forest located near a road. These findings suggest that timber management can be financially attractive for smallholders particularly if value is added through the cutting of planks. However, in practice, this potential depends largely on local marketing possibilities and timber prices, the possibility of integrating into value-added chains, as well as the size, composition and state of the forest. In case of vibrant timber markets that absorb large volumes of a wide range of tree species, the financial attractiveness of timber logging is high. Even under less favourable conditions, smallholders tend to develop strategies to take advantage of an eventually existing potential for generating income from the logging of timber in their forests. The identified timber use strategies employed by smallholders in the study regions, although not under control of the forest authorities, so far have only moderately changed the structure and composition of forests at a level comparable with the one documented for sustainable timber management schemes. Timber growth projections for forests that have been logged by smallholders are comparable to those of logged areas under management plans. It can be concluded that the management of forests to produce timber can be attractive for smallholders as a complementary source of urgently required income while contributing in parallel to the long-term conservation of significant forest areas in the Amazon. Against this backdrop, it is highly recommended to more intensively support smallholder forestry in the region, above all by the formal recognition of local management schemes and a substantial improvement of local conditions for the commercialization of timber.
Tese de doutoramento em Engenharia Mecânica, na especialidade de Ecologia Industrial, apresentada ao Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra ; Despite of the increasing awareness to the environmental impact associated with munitions, the research efforts done in this area are mainly related to safety and performance improvements, while a holistic perspective of the environmental impacts of their production, use, and disposal are not covered. To utterly comprehend those impacts is necessary to quantify the potential environmental and toxicological impacts associated with the life-cycle of ammunition. The use of the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for that purpose will not only allow the quantification of the impacts, but also indicate the path to enhance the environmental profile of ammunition. Environmental legislation is a main driver to enforce industry, including military industry, to develop new approaches to mitigate the environmental impacts of their products. An example of legislation pressure is the REACH regulation that is restricting the use of substances of very high concern (SVHC) that are classified based on limits established for selected physicochemical properties. The interpretation drawn from this classification system is that the potential consequences to human health are essentially dependent on a restricted number of a substance's properties, and that the limits imposed are equivalent from that point of view. However, it is necessary to understand if those issues are verified in order to enhance the classification of hazardous substances. This thesis provides insights about two main goals associated with the life-cycle environmental impacts of ammunition. Firstly, LCA is presented to assess the environmental and toxicological impacts of ammunition in order to highlight the principal burdens associated with the production, use, and disposal of ammunition. The scarcity of life-cycle studies regarding this issue reflects its importance, novelty, and contribution to the scientific community to facilitate future studies about this issue. Secondly, this thesis aims to improve the hazard classification system of chemical substances, and to strength the reliability of the identification of SVHC. For that purpose, a conceptual framework was developed based on USEtox to calculate toxicological characterization factors (CFs) associated with virtual substances: hypothetical substances whose properties are based on the regulatory limits established by REACH. A hazard classification system based on the aforesaid toxicological CFs for virtual substances is proposed to assist in the evaluation of safer toxicological alternatives. ii The life-cycle inventories for energetic materials contributed to complete the gap and facilitate future studies associated with the environmental impact assessment of ammunition. Comprehensive LCA studies referent to the whole life-cycle of ammunition helped to assess and highlight the main hotspots for this product. In particular, LCA studies demonstrated the importance of a life-cycle approach to ammunition by illustrating that the information obtained from these studies outweighs the effort needed to overcome the difficulties stemming from data collection. The employment of a life-cycle perspective shed some light in some unexpected consequences or trade-offs related to "green" paths for ammunition. These findings will allow shooting range managers, ammunition producers or others, to become more aware of the main environmental impacts of ammunition as well as defining strategies to manage or mitigate ammunition burdens and carry out tailored modifications to decrease the impacts. The calculation and comparison of the toxicological CFs for the virtual substances allowed to conclude that: i) the different regulatory limits established by REACH are equivalent from the point of view of their ability to evaluate the human health impact; ii) the combinatory effect of the different physicochemical properties is not negligible when evaluating the hazard potential of a substance; iii) parameters such us water solubility or Henry´s law coefficient (not included in the SVHC classification) are as relevant as others presently included in REACH to evaluate hazard to human health; iv) the CFs of the virtual substances may be seen as a reference of what is an acceptable toxicological impact, and can be employed in a hazard classification of chemical substances. The aforesaid hazard classification system can be used to evaluate the significance of potential toxicological impacts and to provide additional information to screen the substances according to their toxicity hazard. This hazard classification system not only incorporates more properties than the ones considered in REACH regulation, but also takes in consideration the combinatory effect to calculate toxicological impacts on humans. This new framework intends to improve the toxicological assessment of substances, helping the industry to classify SVHC and understand the significance of the toxicological impacts related to conventional or new products. ; Apesar de uma maior perceção para os impactos ambientais associados a munições, os esforços de investigação feitos nesta área são sobretudo relacionados com a melhoria da segurança e performance, enquanto uma perspetiva holística aos impactos ambientais da sua produção, uso e eliminação não são abrangidos. Para compreender esses impactos é necessário quantificar os impactos ambientais e toxicológicos associados ao ciclo de vida de munições. A aplicação da metodológica de Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) para esse propósito permitirá a quantificação dos impactos, e assinalar o caminho para melhorar o perfil ambiental das munições. A legislação ambiental é um precursor para forçar a indústria, incluindo a indústria militar, a desenvolver novas abordagens para mitigar os impactos ambientais dos seus produtos. Um exemplo da pressão da legislação é o regulamento REACH que tem restrito o uso de substâncias de integração progressiva (SIP) que são classificadas tendo em conta limites estabelecidos para certas propriedades físico-químicas. A interpretação a partir deste sistema de classificação é que as potenciais consequências para a saúde humana são basicamente dependentes de um número restrito de propriedades de uma substância, e que os limites impostos são equivalentes desse ponto de vista. No entanto, é necessário perceber se esses pressupostos verificam-se e desta forma melhorar a classificação de substâncias perigosas. Esta tese faculta uma maior clareza sobre dois objetivos associados ao impacto ambiental do ciclo de vida de munições. Primeiro, a ACV é apresentada para avaliar os impactos ambientais e toxicológicos de munições de forma a esclarecer os principais problemas associados à produção, uso e eliminação de munições. A escassez de estudos de ciclo de vida sobre este assunto reflete a importância, novidade e o contributo para a comunidade científica para facilitar futuro estudos sobre este assunto. Em segundo, com esta tese pretende-se melhorar o sistema de classificação de substâncias perigosas, e consolidar a identificação das SIP. Com esse propósito, foi desenvolvido um enquadramento conceitual baseado no método USEtox para calcular os fatores de caracterização (FCs) toxicológicos associados a substâncias virtuais: substâncias hipotéticas em que as propriedades baseiam-se nos limites regulatórios determinados pelo REACH. É proposto um sistema de classificação de perigo, baseado nos FCs toxicológicos para as substâncias virtuais, para auxiliar na avaliação de alternativas mais seguras. Os inventários de ciclo de vida de materiais energéticos contribuem para completar a lacuna e auxiliar futuros estudos referentes à avaliação dos impactos ambientais de munições. Estudos de iv ACV referentes ao ciclo de vida total de munições ajudam a avaliar e realçar os "hotspots" deste produto. Nomeadamente, os estudos de ACV indicam a importância de uma perspetiva de ciclo de vida para munições, ilustrando que a informação obtida destes estudos supera o esforço requerido para superar as dificuldades na obtenção de dados. A perspetiva de ciclo de vida indicou que algumas soluções amigas do ambiente podem originar consequências inesperadas. Estes resultados permitem que gestores de campo de tiro, produtores de munições ou outros, sejam mais cientes dos principais impactos ambientais de munições, além de ajudar a definirem estratégias para gerir ou mitigar os problemas ambientais de munições e realizar modificações para reduzir esses impactos. O cálculo e comparação dos FCs toxicológicos das substâncias virtuais permitiu concluir que i) os diferentes limites regulatórios estabelecidos pelo REACH são equivalentes nem relação à sua aptidão para avaliar os impactos na saúde humana; ii) o efeito combinatório das diferentes propriedade físico-químicas não pode ser negligenciado quando são avaliados os potenciais perigos de uma substância; iii) propriedades como solubilidade e coeficiente da lei de Henry (não incluídas na classificação de SIP) são igualmente relevantes que as outras propriedades atualmente incluídas no REACH para avaliar os perigos na saúde humana; iv) os FCs das substâncias virtuais podem ser vistas como uma referência de um nível aceitável de impacto toxicológico, podendo ser utilizados num sistema de classificação de substâncias químicas perigosas. O sistema de classificação de perigo pode ser utilizado para avaliar a magnitude do potencial impacto toxicológico e fornecer informação adicional para selecionar substâncias de acordo com o seu perigo tóxico. Este sistema de classificação de perigo incorpora mais propriedades que os considerados atualmente pelo regulamento REACH, além de considerar também o efeito combinatório no cálculo dos impactos toxicológicos. Com este enquadramento novo pretende-se melhorar a avaliação do impacto toxicológico de substâncias, ajudando a indústria a classificar as SIP e entender a significância dos impactos toxicológicos relacionados com produtos novos ou convencionais.
With the scientific contribution that will be made, and in a debate, the Ohrid 2015 conference will answer the questions that are of interest to the scientific and social public. One of those questions addresses the issue of defining security science as a concept, which is related to the concept of security. For this concept different language systems use different terms. Also, one of the principal problems is the naming of the science which deals with researching security. Namely, security is a phenomenon which is the subject of research of philosophy and science, but it is also the subject of interest of other forms of knowledge as well, such as religious, common-sense and artistic ones. But it also denotes a state, activity and certain social creations which, one way or the other, fill human life or are in the function of meeting human needs. It deals with searching for the answer related to the nature of the destructions, the risks and prerequisites for setting up the conditions and the environment for the creation and improvement of human life, and also with the values: a) whether these values are threatened, to what extent, what from and why; b) how to improve and promote the values and eliminate their threat, who from, with what measures and against whom? Topics Approaches and methods in researching security Contemporary security – problem of the state or the society Security as a public good and its transformation in the spirit of the new generation of security risks and threats Classification of security – types of security The concept of security system reform Security neutrality versus European and Atlantic integration The concept of securitization Place and role of intelligence and counterintelligence services Expanded approach to security Parliamentary control over the security system Security law Corporate security – new type of dealing with risks The "public's right to know" and the security system Prevention of violence at sports events Energetic security in Southeast Europe Comparative experiences and latest mechanisms for preventing corruption Types of corruption in the security system and the judiciary Participation of citizens in the fight against corruption Practical policies for police reforms Police integrity yesterday, today and tomorrow Forms of cooperation between police forces and police organizations Structure of international police cooperation Contents of international police cooperation Forms of ad hoc institutionalization of international police cooperation Educational systems and profile of police profession in the Balkan states Forms of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the area of dealing with crime, trafficking in humans, narcotics and psychotropic substances Institutionalization of regional cooperation in dealing with crises and other security problems Is the formation of joint Balkan police forces? Is the formation of Balkan network of criminologists as well as networks of individuals coming from particular specialties possible? Approaches in cases of domestic violence Contemporary forms of trade, legal regulations and relations between states Cooperation of economic subjects between legal security and security threats and risks Regional cooperation and regional economic policies Democracy, legal state, human rights, their enhancement and forms of protection International standards for the protection of freedoms and rights of persons and citizens and the policies of the Balkan states Forms of protection of freedoms and rights – experiences and perspective Strengthening the rule of law and the responsibility of the institutions The role of international organizations in the promotion and implementation of international norms for the protection of human rights in the Balkans Democracy, stabilization, integration Inter-state and inter-institutional cooperation in the protection of human freedoms and rights Contemporary forms of crime and ways for their suppression Contemporary forms of cyber crime (electronic: frauds, misleadings, threats, id thefts and other forms of electronic frauds and crimes) Forms of crime related to the Internet and cyber services and manners for their detection Criminalistic experiences, achievements, methods, means and manners for the suppression of contemporary forms of criminality Gender perspectives in security Relationship between criminological and victimological sciences and security as a science – independence, complementarity, distinctiveness, delimitation, subject of study and research methods. Relationship between criminal law science and security as a science – independence, complementarity, distinctiveness, delimitation, subject of study and research methods. Relationship between criminalistics and security as ascience - independence, complementarity, distinctiveness, delimitation, subject of study and research methods Classical (conventional) criminality – (un) justly neglected topic Homicides and other crimes against the person – a worrying upward trend Capital punishment – pros and cons (reasons for reconsideration) Frauds – unjustly neglected criminality (phenomenology, etiology, prevention, penal policy) Victimization of vulnerable groups (women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities etc.) and their protection Reform of the criminal material and process law Contemporary risk management methods in socio-pathological phenomena Modernization of criminal justice Contemporary challenges to criminology Prevention of juvenile delinquency Contemporary responses to criminality suppression Sexual abuse of children Assistance and support to crime victims Problems relating to the statistical recording of criminality Gender perspective of criminality Women and criminality Stress and victimization in penal institutions Through an open and well-argued debate the Conference should make topical the discussion on the difference between security as an activity and the science which deals with it, i.e. the scientific deliberation and the discovering of scientific laws and rules in the social field of security. These two concepts are most commonly referred to as security and security science or sciences, respectively. Yet, no clear distinction is drawn between them. Most commonly, when talking about security science the discussion revolves around security and its structure. In that sense the concept of security is currently being used with several meanings. As far as security at national or global level is concerned, we should bear in mind the fact that its contemporary concept and basic contours date back to the period after the fall of the Berlin Wall, i.e. after the Cold War. The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 mark a new era in the studies and the practice of security. As a result of globalization and the processes which led to the change in the structure of the world power, the phenomena encroaching security are perceived as challenges, risks and threats. The ranking of these concepts and phenomena depends on the level of their impact on the encroachment of security, and for this reason they represent latent, potential or factors of immediate encroachment. In scientific and expert debate security and security science are being disputed. Thus, instead of science, the notions of state (integral security), field (security sector) or a specific system are used. There are no doubts that security encompasses all of them. It is an important human activity in which numerous processes, subjects and relations are interwoven. That sphere is characterized by specific occurrences and phenomena which are challenges for numerous individuals, organs and organizations, and above all, for the state. Security is a complex phenomenon, a controversial concept which has very often been one-sidedly and narrowly defined through history. Security is a complex phenomenon, and, is essentially a disputable concept not only because of its elusive nature and contents bearing in mind the time and the place in which it has been discussed, but also because of the fact that discussion on security is inevitably related to other categories: fear (for physical survival), absence of structural violence, peace, well-being and stability. In international relations, security is defined in various ways, and very often in literature this concept is used without being more closely determined. As a political concept, security is evidently a pre-condition for the existence of life - individual and societal, and refers to the absence of threats and protection from threats. The understanding of security as an innate interest of every individual and broader human collectivities – family, society, nation, state, international system, points to the need for broadening the concept of security towards such approaches. Therefore, in theory concepts are formed such as national and international security, and, in more recent time, human, individual, societal and global security, which indicates an important expansion of new dimensions of security. The paradigms and the institutional models of security have a historical continuity. They have been changing. Security is inseparably related to the state and its organization, organs and function. Contemporary debates on security are expanded to the social and political sphere. Although the very mentioning of the concept of security, is, above all, associated with internal peace and peaceful life of the citizens, i.e. as freedom from threats, it also denotes a state of defence from an external enemy and encroachment of sovereignty. Therefore, the central interest of the concept of security is the state, which can be jeopardized by internal turmoil, economic and social disturbances, particularly in communities lacking the feeling of endangerment of identity and social cohesion. Hence, it can be concluded that "freedom means nothing without security" and that "the test of the freedom is the security of the minorities". For that purpose the Faculty of Security will organize an international conference in Ohrid in the period 2-3 June 2015 on the topic: "Researching security – approaches, concepts and policies". This will mean that the Faculty of Security Skopje will continue its orientation towards giving contribution to the development of scientific thought by organizing international conferences in the area of security, thus helping the decision-makers at regional, national and local level, to overcome practical problems they face in a faster, simpler and timely manner with the help of the findings and the research results.
2007/2008 ; L'inizio di secolo 21 a rivelato al mondo intero l'inizio di una guerra di piccoli dimensioni. La geopolitica e un gigante formato da una serie di 2 giocatori di scacchi , di cui questi giocatori cercano di ottenere vantaggi di posizione. In questo gioco e cruciale di conoscere le regole attuali che governano questi movimenti. I cavalieri non può muoversi in diagonale. Dal 1945 fino al 1989, il gioco principale sulla scacchiere e stato tra gli Stati Uniti e l'Unione Sovietica, è stato chiamato "La Guerre Fredda". Oggi, il gioco e tra l'Unione Europea e Russia , e metaforicamente è stato chiamato "La Guerre Fredda del Gas". La sicurezza energetica europea confronta una serie di sfide per quanto riguarda la dipendenza dell'Unione Europea delle risorse energetiche russe e della necessità di diversificazione dei mezzi di trasporto su le risorse energetiche, si fa riferimento principalmente a gas naturale. Lo scopo di questa tesi di dottorato e quello di indagare la situazione attuale, a partire da l'idea che ci sono gravi preoccupazioni in Europa per quanto riguarda il fatto che la Russia potrebbe utilizzare le sue esportazioni di energia come arma politica per poter finalizzare la sua supremazia politica . Questa tesi si concentra sull'identificazione di una soluzione per quanto riguarda le maggiori preoccupazioni dei europei - la sicurezza dell'approvvigionamento energetico, iniziando a sviluppare nuovi vie di acceso alle risorse energetiche. Per una migliore comprensione, ho pensato la mia tesi come una scacchiera, avendo come scommessa - il sviluppo di nuovi gasdotti, con due giocatori principali (l'Unione Europea e la Russia), un giocatore chiave - La Regione del Mar Nero - e, naturalmente, con una soluzione. Le principale domande di questa ricerca sono: Nell'Unione Europea allargata può essere vero che la Russia potrebbe tentare di utilizzare le sue esportazioni di energia come un'arma politica per raggiungere la supremazia? Per vincere sarà utilizzato il prezzo dell'energia per ottenere questo vantaggio? Per poter rispondere a queste due domande se deve prima capire le relazioni tra l'Unione Europea e la Russia, e qual è il ruolo che il Mar Nero svolge in questo problema. Questo tipo di ricerca proporre un quadro teorico d'analisi, avendo come metodo di analisi, un metodo quantitativo ( di contenuto ) e un metodo qualitativo ( le discussioni informali con gli esperti di questo settore ). Per poter essere più precisa, per quanto riguarda l'ipotesi della tesi, ho avuto alcune discussioni informale con gli esperti del settore energetico e dei affari europee, in Europa, della zona del Mar Nero e della zona Caspio, paesi che sono direttamente coinvolti nel problema energetico, per discutere e analizzare l'impatto che ha la politica estera energetica russa, che se trova in pieno sviluppo sul Europa e sulla sicurezza europee, a partire dalla crisi del gas provocata dalla Russia, che ha avuto un impatto reale, influenzando considerevole l'economie europee a partire dal 2006 fino ad oggi. Il mio punto di vista è che la Russia cercherà attraverso vari mezzi di consolidare la dominazione come Leader Mondiale, usando i mezzi che gli ha - il prezzo d'energia, e il mio parere e che l'unico modo per risolvere questo problema e di cominciare a diversificare l'accesso alle risorse energetiche, sviluppando una strategia in piano energetico che collegano l'Europa dal bacino del Mar Caspio attraverso la regione del Mar Nero. Se questa strategia avrà successo, l'Europa sarà in grado di ridurre l'influenza della Russia e di creare un clima sicuro dal punto di vista energetico. Per quanto riguarda il metodo di analisi quantitativo, la teoria è basata sulla lettura di alcuni libri di riferimento dal settore energetico e quello di relazioni internazionali, con la partecipazione a conferenze e seminari sia in Romania e all'estero, compreso uno stage di formazione alla Direzione di Energia e Trasporti della Commissione Europea , il monitoraggio delle notizie e degli articoli di stampa di questo settore ( Mediafax ,Journal of European Public Policy , Euractiv , Eurobserver , Eupolitix , CNN , BBC , Euronews ). A partire da una ricca esperienza in questo settore energetico e da una cooperazione transfrontaliera, la mia tesi desidera sottolineare l'importanza di una sicurezza energetica europea in quello che riguarda l'approvvigionamento dell'Europa con l'energie. Nei seguenti capitoli di questa tesi ho studiato alcuni aspetti guardando la dipendenza energetica europea nei confronti della Russia e il ruolo dalla regione del Mar Nero, come un ponte di accesso alle fonti alternative di energia, diverse da quelle russe. Il primo capitolo inizia con due opinioni sulla sicurezza energetica e economica europea,che rivela la vulnerabilità dell'Europa, pero anche il suo potenziale che si divide tra l'Europa e gli stati dell'Eurasia Centrale. La tesi discuterà del ruolo di Gasprom sia nella politica interna e nella estera russa, che rivela una cattiva immagine della diplomazia energetica russe. Seguendo questa rotta, il obiettivo si muove da sud a est. Un capitolo parla del ruolo determinato che lo ha la regione del Mar Nero come un ponte di accesso nella sicurezza energetica europea , seguita da capitoli destinati a rivelare il ruolo specifico della Turchia in questo problema. Nel piano secondario, due progetti specifici di infrastrutture sono studiati - Nabucco e Il Gasdotto South Stream, finendo con una soluzione su un gasdotto Trans-Caspian. La tesi si conclude con l'indicazione di una strategia sulla diversificazione delle vie d'accesso energetiche. In questo momento, possiamo dire che lo scopo di questa ricerca è stato quello di definire una possibile soluzione per poter uscire da sotto la dominazione russa, quella di sviluppare una strategia comune al livello europeo sulla diversificazione del accesso alle risorse energetiche dalla regione Caspio al Mar Nero in Europa. In questo senso, la strategia energetica europea si prevede di continuare a raggiungere di tali obiettivi promuovendo nuove rotte di trasporto sicuro e al sviluppo economico territoriale, trasformando l'Europa più sicura nel accesso alle risorse energetiche. L'Unione Europea detiene in questo momento tutti gli strumenti di una politica estera per promuovere la stabilità politica e la riforma economica, per il sviluppo e il rafforzamento della democrazia e delle legislazioni nazionali, e aumentare i diritti e le libertà umane nei paesi della regione del Mar Caspio. Il più importante, le relazioni europeo - Mar Caspio , dovrebbero essere estese per quanto riguarda le dimensioni bilaterale e regionale dal punto di visto economico e commerciale e al livello diplomatico. L'ultimi eventi che sono stati sulla scacchiera energetica fornisce una vera e propria importanza alla regione del Mar Caspio per esercitare una notevole importanza come uno centrale geo-strategico, e all'Unione Europea per poter esercitare il ruolo del Leader Mondiale nella regione . Comunque per rendere reale ( per effettuare ) questo compito difficile, l'Europa deve rispettare alcuni consigli per poter formulare una strategia energetica comune nella zona del Mar Caspio , come : di eliminare gradualmente la dominazione Gasprom da Azerbaijan . di offrire supporto economico e politico allo scopo di costruire il progetto Nabucco e di costringere alla costruzione di un gasdotto Trans-Capian , intervenire sul mercato per assicurare la diversità e di impedire il monopolio della fornitura delle risorse energetiche verso l'est d'Europa . di garantire la stabilità e la sicurezza nei paesi di transito e di risolvere il conflitto di Nagorno Karahbak , e imporre dei impegni più grandi sul processo di Minsk di pensare seriamente come negoziare con Turkmenistan, mettendo nella bilancia l'apertura energetica con una generosa offerta, pero senza un coinvolgimento troppo grande sulle riforme politiche e economiche. Questo farà una chiamata alla diplomazia e tatto, e alla superiorità tecnologica e tecnica del ovest di poter pagare. Come una conclusione finale, l'Ovest , incluso l'Unione Europea e gli Stati Uniti, deve ripensare il più rapido possibile le sue politiche energetiche e non-energetiche nei confronti di Russia . Cosi come possiamo osservare in questa tesi , l'Ovest detiene veramente il vantaggio economico e politico di poter costringere la Russia per diventare più trasparente e commerciale nei confronti delle sue politiche energetiche estere . Non può più permettere a Mosca di minacciare la sicurezza energetica d'Europa , avendo la possibilità insieme al entrata dalla Romania e Bulgaria nell'Unione Europea in gennaio 2007 di sviluppare nuove rotte sul accesso alle risorse di gas dalla zona Caspio attraverso il Mar Nero in Europa. ; The beginning of 21st century revealed to the world the beginning of a small war proportion. Geopolitics is a gigantic series of two player chess games, in which the players seek positional advantage. In these games it is crucial to know the current rules that govern the moves. Knights are not allowed to move diagonally. From 1945 to 1989, the principal chess game was the one between the United States and the Soviet Union and it was called the "Cold War". Nowadays, the chess game is between European Union and Russia and it is called metaphorically the "Gas Cold War". European energy security is facing a set of serious challenges connected to Europe's dependence on Russian energy and the need for diversifying energy supply sources. Now days, European Union and Russia arrived at a crossroad regarding their agreements on energy matters. The target of this PhD is to explore the current situation, leaving from the fact that are serious concerns in Europe that Russia may try to use its energy exports as a political lever in order to settle its supremacy on the political board. This thesis focuses on finding a solution towards the European's major concern – energy security of supply, by start building new routes of gas supply. For a better understanding, I structured my paper like a chase board, with a stake – new routes of gas supply, with two major players – European Union and Russia, one key actor – The Black Sea Region and of course with a solution. The main research questions of this thesis are: In the enlarged European Union it could be true that Russia may try to use its energy exports as a political lever in order to settle its supremacy? And, in order to be successful it will use the energy price to obtain the leverage? To answer these questions a first step is to understand the relations between EU and Russia and the role that, the Black sea region plays in this meter. The research proposes a theoretical framework, using a quantitative analyze method (analysis of content) and a qualitative analyze method (informal discussions with experts from this area). In order to be more precisely with my thesis assumption, I carry out some informal discussions with experts from energy and international affairs area, from Europe, Black sea and the Caspian region, countries who were involved in the energy case, to discuss and to analyze the impact of Russia's increasingly assertive foreign energy policy on Europe and European security, started from the gas crises launched by Russia that have a real affect on Europe economy from 2006 till nowadays. My point of view is that Russia will try through different ways to consolidate its dominance as a Global leader, using its most convenient means – the "energy price" and my believes were that the only way to solve the problem is by start building a diversification supply strategy that could link Europe to the Caspian basin through the Black sea region. If this strategy will succeed, Europe will be able to reduce the Russian influence and to create a safer life climate. Regarding the quantitative analyze method, the theoretical framework was foundated by reading some record books in the international relations and energy field, by participating to conference and seminars in Romania and outside the country, including a stage at the European Commission on energy matters, monitoring the news and the press articles in this field (Mediafax, Journal of European Public Policy, Euractiv, Eurobserver, Eupolitix, CNN, BBC, Euronews). Starting from the successful work experience in the energy field and cross-border cooperation, my thesis aims to deepen the understanding of the European Union energy security of supply. In the fallowing chapters of my thesis, I studied several aspects of Europe's energy dependence on Russia, and the role of the Black Sea region as a source of alternative supplies. The first chapter begins with two overviews of Europe's economic and energy security, which show Europe's vulnerability, but also the potential lying in the complementarities between Europe and the states of Central Eurasia. The paper then proceeds to discuss the role of Gazprom in both Russian domestic and foreign policy, respectively, which provide a disturbing picture of the emerging Russian energy diplomacy. Following this, the focus shifts south and east. A chapter puts forward the role of the emerging Black Sea region as a hub in European energy security, followed by chapters devoted to the specific role of Turkey. Subsequently, two specifically important infrastructural projects are studied – the Nabucco and the South stream pipelines, ending with a pipeline solution as a Trans-Caspian pipeline. The paper final concludes with the outlining of a supply diversification strategy. At this point we can say that the aim of this paper-study was to define what might be a solution to get out under the Russian dominance and to offer as a possible solution the developing of a common European energy supply strategy from the Caspian region thorough the Black Sea into the European Union. In this sense, the EU energy supply strategy is expecting to contribute to achieving these objectives by promoting new safe routes of supply and a balanced and sustainable development of the territory, making European Union safer concerning its energy supplies. The EU holds all the foreign policy instruments required to promote political stability and economic reform, develop and straighten democracy and the rule of law, and enhance the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the countries of the Caspian region. Most importantly, the EU-Caspian relations need to be further expanding in the bilateral and regional dimensions of economy and trade, as well as at diplomatic level. The last events that occurred in the energy chess board had give a real chance to the Caspian region to exert its importance as a significant geo-strategic pivot, as well as to the EU to play a global role in the region. However, making this a reality is fraught with difficulty and Europe must respect some recommendations in order to formulate a common energy strategy in the Caspian area, such as: move swiftly to thwart Gazprom's overtures to Azerbaijan. give the political and economic backing to get Nabucco built and push for the creation of the trans-Caspian, intervening in the market to ensure diversity and prevent a monopoly of supply to Eastern Europe. ensure stability of transit countries, push to resolve Nagorno Karahbak, greater commitment to the Minsk process. think seriously about how to deal with Turkmenistan, balancing energy overtures with generous but not overbearing support for political and economic reforms. This will require concerted diplomacy and reassertion of western technological and technical superiority and ability to pay. As a final conclusion, the West, including the EU and the United States, needs to quickly rethink its energy and non-energy policies towards Russia. As we can see in this paper, the West does have the economic and political leverage to force Russia to become more transparent and commercial in its foreign energy policies. It cannot allow Moscow to threaten the energy security of Europe anymore, having the possibility since the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU in January 2007 to develop new routes of gas supply from the Caspian area through the Black sea into Europe ; XX Ciclo
Issue 28.2 of the Review for Religious, 1969. ; EDIT~)R R. F. Smith, S.J. ASSOCIATE EDITORS Everett A. Diederich, S.J. Augustine G. Ellard, S.J. ASSISTANT EDITOR John L. Treloar, S.J. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS EDITOR Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. Correspondence with the editor, the associate editors, and the assistant edRor, as wel! as books for review, should be sent to ~EVIE~,V FOR RELIOIOUSj 612 Humboldt Building; 539 North Grand Boulevard; Saint Louis, Missouri 63~o3. Questions for answering should be sent to Joseph F. Gallen, S.J.; St. Joseph's Church; 32t Willings Alley; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ~9~o6. + + + REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS Edited with ecclesiastical approval by facuhy members of the School of Divinity of Saint Louis University, ~be editoria| ot~ices being located at 612 llumboldt Building; .539 North Grand Boulevard; Saint Louis, Missouri 63103. Owned by the Missouri Province Edu-cational Institute. 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Questions for answering should be seni to the address of the Questions and Answers editor, MARCH ~969 VOLUME 28 NUMBER 2 ANDRE AUW, C.P. The Evangelical Counsels: Ways of Becoming Free- Many years ago a young man walked into a Jewish synagogue and at the time for the readings, arose, took the scroll that was handed to Him, and read the follow-ing lines: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good tidings to the afflicted, He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, Toproclaim liberty to the captives, Andthe opening of the prison to those who are bound. The young man, of course, was Jesus Christ, a man sent by God to be a liberator of men: And His mission was never more beautifully described than in those words of Isaiah which he read to the assembly: "He has sent'me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to .those who are bound." The mission was one of liberation, of enabling men to become free. If it is true that our mission as religious is the same as Christ's mission, then it is important thatwe .examine the vows, and the counsels on which they are based, in the light of freedom. And so I have chosen to do this, tO discuss the vows as possible means of liberating us as persons, so that we can help others to become liberated. I would like to begin this consideration of the vows with a personal reflection that might serve as a frame-work for my approach. For the past five years I have been working with a great variety of groups: college students, married couples, priests, religious--men and women of all faiths or of no faith. And I have been surprised at the consistency of their impressions of re-ligious, Gradually I have been able to weave together a fabric + ÷ ÷ Andre Auw, C.P., writes from the Center for Students of the Person; P.O. Box 2157; La Jolla, California 92037. VOLUME 28," 1969 .175 Andre Auw, C.P. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS from their attitudes and responses. It is a fabric that is not pleasant to touch. I have the impression that their one dominant way of evaluating us is ~in terms of free-dom. For the most part they see us as terribly unfree. They see us as dedicated, well-intentioned men and women, who are, nevertheless, imprisoned by our way of life, trapped by our traditions, hemmed in, and, as the c.ollege students say, "hung up" by our systems and legal prescriptions. The most vocal expression of these feelings has come from the college student groups. And perhaps that is why my initial reaction to this consistent message was one of annoyance and irritation. I found myself rather defensive at what seemed to be an adolescent smugness on the part of these students, and at what appeared to be a. very unfair and unbalanced evaluation. Not all reli-gious are so rigid, unfree, trapped, and hemmed in. That was my initial reaction, But when I reflected a little more I discovered that I was reacting to things I did not want to believe could be true. And when I could be more honest with myself, I had to admit that this is the very image that many religious, including myself, have projected. My pondering also gave me some other valuable in-formation. Not only were these people telling me things about myself that I found hard to hear. They were also trying to tell me things about themselves which they found hard to bear. They were speaking of their fears. Seeing me unfree they were reminded of their own fear of never becoming free enough to be a mature loving person. They thought of their fear of being swallowed up in an impersonal, computerized society, of their fear of .being trapped by outdated traditions and hemmed in by unreasonable laws. All of their fears and frustrations which have been spilling out in bloody streaks from Watts to Washington, D.C., from the lawns of Berkeley to the halls of Columbia, were freshly underlined. It seems that they had turned toward, me, a religious, in hope, but finding me unfree, had turned away from me in sadness. They felt they must search elsewhere to find someone free enough to be able to show them the way to freedom. ¯ And so it seems to me to be a vital need to consider the vows in the light of freedom, to measure them by the manner in which they measure up as liberating forces in our lives. Nietzsche once said: "If they¯want me to believe in their God. they are going to have to sing better hymns for me; they are going to have to show me that they are men who have been liberated." Mod-ern man is saying the same thing to us today. He knows the message of Christ is essentially ]iberative, and be wants to see how well that message has liberated the religious who call themselves witnesses, before he will. consider buying it. In order to understand the vows as ways of becoming free we should understand what we mean by .freedom. It is not the ability to do whatever pleases me. That is narcissism. St. Paul has described it beautifully in the following instruction to the Galatians: "You should be free to serve one another in love" (Gal 5:14). And Doctor Carl Rogers spells that out a little more sharply when he talks about "a freedom which. [man] courageously uses to live his potentialities., which assists [him] in becoming human, in relating to others, in being a per-son." This is a freedom which makes us responsible lovers, concerned about responding sensitiveIy to others and not inhibited by the shadows of our own fears. How can the vows be ways of enabling us as religious to possess this kind of freedom? Let us examine them separately. First, poverty. What is there about this way of being a.nd living which can be liberating for us? In view of the definition of freedom as the ability to serve my brother in love, I would see poverty as a statement of value. For me, the true spirit of poverty is a way of being which can help me to tell my brother that I consider him more important than the material possessions I can acquire. And by not being so dependent upon .having things I am truly freer to share myself with others. Not needing to satisfy so many of my own desires, I can be more open and responsive to the needs of others. This is certainly the accent that we find in Scripture. Having things or not having things is of secondary importance in New Testament reflection on poverty. The emphasis is not on having, but on being: being able to "be" for others. The tragedy of the rich man Dives in the Lazarus story is not that he was wealthy, but that his wealth had made him insensitive and in-capable of meeting the needs of his suffering brother. There is, I feel, a parallel today in the attitude of people towards the poverty of religious. I do not be-lieve that intelligent people are harshly critical of us be-cause we possess large buildings and bank accounts. But they are severely critical when our buildings or our money keep us aloof and uninvolved in serious social issues. They can tolerate our need for some kind of. status but they cannot forgive us when we are incapable of service. As religious we need help in order to appreciate pov-erty as a way of freeing us from the paralyzing effect of accumulated material possessions. Freeing us from the demands of our own egos, so that we can walk--or even + + + The Counsels VOLUME 28, 1969 177 4- REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS run--to meet the needs of others. And so that we can do this without wanting a lot of "extras." When we do not have this spirit, something rather ugly happens to us even though we do not consciously promote it. We become very protective of our own in-terests. Speaking in another context, Charles Davis re-ferred to this self-service: The official church is racked with fear, insecurity and anxiety, with a consequent intolerance and lack of love. And what frustrates any effort at remedy is the perpetual dominance of the system over the person., the system always comes first. I would like to hope that I could become a different kind of religious, one who is seen as valuing the human person above any thing or system. I would like to be seen by those whom I serve as poor in material posses-sions, but rich in caring, unselfish as I serve them, and sometimes even a bit joyous in the sharing of myself: what I am and what I have as a Christ-person. This is the kind of witness that modern man needs and wants. He is terribly frustrated and unhappy with his accumulated wealth. He finds the things he possesses getting in the way of his relationships with the people he loves. And he does not know how to free himself. He needs people who can show him a new set of values and a new way of being with people. And finally, in regard to poverty, it is worthwhile re-calling that when Christ, after the miracle of Naim, was asked: "Are you the Messiah?" He responded not by pointing to the miracle of new life given to a dead man. Instead, He said: "Go and tell John what you see., the poor have the gospel preached to them." That was, and is still, the sign par excellence of the messianic liberator. It is the sign that shows people what Christ and His message are all about. Next let us examine obedience as a way of becoming free. I especially like Father Van Kaam's concept of obedience. It is taken from the root meaning of the word, "obaudire," which means "to hear." For me, obedience can be a wonderfully freeing thing when it is understood as a sensitive listening to the heartbeat of the Christian community. I think I would also add, a responsive and responsible listening. This means that those in authority and those under them have a need to listen to one an-other, to listen together to those they are committed to serve. It is responsive, and this implies a kind of generous spontaneity which is far removed from docile acceptance of an order. And it is responsible, which implies the recognition of an obligation that stems from a love com-mitment. For many the word obedience conjures up fantasies of force and control and restriction. How then can obedience be seen as a liberating force? I believe that one factor which can truly make obedience liberating is the factor of trust. The social and behavioral scientists have done con-siderable work in the area of authority relationships and they have discovered some interesting facts. They have found that when a climate of trust exists in a group, the people who are in positions of authority, are more re-laxed and do not feel a need to maintain tight kontrol and supervision. They are inclined to be open to sug-gestions for change. Those who are working for them tend to produce better and to assume responsibility for the welfare of the group as well as for the work they must do individually. One of the elements which Doctor Jack Gibb isolated in groups where authority relationships were poor was the attitude on the part of those in positions of leadership. These leaders held two assumptions regarding those who worked for them: that they were not to be trusted, and that they were irresponsible. Unfortunately, in many cases, these assumptions became a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy which created the very conditions that man-agement sought to avoid. There may well be similar assumptions on the part of religious superiors. We have had a long heritage of pro-tectiveness, and it is hard to effectively break away frown these patterns. Undoubtedly the atmosphere of trust is much better now than it was ten years ago, but there most likely is still a great deal of work to be done in religious communities in this area. Our obedience can be lib-erating for us only when, together, we can begin to as-sume that we can be trusted and that we can be re-sponsible for ourselves. Paradoxical as it may sound, a person must be truly independent before he can surrender himself to another. Thus I, as a religious, must experience your trust and my own responsibility before I can surrender my needs and desires in such a way that together we can listen sensi-tively to the needs of the community we serve. It is then, and only then, that I can find it possible to accept a diffi-cult assignment or perform unpleasant tasks as a respon-sive and responsible lover. Doctor Carl Rogers has said that in order to be a really effective teacher a person must have a profound trust in the human organism and its potentialities. Otherwise he will cram the student full of all the information he thinks is good for him rather than help the student to learn what is important for him. Having worked with Doctor Rogers I can state that this is not mere theory for him; it is the way he functions with people. He pre- + + + The Counsels VOLUME 28, 1969 179 ÷ ÷ ÷ Andre Auw, C~P. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS' fers to be gullible, to take people at face value, .and to believe the things they say to him. And oddly enough, people are so warmed by this kind of unconditional ac-ceptance that they soon stop telling lies and cease trying to impress. They find they no longer have to hide their refil feelings, and it is a very wonderful experience for them. By experiencing the trust of a loving person they were.able to begin to surrender a bit of themselves. I believe it is this kind of trust which is needed to transform our understanding of obedience. Obedience should not make us docile conformists, but responsible lovers. Today more than ever before we need a concept of obedience which will enable, us to assume responsi-bility for our actions and our lives. We need greater power to freely surrender our self-centered desires and needs. The example of Peter in the New Testament seems to be a striking illustration of the kind of obedience I am talking about. Peter began his authority relationship with Christ feeling very insecure. He made a great many mistakes, yet each time he did so, Christ confirmed him as a person by making him feel that He still trusted him. The peak experience for Peter came during the meet-ing with Christ outside the palace of the high priest. Peter, ashamed at his betrayal, finally found the courage to look at Christ, and that loving glance of the Master made Peter aware that Christ still believed in him, still trusted him. It was only after this that Peter felt secure enough to accept the responsible task of shepherding the flock for Christ. It was Christ's trust of Peter that made' possible the entrusting of the flock to him. And it was this same trust that transformed Peter into a re-sponsive and responsible lover. This is a way of being that modern man wants to dis-cover very badly. He finds it so hard to reach beyond the limits of his own ego. He is searching for someone who can show him an obedience which is an exercise of responsibility freely chosen, and yet something binding and demanding because that is the way of love. Modern man needs to experience this kind of trust-filled loving so that he too can become free to love. He wants to be able to say in the words of The Little Prince: "I am re-sponsible for my rose." That would be for him the state-ment of a truly obedient man, rejoicing in an obedience which is richly liberating. Finally we come to the vow of celibate love. I have chosen to discuss it under this title rather than that of chastity because I believe this best expresses, the real meaning o.f the vow. There has been so much written on celibacy in the past year that I iliad it difficult say something which will ,1 not be excessively redundant. Perhaps the best approach will be to share some of my reactions to recent articles that I have read. Frankly, I am not impressed byo being told that I am an eschatological sign because I am a celibate. I really do not think that the men and women who come in contact with me are go.ing to experience a love that. is redeeming simply by being aware that I can point to a way they will love one another in heaven. They need to know how to love here and now. I am not denying the theology of eschatological witness; I am saying that it is not a good enough reason to justify my be!ng a celibate. But perhaps the thing that disturbs me most about recent discussions on celibacy is the somewhat naive as-sumption that the celibate way of life "ex se" or. auto-matically will produce good results; that it will make us better lovers. Anyone who has worked closely with re-ligious in different communities 'knows that this simply is not an assumption based on fact. The fact is that we find it hard to be generous and warm lovers, in com-munity as well as out of community. And for me that is the very heart of the matter: being able to love others humanly, warmly. One of the most beautiful compliments that I.have re-ceived is a statement that has poignantly sad overtones: "You know you don't seem like a priest; you're so hu-man." What kind of celibacy is it that 'contributes to such an image? On the other hand I am equally disturbedby propo-nents of some undefined "third way," who speak so un-realistically of married love. Marriage can be just as de-humanizing as celibacy, as any counselor knows. Sexual expression :without sexual integration can be just as dev-astating for married persons as the lack of sexual expres, sion without-sexual integration can be for celibates. Neither marriage nor celibacy guarantees any(hing in the way of mature loving. However, both can be Ways of becoming free in order to grow as lovers. Both demand sexual integration as a prerequisite for personal fulfill-ment. And botl~ take a great deal of work and pain and perseverance and patience.' What then is there about the celibate .way of loving which can be for a religiousa liberating experience? First of all, I believe that celibacy, lovingly and. freely embraced, enabIes me to say to those I am committed to serve that I can love them in a way which is rich and deep and truly human, but in a way which is not demanding. And this is a magnificently freeingkind of awareness. It means that when I have accepted my sexuality and be-gun to integrate if, I can add another dimension to my VOLUME ~'St 2.969 "~, ; ISt 4, 4, Andre Auw, C.P. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 18~ relationships. I can show people what it means to love someone just ~for himself. Not for his usefulness or phys-ical attractiveness. Not for his fine mind or remarkable talents, but just for himself. I can show him a way of loving and living which inte-grates se~xuality in a way that is different from married people. "It is a way which recognizes the splendor of sexuality, but which at the same time chooses to refrain from sexual .expression. I can show this person how to love both men and women warmly and deeply, with tenderness and even affection, without the overriding fear of automatic sexual involvement. And this, I believe, is precisely the kind of loving that modern man is hungry for. He is very confused by his sexuality, and it has become for him the alpha and omega of his existence. Deep within him he senses that ful-fillment iiavolves more than sex, but he finds it hard to translate this vague inner feeling into the language of everyday living because he does not find enough lovers who think much differently from the way he does. Modern man can learn a great deal from a religious who appreciates his sexuality enough to give it just enough importance in his life, but no more than that. How much it can mean for the confused modern to experi-ence a love which accepts him not for anything he has, but only for what he is. This alone is enough to be redemptive for many men and women. It seems as if there is in the heart of man a yearning for the model lover who is strong enough in serf-mastery to be free to be a kind of savior for others. In the folklore of most nations and tribes there are redemptive figures who, most often, were celibates during the time of their inessianic mission. We have only to recall the mythical warriors of the Far East and of-Indian culture, the many versioned prince myths of the early Middle Ages, the knights of King Arthur, and even in our own coun-try, the man of the West, the hero of the desert and prairie. Let us think of this last figure [or a moment. In story and song he has been pictured as a man of great physi-cal and moral strength. But primarily he is a man on a redemptive mission, living only for others. He rides into a town, bringing his honesty and integrity. He is manly; but also gentle with women. He is compassion-ate toward the poor and helpless. He stamps out evil and plants the seeds of goodness and truth. He brings sal~cation to a village. And when his redemptive mission is accomplished, this celibate lover accepts the love that people can give him in return for his, but he never de-mands it. Then, 'his work finished, he rides of[ alone to anbther ~¢illage and other people who need his kind of loving in order to be redeemed, to be liberated. In a similar way the modern religious celibate ac-complishes his redemptive mission. What he really gives to others is a portion of his own gift of freedom. He too will have to "ride" alone, but only in the sense of not having a single exclusive love relationship. For as he grows in his own mature sense of .freedom he ,will 'be enriched by many deep and beautiful love relationships. And this too becomes a gift to be shared with others, the gift of knowing how to put love and sexuality into a splendid and yet practical perspective. The task of integrating these two elements is always a difficult one. But one insight is very important. A sister, during a weekend workshop with .married couples, ex-pressed it well. She said: "You know, before this Week-end I had planned to leave my religious community. But now, I'm not so sure. You see, I thought my problems were the problems of a celibate religious, and I dis-covered that they are the problems of a woman. I found married women with the same basic problems, and they are making better adjustments to. them than I have been doing." This is so very true. Most of our problems are ,not the result of our celibacy but of our humanness. Neither marriage nor sexual intercourse will resolve our ten-sions. These will be resolved when we learn how to be-come truly human and loving. Then it will be possible for the celibate way of life to be rewarding for us and redeeming for others. It is then that we can demonstrate to others a love that is most beautiful because it is least demanding. Celibacy will not automatically make us great lovers, but a lover who understands and values his celibacy can be a model lover for others, a lover who is free enough to be able to free others. Certainly it is this kind of loving that is needed so desperately today by modern man who no longer feels lovable or loved. It may well be that only when he .ex. periences such undemanding love will he be ~onvinced of the genuine value of Christ's love. It may be that he will be able to believe in the celibate lover of Calvary only after he has come to believe in other celibates who can surrender, as He did, one of the most priceless gifts that God has given them. Perhaps .then, when he sees us free enough to surrender our sexuality for his sake, he may come to believe that he really is worth sav-ing and that God does care about him after all. It is a knowledge that many men still seek when they come ih contact with celibate lovers. These, then, are some of my reflections on the vows as ways of becoming free. I would like to understand the vows as ways of enabling us to be free enough to make it possible for others to believe in themselves. I would.like ÷ ÷ ÷ The Counsels,~ . VOLUME' 28~' 1969" '° :. ,183 + to think that we can be free from the obsessive need to accumulate things, free to surrender ourselves to others, free to love deeply and warmly. And that is why I feel that we must seek new insights concerning the vows. A young high school student, talking, about religious life and the vows, was asked what kind of religious com-munity he would have if he were to start one tomorrow, The young man said: "Well; I don't think I would make them take any vows." But then he paused and reflected on that, and he added a sentence that sums up the whole meaning of the vows and the religious life. He said: "Unless it would be possible to take a vow., to love." If that were truly the spirit behind our vows, they would be, for us, ways of becoming free. Finally, it is well to remember that the way of the vows is the way of Christ Himself. It is the way of a man with a mission to set men free. And the men of Christ's time were not so very different from the men of our day: angry, restless, rebellious, indifferent, frightened, and insecure, yet searching for a Christ-person who would be their liberator. Christ walked into their midst, heard their cry, and showed them a way of life that was for them a way of freedom. He showed them how to be free~ from the de-humanizing demands of the law and tradition, free from the imprisoning fear of what people might say, free from the overconcern about food and power and sex. Christ showed them a way of poverty and obedience and celibate love. Today we, as .religious, stand in the place of Christ to continue His redemptive mission, to be His witnesses. If we can find better ways to be what we say we are, then we too can arise in the assembly and announce to the world that we also have been sent to "bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." And hopefully, people will hear us not because of what we say, but because of what we are: witnesses. Perhaps the following lines spell that out for us in clearer language: A witness is A man who stands out Because he is not afraid to stand up A man who outreaches others Because he reaches out to other.s Andre Auw, C~P. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 184 A man who lifts others up Because he bends down to their weakness A man whose heart has grown great Because he has learned to become small A witness is all this and more He is a man who walks across the wastelands Of human lives And uncovers hidden springs A man who opens windows everywhere To the sunlight and springtime fragrance Of the risen Christ And passing through the doors of seILfilled hearts He lights and leaves behind An everlasting flame Ultimately a witness is a man who does all these things Because He is not afraid To love. The CoUnsels VOLUME 28, 1969 I85 CARL J. PETER Culture and the Vocation Crisis Carl J. Peter teaches theology and lives at Curley Hall, Box 49; Cath-olic University of America in Wash-ington, D.C. 20017. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS A change has occurred in the way young men and women view the prospect of becoming a priest, lay brother, or nun. At the very least they manifest less en-thusiasm or inclination along these lines. One may ask when this began or indeed inquire whether it has not just begun. Few, I think, will challenge the proposition itself. This change of attitude is very definitely evidenced by those who have matriculated in the Catholic school sys-tem. One encounters it in the Mary and Johnny of whom but a few years back while they were still on the primary level in parochial schools, we asked why they could not read. All of this is true and will be conceded by those who regard the situation as healthy no less than by those who regard it as disastrous. Religious Convictions and the Young The change in question has causes that are closely connected with religious conviction or its lack. There is an obvious hesitancy on the part of youth, an unwilling-ness or an unreadiness to embrace as a state of life the ministry of the gospel in its traditional form. But it is a great oversimplification, I feel, to assign as a total ex-planation a weakening or loss of faith. In some cases, + precisely the opposite is true. + At least many of the young people involved are any- + thing other than lacking in generosity. Interest in im-proving the lot of tbeir fellow man characterizes their mental and emotional outlook. Here is where the diffi-culty lies. In ever increasing numbers they fail to see this humanitarian interest connected with the life of the priesthood, sisterhood, and brotherhood. One may contend that this is because of the present conditions in which these callings are lived and exercised, because, for example, so much of a priest's time and 18fi energy is spent in activities that have no apparent con- nection with the betterment of mankind or at least one that is very minimal. Devoting each Monday to counting the collection; running off the Sunday bulletin on the rectory or parish duplicator; keeping the books for the school hot lunch program--the instances could be multi-plied. Now it is surely a mistake to associate a priest's work exclusively with such activities. But to ask young people to ignore this aspect is expecting a bit too much. A large part of the problem with regard to vocations is that prospective candidates see too much activity on the part of the cleric or religious" too little connected with making mankind's future better than its past. Liturgy and a Life Choice But this is not all. Even in cultic functions associated with the administration of the sacraments, there is real difficulty. Whether humanity is genuinely better off be-cause of all this divine worship is a question posed over and over again. Here it is not a matter of poorly or sel-dom exercised functions of the priest but rather the im-portance pure and simple of such fimctions in the world at all. Many adults recognize this and conclude that the vocation crisis connected with such questioning is really a crisis of faith. My contention, however, is that at least some of these difficulties and doubts in the religious realm are caused by a cultural change that affects the entire world of man in all its facets. The crisis of vocations is connected often enough with a corresponding crisis of faith. This is not so much because many have simply ceased to believe but rather because the atmosphere in which they have grown up and live demands a choice between conflict-ing values, religious ones included. As a result, young people find it both harder to reject the latter outright and yet more difficult as well to embrace them fully. The reason is that our day is one of cultural transformation with all that this involves. If this is anything other than self-evident, it is nevertheless important. The Meaning of Cultural Change To make the statement that culture has a great deal to do with the unrest experienced by youth and indeed believers in general is hardly a novelty today. It is intro-duced into the present context with the hope that it will be more than a mere repetition. To achieve this will re-quire making an effort to clarify what is meant by cul-tural change. Only then will others be able to judge whether this is in fact what is taking place with profound religious consequences. Such explanation is precisely what is lacking in a number of other attempts to trace the believer's troubles to this same source. Vocation Crisis VOLUME 28, 1969 18'/ Carl .I. Peter REVIE%' FOR RELIGIOUS Examples may be of help. Leslie Dewart has con-nected the present plight Of Christianity with a retention of Hellenism or Hellenistic culture.x There is nothing to be gained from adding one more name to the list of critics of The Future of Belief.2 It is, however, a far from easy task to determine what he means by Hellenism. And yet this is quite important for his contention. Something very similar is true of Bishop John Robin-son. 8 He contends that the present difficulties of Chris-tianity are in great part connected with the fact that fundamental truths are being rejected wholesale because they are presented in a "supranaturalistic" mode of thought: The latter is surely a cultural phenomenon, but one that is extremely vague. It seems to involve a world picture with God outside the physical and psychic uni-verse but intervening now and again. To retain such a world picture, he writes, is incompatible with being a truly modern man. Meaningful truths fall under the weight of their utterly unacceptable trappings that bear witness to a dead culture. But here precisely is his problem. God, for Robinson, is not intended to be the product of a culture. Yet if one cannot tell what you mean by the latter, you do run the risk of having others hard pressed to determine whether you really stand for a God who endures despite a cultural change. At this point some are probably wondering whether it is not precisely a crisis o[ faith that must be dealt with. Perhaps it is. But to no small degree it is first of all a cultural crisis leaving its marks on all of us. Bishop Robinson may not have been successful in explaining what he means by a change of culture. He has never-theless described well the period in which we are living. It is the age of the overlap, the period in which some-thing very new is still in the process of emerging. Ours is a period of tension or dialectic. Hopefully a beneficial synthesis will be the outcome. One thing is sure; neither of the two extremes in the present picture culturally is likely to remain as is. Both are going to be modified and remarkably so. But it is the present state that must be analyzed, again with the observation that understanding what is happening is a first step toward dealing reason-ably and effectively with the situation. Good practice depends on an accurate assessment of what is involved. Dewart and Robinson call attention to the pangs in-volved in the change through which we are living. Both are agreed on this. An old culture is in the process 1 Leslie Dewart, The Future of Belie[ (New York: Herder and Herder, 1966). '-' See the remarks of Jaroslav Pelikan and Bernard J. F. Lonergan in Theological Studies, v. 28 (1967), pp. 352-6 and 336-51 respec-tively. s John A. T. Robinson, Honest to God (London: SCM, 1963). of dying. It does not offer a form that religious belief will find viable in the future.4 In my opinion they are correct; the. cultural state we are now in cannot last. Indeed it takes no prophet to see that it will not. An-other thing is equally sure. Things will not revert to the way they were before all this began, whenever that was. The present situation makes that abundantly clear. Culture and Values Our age is.witnessing a remarkable conflict of values, and they are not directly religious in nature. At least they can be and are embraced by those who avowedly profess or practice no religion at all as well as by various types of believers in a Supreme Being. Now if this is true, it is also a prerequisite for understanding the cultural crisis of the present. For what 3[ mean by culture involves at0 the very least values and indeed a'more or less connected set of values. My contention is that we are living in a period of.history where there is a particularly fierce struggle between two opposing sets of purely human values. If some sort of synthesis is the most likely and desirable outcome, still, living in the overlap can be confusing. Two sets of values compete; each has something ~o be said for it, something to commend it. For many this is stimulating, but for no small number, ever increasing knowledge, acquaintance, and experience preclude, decisions on a clear course of action. In fact at times the result is paralysis or choices no sooner made than regretted, commitments given and then retracted. But if a convict of values can lead to these practical consequences, what sort of values are in question? The Good and Its Modes Getting things done or a sense of practical "know-how" has from the earliest days been a characteristic of our country. Indeed, it was very quickly identified ~with Yankees and their ingenuity. To put this another way, achievemerit and performance are values long esteemed by our society. And yet as ea'rly as the War between the States they were sought after in two radically opposed ¯ ways. Preservation of a heritage was the performance one section of the nation desired; improvement, refine. ment, elimination of defects and evils inspired the other. Concretely the value of performance, know-how, or achievement was realized in two conflicting ways. Given the question of freedom and human dign.ity, it is dear ~For a case along the same line but developed with heavy dependence on American Pragmatism as a philosophical basis, see Eugene Fontinell, "Religious Trtith in a Relational and Processive World," Cross Currents, v. 16 (1967), pp. 283-315. 4- 4- 4- ¥ocation Crisis VOLUME 28, ,196~ Carl ~ J.~ Peter REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 190 that a moral issue was at stake. But there were other as-pects as well; for instance, strict or loose construction of the Constitution. Both forms of interpretation were religiously' neutral if not secular. Both likewise had ref-erence to the value of performance. But the way the lat-ter was realized in North and South led to tension, strife, and conflict. The situation afterwards was never the same again. There is something in this history that repeats itself. Clinging to tradition and the progress achieved in the past claims the allegiance of certain minds and hearts. It is likely true that this will always be the case. Still others are no less moved by the desire to strike out and move ahead in man's endless effort to better his~lot on this planet. Education offers another example. The value of a teacher's performance is judged in terms of pedagogical goals. Some maintain the educator aims at handing on truth, with the supposition that humanity has already achieved it in a way that can be improved but never fundamentally surpassed. By instinct and. reasoned con-viction others look for the teacher or professor to en-gage together with the student in a quest for truth. The assumption is that there is always more worth looking for and in comparison with which the knowledge at-tained is partial and incomplete. Now neither of these attitudes toward pedagogical goals is directly religious. Neither is exclusively demanded by Catholic faith. But the adoption of either as a value has religious implica-tions. An illustration may be of assistance. A question arises that is new and demands some sort of response or answer. Before doing anything else, the man or woman influenced by the value of preserving truth will attempt to solve the present case by recourse to precedents. Only too often this involves making the present in its unique-ness conform, whether it really does or not, with norms that were established earlier but without the slightest intention of binding all future generations. The value of preserving truth and past achievements translates itself religiously into that of fidelity. If the past has no claim to direct our own religious history, then there was no uniqueness in the event we call the Incarnation. Then God has not involved Himself irrevocably and finally in the history of man long before 'our day. When one re-gards0 education as a process of passing on certain truths, he is predisposed to be concerned religiously with the fidelity of God and man. A cultural value, namely pi:eserving the accomplishments of the past, can and does have profound religious consequences in thought and action. But education can also be conceived of as performance involving an unending quest [or truth. In this case, when one makes the transposition to a religious level, the goal is a search for the God who even after revelation in Jesus is still a mystery and to know whom is really to be yet groping even when one gropes with the aid of infallible direction. St. Paul offers a good example of this. In his Epistle to the Romans he spends three chapters (9-11) studying the will of God as concretely realized in the plan of salvation for Gentile and Jew. Interpreting the hist6ry of his own day as God's saving providence, he obviously presupposes that man can .know the divine will. And yet he concludes with a hymn proclaiming "that no one realiy knows the mind of the Lord. All subsequent Christian theology has been an at-tempt to grapple with the great mystery that God remains even after He reveals Himself to man. His ways are mysterious and yet sure, free and yet faithful. To em-phasize one over the Other leads to a lopsided theology. But why would one be inclined to do this? The reason is clear enough. There is a tendency to do so, one deriving from culture today especially. That culture is complex; it evokes diverse responses, some calculated to preserve the truth and goodness that have already been achieved and others aimed at improving both in the future. The result is cultural tension with theological consequences of the first order. When a question arises on a religious or doctrinal level, for those inclined to revere the past it is not a matter of being faithful pure and simple. There is a cultural fac-tor inclining them to their position. Others are more ready to strike out [or the new and unknown. Here it is the mystery of God and His dealings with man that will enthrall them. What has been said of Him in the past, even in infallible "utterances, is true enough but insuffi-cient. Their great law is: "Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me." They do not wish to worship idols rather than the true God; and it is no less idolatrous to worship one's image of God than it is to adore wood, or stone, or precious metals. Here again, however, the inclination is not purely religious; it is cultural. These are the men and women who in any event are more moved by a goal that is worthwhile and possible than by achievements that are already a fact but with clear defects. ,4pplication to Present Conditions It is in the realm of attitudes that one must look for evidence of culture or values held in esteem or disrepute. Our culture involves an ambivalence of attitudes with regard to the present in its relation to the future. ÷ ÷ ÷ VOLUME 28° 1969 .!. ÷ Carl I. Peter REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 19~ Contemporary forms are generally considered inade-quate in the long run to meet humanity's needs of the near future. If one insists that this is not true in the religious sphere, youth is expected to assert that m6- rality and faith are somehow not part of the changing world. This is only too evidently false. It is also discourag-ing. If true, it would surely follow that from neither could man hope for much improvement. When the past is loved too much and present values, cherished too intensely, the inevitable result is that fewer and fewer young people will spend their lives ina performance directed to preserving it. This attitude has been wide-spread and is showing its effects. The cultural cry of more and more of the young is "On to the Future" by radical change of the present. Confronted with the evils man has injected into his world, they find an attractiveness in this value. That it conflicts with the former is obvious. That the result is confusion, tension, unease, unwillingness or inability to commit oneself fully to one or the other is not sur-prising. Neither value is directly religious. Each has religious implications and does sometimes presuppose a lessening or even loss of religious commitment. But to concentrate on this would be to try to cure a symptom. Our whole society knows it must change and change radically. And yet unless we learn from the past, from its successes as well as its failures, we shall grope with-out any guidelines or the slightest assurance that what we learn today will help tomorrow and not hinder, Man's leap forward came.from a spirit of adventure and a lack of willingness to be content with the status quo. This is true of man whether he professed a religion or not. Youth today knows it. They look for a willingness to take this risk in religion and its leaders. But they also realize that man's advance has been accompanied by a multiplication of evils in the form of wars, famine, and untold human suffering. It was paid for in the form of untold labor and often shortened life spans "of pioneers. Today many of them are asking whether progress at such a price and with such attendant evils is worth it after all. It is a question of values and attitudes. Not a few seem to choose neither content-ment with the past nor striving to improve the future, at least not by joining existing organizations to achieve this. In the sense of the two alternatives, they seem to be opting out as close to altogether as is possible. Among their eiders, those who cling to the past do so not wholly because of faith, and those who strive to ob-tain the improvement of the future surely are not so motivated solely because of basic religious conviction or its lack. It is in both cases a cultural response elicited by the world in which they live. To be cautious is a value; to be adventuresome no less so. Neither in itself is reli-gious. Those inclined to esteem the former expect it most of all in religion; those who prefer the latter look for it above all in the area of faith and faith-inspired life. There is a crisis all right, but one stemming fi:om a com-plex culture or set of opposing values, each of which has something to be said for it. How easy it would all be if it were otherwise. It would be a mistake to overlook this when considering the situation of young men and women choosing or living out a religious vocation. Maximum E~ciency versus Involvement There is another pair of values related to achievement. Is the latter the work of one or many? Some are loners and find it hard to be any other way. But today it is extremely difficult to stand alone in achievement. The individual source of inspiration, one overseer or director iqith the power to make decisions--this leads at times to unquestionably greater efficiency and permits the de-termination of responsible agents in various fields. For some this is still a most desirable good. Society needs the great man as leader; the Church, the truly independent bishop and pope. But for others worthwhile goals are achieved only in the close cooperation of many laboring in a basically similar frame of mind despite difficulties. This implies the initiative not only of the leader but of many cooperating and participating as fully as possible in the endeavor. Neither attitude is basically religious. This is again witnessed in the pedagogical order. Why do so many professors today have such trouble with classes when they employ the lecture system? The latter is surely not something religious or irreligious. Nor is it that professors lecture without the ability of their predecessors. And yet in ever increasing numbers, courses based solely on this method are being phased out be-cause they are not being heard or listened to. The teacher who simply lectures today has to be a lot better than one who did the same fifty years ago just to accomplish as much. The reason is simple. To such an approach there is opposition that is neither religious nor irreligious but rather cultural. It arises from the conviction that truth and other values are to be sought not solely or primarily through the energy of one man directing the receptivity of others but through the combined efforts of many. The planning of seminary curricula is taking note of this. So must the charting of course for a parish or diocese if they are to achieve their respective goals. To think that papal primacy, episcopal collegiality, or lay initiative will not be affected by this cultural factor is disastrous, especially in dealing with prospective vocations. If this ÷ ÷ ÷ Vocation Crisis VOLUME 28, ].9~9 Cad ]. Peter REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS ]94 is obviously hard for some to accept, it is important nonetheless. Achievements of the Paso Some men and women tend to concentrate on the good that has already been attained and are pleased with past efforts as well as optimistic about the state of the union, whatever union may be involved. Others view past achievements with guarded reserve or more often criti-cism, positive or negative. These are human attitudes not particularly connected with religion more than with politics or economics. But they do affect the way one re-gards formulations of Christian faith. Have the conciliar determinations helped or are they, though true, in their own way very limited? As regards present institutions, few adamantly deny they have accomplished some, indeed tremendous good. But what of the defects? They are pres-ent as well. Revelation does not direct attention to either exclusively. The way one evaluates other things will have a great deal of influence here. But that is clearly in the realm of rational attitudes more or less con-sciously adopted; namely, culture and not religion di-rectly as such. Analysis or Comprehensive View Is it the big picture or the details that are most im-portant? There is no divine law answering this. In terms of values, is it generality and simplicity in viewing a phenomenon as a whole or rather attention to its com-plexity that matters? Emphasis on the latter assures that whatever is said or decided today may well have to be modified tomorrow. Decisions taken may have to be reconsidered or retracted. Contrariwise one may aim at certain values that at least as goals do not change but are ever more closely approximated. The affective con-sequences of both approaches are clear enough. Com-mitments in the one frame of reference can hardly be irrevocable; in the other they can surely be so. On a practical religious level, are all decisions subject to re-call at will, for example, to the existence of a God, an after-life, the imperative of working to make life better [or others? Or are they simply the best one can give here and now? It is clear that conflicting cultural values have in this instance created tension in human life, not least of all in its religious sphere. Certainty and Conjecture To continue, is certainty a value above others, or is statistical probability all man can ~chieve in most in-stances? But certainty is popularly connected with hope.-- one does not hope unless convinced there is a good chance o~ getting or doing or being what is hoped for. And yet probability is likewise connected with hope; one does not hope for what is already a sure thing, somethingpr~deter-mined and open in no way to chance. To what does one aspire, the certain or the probable?. The Marxist experiences this. Should he hope for the classless society or not? If he does not because he feels that it is certain to come about, lethargy.will likely result. But if its appearance is not inevitable, his efforts alter all may be futile, all of which need not but may lead to despair. As to the Christian, must he hope that the divine kingdom come? If its advent cannot be frus-trated, what need to hope; if otherwise,, why hope when alter all sheer chance may reign supreme?. Antithetical Ideals I have tried to indicate certain human values in two connected sets. They deal with the practical, .the order o~ doing and achievement. Preservation of the past through the work of the leader who sees and inspires others to grasp the whole picture wi.th optimism c6upled with caution and deliberate pace regarding change--this is one set. And yet there is another in competition: the improvement o~ the future through the.cooperation o[ many in thought, action, and suffering, with attention to the manifold of details accompanied with criticism of past failures and a sense of urgency for future reme-dies. These interconnected values art both vying for man's acceptance at the present time. He has opted for neither. Confronted by them both, he is very often at a loss; now this and now that seems better. They affect the very depth of his being and yet are religious only in the sense of having to do with the meaning of life, a mean-ing he has to choose freely. Still his relations with or-ganized religion cannot but be affected by this tension, unrest, and hesitancy. Because religion is obviously con-nected with these values though by no means identical with them, he is probably as interested as at any time in his history with religion as an academic discipline but as disinclined as never before to see any religious organi-zation as offering a permanent way of life for himself. This has affected the attitude o~ many toward religious vocations in particular. In my opinion it justifies the proposition that the so-called vocation crisis is only indirectly a crisis of faith and directly one of culture. Religious Ministry in the Overlap More is called for today than detached analysis in this area. This is especially true in the case of those who are convinced that an increase in the number of religious vocations is o~ great importance for the Church and the 4- .4- 4- Vocation Crisis VOLUME 28, 1969 195 rest of humanity. As a result it may not be out of place to offer a number of suggestions. They will deal with atti-tudes that can be fostered with the aim of encouraging priestly and religious vocations during the period of the cultural overlap. First of all, in both of the competing sets of values, practical certainty is present and operative. The certainty of conviction makes men cling to the past; it drives others to strive for the future. This is certainty at least strong enough to be the guiding rationale and emo-tional factor for living a whole li~e. Too much certainty with regard to the past was an error. A great price has been paid for it. Today, youth is actually afraid of being certain and yet often paralyzed because uncertain. The man who strives for change is doing so only because of a practical conviction that striving is important, worth-while, possible, and not futile. In this sense, certainty is no more missing in him than in' his counterpart. If this impression can be conveyed to youth, the certainty of basic truths of faith will be less repellent. Secondly, another value found in both sets is persever-ance. It is because of a deep-rooted conviction that does not change that the men of science change hypotheses. A religious conviction once thought over and adopted need not shut a man off Lrom the way other men adopt in living. It should not make him closed. Indeed he can be open precisely because he has made a fundamental decision. No one is more closed than he who has made no decision at all regarding the meaning of life. Fre-quently such a man's desire to be open precludes his doing anything of lasting significance. To be con-temporary is not to be a Hamlet. To be ever ready to learn more regarding life's meaning is not to be ready to change one's mind because of simple discouragement or the realization that difficulties will in all likelihood never be completely removed. The applicability of this lesson to the realm of priestly and religious vocations is obvious. It will not, however, be grasped unless one re-calls that these are matters not merely of faith and revela-tion but also of culture. Carl 1. Peter REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS i JOSEPH E. MULLIGAN, s.J. The Religious Dimension of Human Love The current experimentation with various styles of religiou~ dress is certainly a welcome development in the post-conciliar Church. It is becoming clear to Cath-olics and non-Catholics alike that today's sister is very much a woman of the twentieth century, a woman con-secrated to God and united with Christ and at the very same time intensely concerned about the joys and problems, successes and failures of the present world. She is sensitive to the needs of modern men and women, open to new trends in human thought'(such as personal-ism and Christian existentialism)~ efficient in her use of modern means of serving humanity, and orientated to the near and distant future in her apostoli.c thinking. Au courant styles of religious dress do not insure that all this will be true of every sister who dons the new garb, but at the very least it can be said that the new fashions do not militate against the entirely proper "new image" now being created by today's sisters both young and old. Updated religious habits may even foster an interior aggiornamento where it is lacking or lagging; and where the Spirit has already begun to "renew the face of the earth" so that the love enkindled by Him can shine forth for all to see, the sister will welcome the external change as a true sign of the interior renewal which is under way. While the new fashions serve this purpose of bringing today's sister visibly into the twentieth century, they also serve to bring out the distinctly feminine quality of the Christian charity which fills her heart and inspires her life of service. This important point is receiving its due attention by psychologists, counselors, and theologians; here we need only mention the fact that the changes in the dress o[ religious women are closely associated with the emergence, in their own consciousness and in that of all the world, of their God-given and God-beloved ÷ ÷ ÷ Joseph Mulligan, &J., is a member of Bellarmine School of Theology; North Aurora, Illinois 6O542. VOLUME 28, 1969 ÷ Mulligan, $.1. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 198 femininity. How important it is that the feminine, ma-ternal dimension of the love of God, whom we always address as Father and whom we almost always think of in masculine terms, be incarnated and effectively com-municated to the human family. In this connection we readily recognize (it is not a question of "admitting," as if grudgingly) the truth of a point suggested by a famous psychologist: that in Christian piety a tender devotion to Mary fulfills a profound need of the human heart and soul, namely, to relate to a heavenly Mother. It is true, of course, that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son manifest many of the qualities ordinarily associated with human mother-hood: tenderness, mercy, compassion, and above all, love which is given profusely without demanding a com-mensurate response. But it is Mary who, in the religious consciousness of the faithful, is the Mother par excellence, showering upon her children her maternal love and re-ceiving from them, often though not always, their love and trust in return. The religious woman has a position in the divine economy of salvation analogous to that of Mary. In the eminently feminine charity shown by the religious teacher, nurse, home missionary, and others, the human family can see and feel the maternal qualities of the boundless love of God for them. The sister can bring this love directly into the classroom, hospital, or home--and in this the sister can be more effective than Mary in com-municating the love of God to men. For Mary is present to her children only in times of prayer, and the experi-ence of her love requires faith; the sister can be present to the human family in all situations of life and in very concrete ways which are perfectly visible to "natural" eyes. Adaptations in dress, then, are worthwhile and valu-able in at least these two important respects: in placing sisters visibly in the midst of the twentieth century and in accentuating the distinctly feminine characteristics of their love and service to mankind. In most instances the adaptation of which we are speaking has taken the form of a reduction or lightening of the habit to the extent that some sisters have only a 'veil of some sort (or even less) as the external symbol of 'their consecration to God and their special union with Christ. This trend is entirely praiseworthy, as we have stated above. How-ever, the question soon arises about the necessity of re-taining any distinctive signs. Should. the nursing sister simply wear the same uni-form as that of her colleagues in the profession? Should the teaching sister wear a variety of styles readily oh, tainable at the downtown department store? Should the i home missionary don a smart and comfortable business woman's suit? In the opinion of this male observer, the answer is a qualified "no." This is undoubtedly the opin-ion of the vast majority of sisters: there is deep value in the external symbols of one's religious profession. Pre-cisely what forms these symbols should take in order that they be appropriate for our modern age'is a matter which will have to be handled largely through experi-mentation; developments to date have been in the right direction, but certainly not definitive (perhaps we should expect and accept constant adaptation in this matter, as in the liturgy). Though all agree on the necessity of retaining symbols, be they ever so "modernized," it may prove worthwhile to review one of the most substantial reasons for our insistence upon retaining externals of some sort. To this writer, one of the most cogent "arguments" for the existence and activity of God is the astounding love which breaks out (who can say how often?) in this world of ours. This love can be "astounding" even if it be only a kind word at the right time, a friendly "hello" offered in passing, or a thoughtful gesture only slightly out of the ordinary. The more dramatic or "heroic" act of love--such as the total personal commitment of marriage or of the religious life--is all the more revela-tory of the power of God operative in the hearts of men. Experience teaches us that there is something wonder-ful in a person who has risen above the childish and petty egocentrism which in various forms infects hu-manity. And in divine revelation we have a clear state-ment of the truth to which experience opens us: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Though this writer finds this train of thought most interesting and helpful, many in our modern world find it something less than immediately exciting. The con-nection between human love at its best and the power of God very often goes unnoticed. Deep, strong love (in many cases of a calibre worthy of imitation by many a nominal Christian) abounds in the heart and soul of a great number of men who consider themselves "atheists" or "agnostics" or "secular humanists" but who probably qualify as "anonymous Christians." We have good reasons as well as strong inclinations to consider these noble hu-man persons as brothers of Christ and sons of God, heirs of the same eternal life which we Christians hope to at-tain (see Mt 95:31--45). The modern man who is truly Christlike in his charity is surely a brother of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is indeed the Spirit of Love. Such a person need only be brought to an explicit awareness of his true position before God. Whether this Human Love VOLUME 28, 1969 199 J. E. Mulligan, S.I. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 2O0 exp1icitation is absolutely necessary for salvation, is a theological question which we cannot take up here; that it is.desirable and beneficial for the person, that it is the will of God, and that it is the proper task of the mission-ary Church cannot be doubted. How then is the connection between great human love and the power of God to be drawn clearly in the minds of men? How will men of good will come to real-ize their true religious identity? Surely this wonderful moment of recognition can follow immediately upon a strong experience of being loved with a love surpassing the powers of our wounded human nature. Who can know the unsearchable ways of God, the ways in which He can make His presence known in the hearts of men? What we can know, however, is that God has estab-lished in His Church certain "ordinary" ways by which men should be able to see the connection of which we are speaking, that is, the religious context of all genuine human love. The liturgy, for instance, consists basically of ritual acts of human love, no less authentic for being ritual, set in an abundantly sacred context; the religious life as a visible institution is meant also to be a sign Of the intimate link between love and Love. The woman who loves her neighbor with a striking love and who clearly derives the sustenance for this extraordinary love from her union with God stands as a powerful sign of the connection with which we are concerned. The religious proclaims to the world that love, and especially continuing growth in love, depends upon our cooperation with the Spirit of Love whom Jesus Christ pours forth upon humanity, thereby accom-plishing the work of redemption. If this proclamation is to be effective, however, two elements must be safe-guarded and nurtured: the fraternal love must be sincere and genuine, or else it will strike no one and will fail to touch off the wonder which points to God; secondly, the person showing this genuine love must also show some clear sign of her relationship with God, or else her love will be viewed as nothing more than the highest flowering o[ the human spirit. A true combination of both these elements can be nothing short of overwhelming. The student will be deeply struck one day, perhaps far in the future, by the inestimable service given him by the sister in the seventh grade; and he will ask him-self whether her union with God, somehow manifest, might have had anything to do with her capacity to love so generously and so constantly. The patient in the hospital will find kindness and competent care in the person of the nursing sister at a time when he is most in need of these precious gifts; he will undoubtedly find himself wondering whether her slightly distinctive uni- form may signify a Power greater than herself gently assisting her human heart. The family in Appalachia or in one of our big city ghettoes, olSpressed and exploited by an unconcerned affluent society, will be touched by the "no strings attached" help given by the visiting sister; the family will see that this remarkable woman is in love with both God and them at the same time, as if the one love is identical with the other. This, then, is one reason (to this writer the most im-portant and most meaningful) for retaining some form of distinctive religious dress. By all means, let sisters continue to experiment with new styles in an attempt to find more appropriate twentieth century symbols of religious profession. Also, let sisters continue to try on new and appropriate fashions which will not bushel-basket that femininity which is absolutely essential for incarnating the love of God in all its breadth and beauty. However, for the reason which we have suggested in the latter part of this article and for other reasons which may be equally cogent, let us not throw out the baby (appropriate and necessary symbolism) with the bath (outmoded and "sexuality neutralizing" costumes). The religious must be in tune with the times, di.stinctly masculine or feminine, a living proof of the connection between true human love and the Spirit of Love. 4, VOLUME.28, 1969 201 THOMAS DUBAY, S.M. Biblical Concept of Virginal Love Thomas Dubay, S.M., teaches at Russell College; 2300 Adeline Drive; Burlingame, Cali-fornia 94010. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 202 Half an eye trained on recent ,religious thin.king in-forms one that a great deal of literature has appeared in the last decade on the psychology of loving in the Chris: tian context. For the most part this has been a praise-worthy effort to broaden the place and sharpen the orientation of human love within the ecclesial commu-nity; yet one still frequently finds considerable diver-gence of view among, religious men and women as to how the generally agreed upon norms are to be prac-ticed in concrete situations. We wish in this essay not simply to tread over worn terrain but to suggest some specifics, specifics stemming from Scripture and virgin-ity. We primarily envision religious women, although with some modifications what we say concerns men as well. Philosophical Roots Even though our main intent is Biblical and practical, we may preface our discussion with several philosophical considerations. In the long run practical solutions to knotty problems are no better than their (often merely assumed and unexpressed) theoretical substructure. At the same time speculation must always be in touch with experience, with concrete, here and now reality. Because she is a person, a human person, a feminine human person, the sister must love warmly. Her love must appear, be visible. Why? Because virginal love is incarnated, not angelic. It is human and a witness to humans. For a reason we shall point out later this is to say that it is affectionate. But because we are at the moment dealing with philosophy, not theology, we may leave the witness aside. Virginal love is incarnated and therefore affectionate because it is human love--steeped in supernatural moti-vation, of course, but still human. In fact, it cannot be anything else but' human. No being can act otherwise than as it is. We never expect a duck to perform as a camel. A woman can love only as a woman, a human being ot the feminine sex. Now human nature is in-carnated spirit, a dual reality, material-spiritual. Man is not monistic. Merleau-Ponty's negation ot a fundamental dualism in man is an oversimplification of human exist-ence. Man is not merely a body-subject, an I-body. The profound dualism in his sense-intellect knowing, to cite one example, is an irreducible pluralism that renders a human monism an inadequate explanation of available evidence. Human love, therefore, must also be dual,, it it is to be tully human and not something else. Like its source, the person, man's love must be rooted in spirit but shown through matter, conceived in soul but en-fleshed in body. Affectionate love is simply love incar-nated. It is a love that appears. One need not syllogize to its existence. As a daughter of Eve the religious woman does not loveproperly and fully until she loves affectionately. She is no exception to the roots of reality, no metaphysical oddity. She loves as she is. There is yet another reason why the virgin's love for 1hen is warm, composite, incarnated. It is a reason rooted in the deepest center of her being. She is good, a person good, and goodness tends to pour itself out. She is a social good, so she must pour herself out into others and receive these others back into herself. A woman (and a man, too, but not quite so pronouncedly) is never satis-fied until she loves. She cannot be satisfied unless she loves, for until she loves incarnatedly she is violating a law of being: goodness goes out; person goodness loves persons and shows it. This ontological factor works in the opposite direction as well. Because she is good and beautiful, the sister re-quires that her goodness and beauty be acknowledged, recognized in a way she can see and experience. To say this psychologically, she needs a strong self image, a self image she can derive only from others, from their appreciation and shown love. This is to say once again that deeply rooted in her human make-up is a need to receive affection. What we are implying, then, is that the religious woman's consecration does not exempt her from the laws of human nature or from the metaphysical structure ot the real. Scriptural Roots But still more must be said. There are supernatural reasons as well as natural ones tot saying that religious are to love warmly. Christian love is human love. It must therefore be affectionate. Shakespeare was pointing in the right direction when he observed that "they do Yirginal Love VOLUME ~'8, 1969 203 ÷ ÷ ÷ Thomas Dubay REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 204 not love that do not show their love." x Christ himself was affectionate. He embraced children for no other verifiable reason than to love warmly and to show it. He "looked with love" on the rich young man, which is nothing other than to gaze affectionately. He wept at Lazarus' tomb, a remarkable display of feeling in a man. He who could fearlessly castigate the Pharisees could also correct Martha tenderly by repeating her name twice as a preface to his admonition. The letters of Paul, Peter, and John are replete with expressions of endearment and concern. Where could these originally rough men have learned this Christian way of loving if not from Christ? The Master had already made it clear that a Christian ¯ can be detected in the world by his observable love. Men are to see how we love, be struck by it, and con-clude from this sight who we are.2 Affectionate love can be seen. Cold or neutral love may not be noticed even when it is proved by deed., witness the merely efficient nurse. In any event merely willed love does not draw men as the Christian is to draw them. If the reli-gious is a gospel woman, she is an affectionate woman. She may be nothing else. Practical Implications So much for basic principles. They are plain, hardly subject to hot dispute. Not so, however, with concrete situations, problems, objections. Even a casual acquaint-ance with convent life makes clear that the whole area of close love relationships has been, and still often enough remains, subject to misunderstanding, to excess, to de-fect. One underestimates the complexities and depths of human nature if he believes that in this matter ~pecifics are as easy to handle as generalities. Because we think we recognize the difficulties inherent in our subject, our intent here is modest. We wish to propose some real questions and to suggest, for whatever value they may have, some honest answers. - How does a consecrated woman show a warm love in a manner appropriate to her state? Our first reaction to this question is to note that ordinarily a woman is a better judge of feminine warmth than a man is. And if she happens to be at the same time a holy woman, she knows by a kind of instinct how to love rightly. Yet a man may presume to suggest a few guides. Obviously enough, marks of affection vary greatly with the situa-tion of the recipient. A sister rightly embraces a first-grade boy who has fallen down the staircase, but she is The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, Scene 2. Jn 13:M-5. likely to show her concern in another manner toward a twelfth-grader beset with a teenage problem. The New Testament offers many examples of what a holy, adult affection is like. There is the cordial, warm greeting,8 the holy kiss,4 the affectionate embrace,~ the loving gaze,n a warmth of manner in speech,r a kindly gentleness in the face of a brother's faults,s a tenderness and love in correcting others,9 a deep interest in the in-dividual and his concerns,1° an openness to all,ix a com-forting of those in trial and sorrowA~ Peter sums it all up in saying that our love is to be sincere and intense.~3 A prayerful study of these texts and many others like them will disclose to mogt of us that we have a long way to go before we love as Christians are supposed to love. Because the virgin is a model of evangelical life, she may not be anything but affectionate. The program of how this is to be done is plain enough in the Gosp.els and Epistles. She will find its implementation a lifetime task. She ma~ find it helpful to, work at this task in her par-ticular examen, taking as her specific guides one Scrip-tural theme or text at a time. Doing this she cannot help becoming a lovable woman. Is there not danger to chastity in this warm love? Yes, of course, there is danger, just as there is danger in the pursuance of any good, even the spiritual goods of the intellect. But one may not always solve "excess prob-lems" by removing the possibility of excess through a radical uprooting of the good. When the Master re-flected on the risk of worldliness in His apostles, He did not meet the problem by shutting off the possibility. Rather He explicity declared that they were to remain in the dangerous situation, in the world, but were to be kept free from being tainted by it.14 It is interesting, too, ~hat nowhere (as far as we can find) does the New Testa-ment indicate a concern about the dangers found in a holy affection. Perhaps the reason is that the genuine SRom 1:7; 16:3-16; 1 Cor 16:19; Phil 4:21-3; Col 4:7-18. ~Lk 15:20; Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Th 5:26; I Pt 4:14. ~ Mk 10:16; Acts 20:37-8. ~ Mk 10:21. ~Rom I:11; 1 Cor 4:17; 15:58; 16:24; 2 Cor 7:~,I~; 10:I; Phil 1:7-8; 4:1; 1 Th 2:7-8,20; ~:1-7; 1 Tm 1:2; 1 Jn 2:1,7,12,14,18,28; ~ Jn 1,5,11; Jude ~,20. s Eph 4:2,~2; 2 Tim 2:24-5; 1 Pt 3:8-9. ~ Lk 10:41; 1 Cor 4:14; 2 Cor 2:4-8; Gal 6:1; Col ~:12-~. xo 1 Cor 12:26; 2 Cor 12:14-5; Phil 2:17-8; 1 Th 2:11. ~x 2 Cor 6:11-3. ~2 Cor 1:3-4; 7:6-7; 1~:11; £ph 6:22; Col 2:1-2; 1 Th 5:11; 2 Tim 1:16; Phlm 20. xs I Pt 1:22. :~Jn 17:14-7: "They are not oI the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou take them out of the world, but that thou keep them ~rom evil." ¥irglnal Love VOLUME 28, 1969 205 ÷ ÷ REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 206 man of God and the holy virgin know plainly enough-- because their honesty bares the deceitful motive--why really they are affectionate and how their love is ap-propriately shown. Warm affection is risky for the fool-ish virgin, the worldly virgin, but not for the wise and prayerful one. On the contrary, for the latter this kind of sisterly love protects and fosters her dedicated chastity: "Everyone should remember--superiors especially--that chastity has stronger safeguards in a community when true fraternal love thrives among its members." ~g If a sister is a woman of deep contemplative prayer, we need have little fear that her warm love for others will pose any proximate danger to her purity or to theirs. If she is not a prayerful woman, the opposite may well be the case. May a sister [oster a close [riendship with a priest or layman? At the outset of this article we already im-plied our affirmative reaction to this question. The ex-ample of Christ's love for Martha and Mary and that of the saints for persons of the opposite sex (for example, Teresa and Gratian, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal) demand this affirmative response. And so does com-mon sense. Sexual love neither is co-terminous with geni-tal- sexual love nor requires it. The sexes are comple-mentary not only on the physical level but also on the emotional, intellectual, volitional, and supernatural lev-els. an The fact that the consecrated woman benefits from masculine influences (such as teaching, spiritual direc-tion) in her formation (and do not men profit £rom feminine influences in theirs?) suggests that she may grow as a religious woman through friendship with a man. Now all of this is being said with increasing frequency both in print and in private conference. But something else has also to be said. And it is rarely said. That this kind of close friendship be advisable demands conditions and qualifications. Not any apparently good male-female relationship may be said to correspond to that of Teresa and Gratian or Francis and Jane. We have already in-dicated what some of these qualifications are. Most of us would agree that a sister should show a sincere warmth toward all men and women, but we are not agreed as to what overdemonstrativeness may be. For our part we cannot share the view that embracing is a suitable sign of affection between religious persons of the opposite sexes. The current multiplication of tragedy that scan-dalizes the faithful and ruins consecrated lives plainly ~ Vatican II, Decree on Religious LiIe, n. 12. ~ See Chapter 3 of von Hildebrand's Man and Woman for a help-ful explanation of this complementarity. shows how naive this view really is. Some people learn only by personal disaster that they are like the rest of men. A propensity toward physical demonstrativeness suggests strongly that the friendship is not on the high-est supernatural level, that it is not thoroughly immersed in God, in a mutually deep prayer life. Unreasonably frequent or protracted conversations and deliberate ro-mantic daydreaming likewise cause one to wonder whether there is question of the love of the Holy Spirit. The virgin is concerned with the things of the Lord that she may be holy in body and in spirit and that she may .pray without distraction. In our view that priest or sister ~s naive who feels that long and frequent visits, kissing and embracing are conductive to the love of the Chris-tian virgin. If this is what "the third way" means, there is no third way. Even aside from the obvious.question of chastity, one may wonder regarding this type of relation-ship how intently the religious can be concerned with the things of the Lord, how deeply she can be committed to her life of contemplation and apostolic action. From the positive point of view a sister may rest as-sured that her love is fully virginal if the thought of the other suggests to her mind the thought of God; if the relationship really helps her to a deeper prayer life, a perfect observance of her rule, an evangelical spirit of detachment, a more profound loyalty to her own vir-ginal vocation and to the members of her own commu-nity, a ~niversal warmth toward others; if their con-versation or correspondence is concerned mainly with God and His affairs. If these norms for virginal love are correct, one may speculate that this sort of friendship is not at all as common as may be supposed. Is affectionate love compatible with the detachment demanded by the New Testament? Twenty years ago many of us would have returned an unhesitatingly nega; tive answer to this question or we would have at least felt inclined to such an answer. Today we more easily understand that warm love and evangelical detachment are reconcilable, although not too many are able to bar. monize new psychology with old spirituality. The prob-lem here, of course, is not a clash between oldness and newness but between sound psychology and twisted spir-ituality. Both affectionate love and gospel austerity are as valid today as they ever were, for the New Testament plainly teaches both of them over and over again. The simplistic mind is uncomfortable with complex dualities and it seeks to resolve a paradox by denying one pole of it. Two decades ago it was common to deny that warmly shown love was proper in a religious, while today it is popular to say that detachment is passd. Yet the New Testament teaches both the .one and the ÷ ÷ ÷ Virginal VOLUME 28~ 1969' " ÷ ÷ Thomas l~bay REVIEW FOP. RELIGIOUS 208 other. It is the same Christ who demands that we re-nounce all things (Lk 14:33) and who embraces children warmly (Mk 10:16). The same John teaches that we must die like grain buried in the ground (Jn 12:24-5) and yet deals with the recipient~ of his first letter with remark-able terms of endearment (1 Jn 2, passim). The first letter of Peter warns against "selfish passions" (1 Pt 2:11), encourages a joy in sufferings (4:12-3) and at the same time urges intense brotherly love shown with a "kiss of love" (1:22; 5:14). The same Paul who cautions against superfluities and himself has nothing (1 Tim 6:7-8; 2 Cor 6:10) also loves his Christians with the warmth and tenderness of a deeply affectionate father (passim). Nowhere in the new revelation do we read the least hint of a clash. Why? Simply because affectionate love is by no means the same as selfish love. On the contrary, it is often a crucifying love. Showing affection to an attractive person is a delight, to a dull or cold individual it is a thorn. Moreover--and this is important and not always under-stood-- we should not see a dichotomy between loving God wholly and our neighbor warmly. Even less should we suppose an opposition. Precisely because Christian love is both one and incarnated but with several objects (God, ourselves, angels, neighbor), it must be warmly shown. This is why St. Paul looked upon the Romans as "God's beloved" (1:7). Because they were God's dear ones, they necessarily became Paul's dear ones in a virile yet intimate sense. Unshown love is a partial self-contradiction. We find this same warm affection in the most austere and detached of God's saints, for they knew what affectionate love and genuine detachment really mean. They did not live by caricature. One need only read the correspondence of an Augustine, a John Chrys-ostom, a Teresa of Avila, a Francis de Sales to see what we mean, Even John of the Cross (andwho could be remotely tempted to conceive him as lacking in detach-ment?), a man short on words but long on deeds, is said to have walked 30 or 40 miles barefooted to visit his warmly loved nuns at Beas. What we are saying, of course, is by no means opposed to the traditional detach-ment doctrine of these same saints. There is a certain in-tellectual snobbery implied in the suggestion one hears today that the goodness and value of love between the sexes, even between religious, is quite a new discovery unknown to our elders in the faith. And there is no little theological inadequacy implied in thinking that this kind of love somehow rules out an integral evangel-ical asceticism. How does One become affectionate? This apparently naive question is really a worthwhile question, one that is susceptible of several interpretations: How does a sister acquire a warm manner toward unattractive personali-ties? How does one love affectionately who feels no warmth toward anyone? How does a person deepen a warm manner she already possesses to some extent, yet not sufficiently? We shall take up each problem in turn. First, how can a sister who does love some people warmly acquire a warmth toward others whom she finds unappealing? If a woman (or man) can love some per-sons warmly and deeply, her problem is motivational, not psychological, when she is cold toward others. Ba-sically she is capable of full human love, since as a matter of fact she does love humanly the few people that appeal to her. But she does not see that the others are also lova-ble and so she is not at all inclined to go out toward them. She needs to develop a largeness of heart, an op-timism of viewpoint that searches out beauty and good-ness, the largeness and optimism of St, Paul who saw enough beauty and goodness in his new (but far from perfect) Christians that he could view them as "God's beloved." If God loves a man, that man must somehow be lovable. It is our task to find out how. The warmth is then easier to come by. Yet it is not come. by without a concomitant spirit of sacrifice. If affection is to be shown toall men and not only to a select few,~the cross of self-denial must indeed be taken up daily. Otherwise we can-not be disciples, if the mark of a disciple is a love men can see and experience. A more perplexing problem (for the person who ex-periences it) is a total lack of affectionate feeling toward others. The problem is not only perplexing; it is likely to be both deep and of long standing. Its roots go back in most cases to an early home life in which little warm love was shown. Though the adult devoid of affection-ate feelings may say she needs neither manifestations of love from others nor her own showing of it to them, she is nevertheless a psychologically starved person. She may not understand what has happened to her, but she has built walls about her person. She is encapsuled. She is dying a death. She is in a state of psychological famine, dying of lovelessness. What can be done for this person who does not know how to love humanly and in a feminine manner? She may need professional therapy. She surely" needs a friend, a close friend. She needs understanding and ac-ceptance. She needs to learn that she is worthwhile, lovable. When she is accepted, understood, loved suffi-ciently, she will slowly become capable of returning love, of warming up to others. But the process is slow. All concerned with her problem need patience, herself included. + + + VOLUME 28, 1969 209 ÷ ÷ Thomas Duba~ REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 210 We may pause here to insist that the deeply felt need (even in a sister) to love and to be loved is no imperfec-tion. On the contrary, the deeper the need, the nobler the woman. It is the person who feels no need that is ill, for she is affectionately numb. On the physical level loss of appetite indicates illness, while hunger points to health and the consumption of vital energy. So also a hunger for love, real love, points toward psychological well-being, for deeply hidden in the recesses of the hu-man person is .the ontological clamor that goodness and beauty be recognized by another's love. Our final question: how does a religious who can and does love warmly develop and deepen her capacity for virginal affection? She must be herself, of course. She must grow normally as a woman with all the inner richness this implies. Genuine love is rooted. It cannot grow from the surface, from an inner vacuum. From the point of view of how this love is to be manifested the sister learns how a Christian virgin loves warmly by ob-serving those among her companions who do know how. Yet affection is not as easily taught as table manners. There is a universality about its signs, but there is also the uniquencess of the individual, and what is more unique than personal love? Still, a sister should be able to learn from the more finely developed among her companions how the consecrated woman shows her love for men. She learns, too, from her inborn reactions toward the opposite sex. Probably one reason why God made the sexes mutually attractive is that men and women learn from mutual relations how to show concern, warmth, cordiality toward members of their own sex. A normal, woman finds that affability toward men comes more naturally and easily than toward women. (And this is surely true also in the case of the man toward women.) Even though she does not show marks of love toward other women in exactly the same ways as toward men, she should learn much from the latter expe.riences, stemming as they do from her inborn feminine inclina-tion. Heterosexual love (which is not, of course, co-ter-ruinous with genital-sexual love), we may then say, is a partial model of human love in general. It is therefore a model for the virgin also, for she remains a sexual being with all the qualities and beauties this implies. The sister further develops her affectionate manner by a careful and prayerful contemplation of the gospel. After she has diligently studied her Christ embracing children for no other reason but to show warmth in His love, "looking with love" (a mysterious phrase) on a rich youth, correcting Martha in so gentle and tender a man-ner, weeping at Lazarus' tomb, she turns for further guidance to John, Peter, and especially to Paul. The letters of these virile (and before their conversion, crude) men are replete with examples of how to show affection in an adult manner. As an evangelical woman the sister should be filled with their spirit and practice. The final source from which the religious learns to love warmly: contemplation, deep contemplation, es-pecially infused contemplation. It is no accident that St. Paul reminds his Thessalonians that they "have learned from God to love one another" (1 Th 4:9). There is no better teacher of warmth and tenderness than He who could utter the divine verse recorded by Luke: "While he [a sinner] was still a long way off, his hther saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly" (Jerusalem Bible). One cannot get more affectionate than this. In the profound center of her own being where Love is more present to her womanly heart than she herself is the sister can find out how to be a loving woman. Though her indwelling Beloved teaches without words, He pours out from her deepest center the very love by Which she loves Him and others. Through the tenderness of His inner infusions she tastes and sees how good He is. She learns from experience that those who seek the Lord want for no good thing. Her good is to take refuge in the Lord she bears in her bosom and from Him she discovers what tenderness is like. So true is it that the contemplative learns from her inabiding Beloved how to be a lover herself, that we would suspect as inauthentic any alleged contemplation that is not accompanied by a warm love for others, or, at the very least, by a sincere, persevering effort in that direction. Contemplation cannot be walled in, aseptic, sterile. By its own inner dynamism, a vertical and horizontal en. ergy, it must burst out into love for men. Together with the instruction of Sacred Scripture and the love flowing out of the sacraments contemplation is the source of deep human love. All of which is to say that the sister must be a Scriptural woman, an ecclesia1 woman, a contemplative woman, if she is going to be a profoundly loving woman. 4. 4. VOLUME 28, 1969 PLACID STROIK, O.F.M. Sanctification and Conquest in the World With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land that we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own (JFK's Inaugural Address, January 1961). Once active faith in God's presence in the world takes hold of a man it begins to give direction to his actions. Not only does God's work really become his own, but also his work becomes the work of God. It is also a fact of experience that as things are it is impossible [or God to Work in this world without us. Very often we speak of God's great gifts to us "and all His marvelous works for us. At the same time we fail to realize the vast interplay and amount of work God has put into our hands to bring these gifts and works to their full development. Just as it is theologically incor-rect and misleading to expect salvation and sanctifica-tion through purely human effort, so also it is misleading to expect salvation even as a gift to come to us without. our effort of respgnse and acceptanc.e of this gift. It is much worse and also very unchristian to think that our faith with its heavy stress on another world and on be-coming holy has somehow absolved us from effort in building this world. ÷ Reconciling Upward and Forward ElYorts Pladd Stroik, O.F.M., is a mem-ber o[ the Francis. can Friars; Pulaski, Wisconsin 54162., ' REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 212 Historically it has always been a problem for followers of Christ to somehow bring together the vertical upward effort of sanctification and the horizontal forward effort of human progress and the conquest of the world. Over and over again the questions have been asked: Are they in opposition to each other? Is one just an acciden-tal backdrop to the other? Is there any inner connection between the two? In our present day these questions are extremely fundamental and are at the basis for much of the rethinking and turmoil going on in our religious doctrines and practices. Theologians as well as scientists are fast becoming aware of man's ability in the conquest of nature, the wor!d, and human life itself. This is beginning to put traditional religious ideas out of business. At one time, God, faith, the supernatural, and grace explained a lot of what happens around us. But now, man seems to get more answers and assurance out of things like space exploration, industrial and technical development, and human relations skills. As men put more and more ef-fort into understanding and controlling the universe we touch, see, and hear everyday, there is the conclusion developing that religious ideals and ideas no longer have a place in human life. The simple reasser.tion that God is alive and that He is important is not as convincing nor attractive as a heart transplant or a flight to the moon. That simply will not do. What is needed is a fresh outlook toward the way in which the process of becoming holy is somehow harmoniously interwoven with the human effort exerted in the direction of un-derstanding, building up, and controlling this universe. Such a fresh outlook will demand that we first of all get rid of all our false notions: about God and the world being in opposition to each other; about the supernatural being the best and the natural something that is second best or a mere accidental prelude to the supernatural; about the "afterlife" .being the sole im-portant thing and "nowlife" being a burdensome punish-ment. For many of us this also means trying to under-stand the correct way in which this present earthly life is a preparation for an open direct life with God. It means realizing that the universe is not some accidental stage play wherein what we do or what we build is meaningless unless we did it with a good intention and for the glory of God. What is required is the under-standing that the final coming of. Christ, just as His first coming, is conditioned by the development of man-kind. Because the full glory of Christ is intimately hound up with mankind it is also dependent upon the development of mankind. While the establishment of the new heavens and new earth spoken of in the Apoca-lypse is something Christ alone can bring about, it does not mean that they will appear out of the clear blue sky. Rather the unification that is evidently taking place among mankind seems to warrant the idea that until this unification is complete the entrance of the new heaven and new earth will not take place. The unification of mankind is not some kind of arbi-trary arrangement of individuals. It is in a very deep sense'th+ union brought about by the power and force of ÷ ÷ Conquest in World VOLUME 28, 1969 PlacidSOtt.Foi.lM~., REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS love which is everywhere at work in the world. It is the same power which was at work on the first day of creation and is at work in the technological develop-ment of the world. It operates also in the specifically sanctifying deeds of the Incarnation, redemption, and their extensions, the sacraments. It is here that we can see the close connection between sanctification and de-velopment of the world. They are two efforts working in the same direction--the unification ~of mankind. Sanctification without the development of the world is unthinkable, just as development of the world without the painful redemptive efforts displayed and symbolized on the cross is an impossibility. The development of the world could not take place unless the effort to get rid of evil and disorganization were made as.well as the effort to see that truth, goodness, and beauty triumph. Sanctification must involve human endeavor and the op-eration of those powers which make a person to be a person, namely, his will, intelligence, and consciousness. As men use these powers in building up the world they are likewise working at their own unification. In this way the upward movement of becoming holy like God takes place while the forward movement of develop-ment of the universe is also taking place. The work of God and the work of man are constantly interchanging. We are not only becoming like God thru our work, but our work is more and more revealing God to us. Far from being in opposition, God's work of sanctification and man's work of building the universe are seen as two sides of the same coin or two paths to the same goal and destination. The sacred and the secular are closer to each other than we realize. Sanctification and Unification of the World It seems to be an unavoidable conclusion based pri-marily on man's experience .that the universe has been in a dynamic process of development and that the develop-ment is still going on. Looked at in its broadest sense, this development is best described as fulfilling the incompleteness of the creature and bringing organiza-tion and harmony to the disorder, failure, and disunity found at every level of created .being. Another way of looking at this is to think in terms of.°getting rid.of the evil, both moral and physical, that accounts for mechanical failures as well as the failures of the human will to choose the good. On this level we can see sanctification and unification working on the same broad principle. Sanctification is directed to furthering the God-centered harmonious functioning of man's powers of intellect, will, and consciousness, while unifi-cation is directed to an increasing organization of .the physical elements of the universe. In both the moral and physical sphere, mankind has had to wait for the proper time and the proper understanding of how these parts can better function together. Between the two processes of sanctification and,unifi-cation there is an exchange and an interdependence. For one thing, the harmonious functioning of man on the moral and spiritual level is obviously tied to a proper development of the physical well-being of the body. It does not guarantee good order on the moral level, but it is a condition. Health and wealth at a certain level are indispensable. We all know and experience that forced poverty has a way of crippling man's judgement of right and wrong, his sense of justice, and his esteem for his neighbor's welfare. Further, we should consider how the spread of the gospel, the development of moral value systems, and the knowledge of the sacramental means of sanctification are all dependent upon the proper use of mass communi-cations and upon a proper understanding of human re-lations and the difl~erent cultural values of a given group. On the other hand, sanctification and specifically Christian holiness and man's moral value systems as they develop and improve do assert a controlling effect on the direction and expression of physical evolution and technological advancement. For a very common ex-ample we can take the peaceful uses of nuclear energy which the moral values of nations are bringing about. Endeavor and Endurance for the Christian Today Because of the close interplay between the develop-ment of the .world and man's union with God, any religious ethic that separates the two is doomed not only to be unattractive but eventually will be proved to be erroneous. A legal morality of do's and don't's must give way to a dynamic morality of conquest. The pro-gram for a Christian today must be one that envisions union with God in and thru the world. In attaining this union, it is fundamental for Chris-tians to accept and understand that the universe by God's plan has been locked dead center on Christ. The world as we know it is headed toward Christ as its center and fullness. Every development both of material growth and spiritual growth is aimed at building up a new heaven and new earth, centered in Christ. In this conquest, the Christian consciously and all men by their very existence are called to collaborate enthusiastically, knowing that by their fidelity and obedience and also thru the work they have accomplished, they are com-pleting this universe. Each person must sincerely work at development. His + + ÷ Conquest in the World VOLUME 28, 1969 O~.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS own personal development and the conquest of the world are to be done not simply to keep oneself busy and out of trouble but because this effort is vital to the building up of the universe. All effort that promotes and directly increases the general consciousness of mankind is the best effort. The highest moral principles guiding hu-man action are not those which protect and safeguard man's rights and duties, but those Which promote the best development of the person, society, and the world. In other words, those things which are in the direction of growth of the spirit of man are good, and what is best is that what assures the highest development of the spiritual powers of the earth. If our action furthers the unification and development of the world and the peo-ple in it, it is a good action. The question comes up as to how we can determine if our action furthers growth. Basically our general goal is to increase personal responsibility, freedom, and hu-man consciousness. This is not an easy order, and that is "why emphasis must be placed on the three charac-teristics of human endeavor that will allow for the de-velopment of human consciousness and personal re-sponsibility: Purity, charity, and self-denial are three basic strengths which provide for the necessary growth. When speaking of purity it is important to under-stand it in a dynamic sense, not in any passive restrictive sense. Purity is that power which seeks to organize all our personal energies along the lines of personal whole-ness and integrity--getting rid of those elements in us which tend to pull our forces in a thousand disorganized directions. In unifying the powers of man, purity brings about a conquest and achievement which frees the person for an ever greater expression of the power of love. Purity seeks the unification of the person, while charity is directed to the unification of persons among themselves. For many of us love or charity is simply a command to avoid hurting our neighbor or overstep-ping his rights. This is a rather narrow, negative view of charity. It fails to take in the dynamic element of active furthering of the growth of our neighbor and of the whole universe. Love as energy in its widest sense is the power which draws all things together. It has a synthesizing effect. Love when it takes on the form of Christian charity is all the more powerful because it is the effort of unification, but now in Christ and thru Christ. Charity inspired by Christ is charity which moves and advances mankind and the whole universe toward Him. In the final analysis, love is not only positive and dynamic, but universal and totally directed to building up the world into a unity in Christ. For the Christian who is sincerely interested in the true progress and development of the world, the mes-sage of the cross in terms of self-denial, detachment, and renunciation is as important as seeing a computer operate an assembly line and a turbine generator light a city. He knows and experiences the detachment that must go into an enthusiastic collaboration with the whole human effort in furthering the growth of the world toward the fullness of Christ. In accomplishing any ideal, the difficult labor involved is necessarily a victory over selfishness and egotistical laziness. This detachment thru .action on the material of life is a continuation of and is patterned on the method ex-pressed in the Incarnation--immersion and insertion into the world so as to transform and lead the world to God. But experience shows us that the most radical trans-formation of people and things takes place not thru a simple laborious effort to create and produce but thru the endurance of evils and failures, stresses and painful strains including that of death. A world that is still in the process of development must of necessity have fail-ures and faults for the simple reason that it is not com-plete. Thru the plan of God and man's cooperation, the failures can be brought to serve a higher purpose. Even the impurity in a stone can be made to add beauty and tone to the final product. A moral defect thru the trans-formation of repentance can be the occasion of a greater good. All of the suffering involved in the endurance of evil and that of death has for its final aim the union of man with God in and thru Christ. Such union cannot take place without a going out of oneself. Union revolves around love and love means giving oneself to the one loved. Death in our world is the process by which the final and complete union with God is accomplished. It is the decentering of our self and centering on God. This involves a change of state, but in all development at a certain point a complete rearrangement of elements is necessary for the further functioning on a higher level. The significance of Christ's necessary death and His new form of life after it is a fact of history which is able to give validity and assurance to all men that death is not the end of all but the door to a change of life. Contemporary Man and the Future It is easy enough for modem man to exert the effort to build a new world if the dangers and ris~ are not too great. The vast development of the world which we are now experiencing is not an absolute guarantee that man's progress will always be forward and upward. The 4- ÷ .Conquest in the VOLUME 28, 1969 " 217 temptation to revolt in the face of great odds and diffi-culties is as possible as it ever was. As man becomes more complex and his consciousness more highly developed, the possibilities for further progress are just as good as the possibilities for destruction. It all depends how man chooses to use his powers--in the direction of greater growth in true Christian life or in selfish temporary satisfaction. The urgency to get out of oneself and build a better world for all men is not a call to be answered later. The forces involved in a developing universe are forces that are centered in Christ and ultimately in God the Father. Christ's invitation to be with Him and gather or else to be against Him and scatter is both a promise and a threat that either we build with Him or be cast aside into unending disorganization and disunity. Heaven and hell are as real as they are totally opposite each other. Heaven is full of life in perfect harmony. Hell is empty life in total discord. Man at every point in history must simply choose to build the earth and its spiritual forces in and with Christ or to build a "nothing" out-side Him. + 4. + P/~id O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS CARLO A. WEBER, S.J. The Field oJ Combat: Neurotic or Existential Guilt There is no domain in which the acute problem of communication between theology and psychology is more evident than in the experience of guilt. Stormy en-counters on the nature and origins of the experience, its place in human development, its effects on human lives wage on without much hope of resolution, largely because the language, the symbols, and the context of the discussion are not the same for all the contestants. The field of combat is common to all; but the rules of the game are not ~he same. A split-level mode of com-munication has prevailed. Jung remarked of this en-counter that " . both appear to use the same language, but the language calls up in their minds two totally different fields of association. Both [theologians and psychologists] can apparently use the same concept, and then are bound to acknowledge to their amazement that they are speaking of two different things." And to make the issue even more complex, one can add the profes-sional legalist to the lists. For from yet another stance, the lawyer is also concerned with problems of guilt. The experience of guilt, then, is the common playing field for theologians, psychologists, lawyers. But for each, it means whatever the methodological conditioning of his own discipline obliges it to mean. For the moral theologian, it has generally suggested reprehensibility, culpability, blame-worthiness, sin. For the lawyer, it means, specifically, responsibility before the law, civil or ecclesiastical, or criminality as determined by legal can-ons. And for the psychologist, in sharp contrast, it im-plies rather a first-level symptom, the crippling expres-sion of a depreciating self-concept, perhaps the residue of a super-ego-oriented childhood training. + 4- ,I, Carlo A. Weber, S,J., is Director o[ Psychological Serv-ices; Loyola Univer-sity of Los Angeles; Los Angeles, Cali-fornia 90045. VOLUME 28, 1969 219 Carlo Weber, $.l. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 220 When the discussants in the dialogue use the same word to denote such utterly different things, communica-tion soon dissolves into futile bickering over semantics. Guilt is sin; guilt is crime; guilt is symptom. The vocal sounds one hears in the dialogue alert the same signals; but the phenomena signalized are in no way the same. In such a conversation of nonmeanings, a fruitless and frus-trating collision course is inevitable. It is like approach-ing a railroad crossing without the slightest assurance that the waving semaphore symbolizes an approaching train or an unimpeded right-of-way. One would be better off without the semaphore in such a case; and so we might be better off without the word "guilt." The "guilt-language," as the "God-language" in many instances, or the "soul-language," oi other similar efforts at non-communication might best be scrapped, that we might attempt an uncluttered look at the phenomenological realities and then allow a new language to emerge to fit the reality. Orwell's "New-speak," or Cattell's crypto-scientific system of operational definitions in psycho-metrics may, however wild they first seem, be something of the answer. We might well avoid the confusion that always arises from previous connotations to a word by introducing entirely different sound associations. The present state of affairs, then, is largely one in which the language of guilt tends to divide authorities rather than to aid communication between them. When the psychologist hears his legal associate describe a man's guilt in court and watches him step nimbly through what appears to be a maze of legal fictions, he finds the process frightfully objective, abstract, impersonal, inhuman. But the lawyer is not really describing the psychologist's "guilt." The theologian is properly horri-fied, on the other hand, when he hears the psychologist's attempts to gloss over the reality of guilt and speak of it as some neurotic myth. This, to him, is a form of "psy-chologizing"-- foggy, anarchic, and sentimental. But the psychologist is not, in fact, describing the theologian's "guilt" either; indeed, if he is loyal to his methodology, he has nothing to say of it. One could, of course, con-tinue with this litany of misunderstanding; the cross-cultural impasses are possibly as evident as the semantic circus of an international diplomatic conference. Though it may be next to impossible to draw meaning from this semantic labyrinth, we are, nonetheless, stuck with it. It is of value to note that within the verbal en-tente, orientations which have traditionally set the con-testants apart do emerge. It may be helpful to try to clarify them. For the psychologist, guilt is strictly a sub-jective phenomenon, a feeling, if you will, that can be-come almost the pervasive element of one's inner experi- ence. The psychologist, as such, is little concerned about the external, objective counterpart of the experience. His world, as a clinician, is the perceptual world, not pre-cisely the accuracy of the percepts. Whether one's feeling of guilt, therefore, is rooted in anti-social actions, or in an interiorized, guilt-ridden self-concept is not pre-cisely the point. It is now the individual's feeling; and the psychologist deals with it as such. He also realizes that the intensity of the experience is not necessarily in proportion to the quality of an external action or event. One individual may experience crushing guilt subsequent to running a red light at a deserted intersection; another may remain blandly guilt-free after bludgeoning a harm-less old lady's skull. Such a feeling of guilt is clearly not the function of some specific external action; but it is rather the correlate and the expression of his own inner awareness of his value, or rather the lack of it. The inner awareness is the point of differentiation for the psycholo-gist. For both the moral theologian and the lawyer, however, there is an objective emphasis in the philosophy of guilt. An objective norm which has been violated is the criterion according to which one assesses guilt. That norm, of course, is not the same for both. For the lawyer, it is the civil or common law. For the moralist, it is the "will of God," expressed either through canon law, or the magisterium of a teaching Church, or the Sacred Books, or the natural law. But in each case, the norm is an external one; and guilt is the function of a violation of that norm. Once that has been established, the legalist can turn his atten-tion to the degree of individual-culpability, for example, knowledge of the existence of the norm, consciousness at the moment of violation, presence or absence of over-whelming emotional or physical duress, and so forth. So long as we can reasonably assume some subject-ob-ject dichotomy, these two arrangements appear to be quite different. The moral theologian and the lawyer, both with their own specific articulation of the norm of behavior, regard guilt as the individual's posture be-fore the law; the psychologist sees it more as the individ-ual's posture before himself. That there is room for an overlapping of these dimensions is as true as the fact that the subject-object dichotomy is not crystal clear; but, with that qualification, the criteria are different, and so also are the semantic worlds built around the two points of view. Unfortunately, the tradition of morality in the West has been heavily legal since the days when the Latin rite was imposed on the Western Church. And with the Latin rite came the Roman tradition which was one of law and legal prescriptions. The language and the emphasis of Guilt VOLUME 28, 1969 Carlo Weber, $.J. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 222 the Western Church, when addressing itself to questions of mor~ility and guilt, has been on the side of law. Moral textbooks became classic examples of legal casu-istry. Room was always left, to be sure, for the "subjec-tive," as preserved in the distinction between formal and material sin; but the bulk of any discussion inevi-tably turned about a consideration of the objective or material guilt. Scarcely more than a condescending nod was given to the presence of the subjective element as the final determinant of sinfulness, with something of a begrudging acknowledgement that that aspect, after all, was the most important. But no effort at all was ex-pended, until very recent times, in attempting to provide some phenomenological map of the subjective. Perhaps the futility of that prospect obliged the moralists to turn their attention to the legal puzzle that was, after all, more intellectually satisfying and a good deal more comfort-able. One would suggest, mindful of the discussions swirling about Pope Paul's encyclical, Humanae vitae, that it is clear that the legal emphasis is still the pre[ vailing attitude of the official Church. The rupture within the Church is precisely a function of the person versus Law approaches to morality and guilt. When the law becomes the criterion for human be-havior, the stage is set for casuistic thinking :about morality. This implies a mental "set" in which one is concerned chiefly with the degree of deviation from the norm. How far, for example, can I deviate from the statement of the law and still be safe? Or, at what point of deviation do I stray from the area of safety to the do-main in which I must be classified as a sinner, if it be a moral law, or a criminal, if it be a civil law? Legal guilt is the consequence of straying outside the latitude which the law allows. In that area the legalo-moralist conducts his conceptual jousting. Only recently have attempts been made to bring about a wedding of the law and the personal in the various modes of situational ethics. And this, of course, is both the effect of the communion of psychologists and theologians and a stimulating rein-forcement for it. The norm becomes more an ideal which one strives to approach continuously throughout his life rather than a law from which one deviates. Neurotic Guilt The genesis of neurotic guilt, as described by the psychopathologist, follows a commonly described nuclear process that was most brilliantly outlined originally by Karen Horney. There are four discernible stages. The process begins with a faulty personality development in childhood. The child, whose first self-concept, as such, is the result of the interiorization of the value placed upon him by his parents, sees himself as those significant people in his life see him. If the child is rejected, un-wanted, ignored, neglected, he begins at an .early stage in psychological development to see himself as unworthy, unlovable. This is a fairly obvious situation and need not be explored at any length. The rejected child anticipates rejection' from others because that is the extent of his experience; and he can, in gross instances, unconsciously provoke rejection by hostile, abrasive conduct, precisely because of this expected response pattern. Such a child is almost bound to "always hurt the one he loves." At the other extreme of parental reaction, the child can be overprotected in his early years. The result is the absence of any process of growth into independence. The custo-dial love of the parent prevents the possibility of growth, and the child remains weak, helpless, dependent. In terms of the growth of a self-concept, the child will tend to see himself in the same manner and behave as such. No one is unfamiliar with the suffocating, devouring, .de-structive mother-child relationship, described first by Strecker, who coined the phrases "Morn" and "Mom-ism" in his classic, Their Mothers" Sons. The notion has become virtually a household word since, made even more popular with the expression of theories of a bur-geoning matriarchal society. Interestingly enough, the effect on the self-concept of the child of both rejection and overprotection is ap-proximately the same. These are simply two sides of the same coin. In either case, the child is not being valued for himself. The rejected child is not loved at all; the overprotected child is not loved, except as the mirror reflection of the mother, whose narcissistic needs are pro-jected on him. In both instances, the child disappears. This is also true, but not to the same extent, in the situa-tion where the parents' love for the child is conditional. The child is loved providing he follows certain ground rules established by the parents. Ground rules are essen-tial, of course, but they ought not to be the condition for acceptance. If they are, the child sees himself as valuable and lovable only as long as he continues to ful-fill the regulations for being loved. He ,must continue to perform the tasks prescribed; and, in time, the task-oriented process becomes a way of life. Whether the child is rejected, overprotected or conditionally-loved, the effect, in varying degrees, is the same. The child perceives him-self as inadequate, unlovable, helpless, or constantly in need of proving his value. The moral analogue to the psychological feeling of ineptness or inadequacy is the feeling of guilt. The latter is merely a translation 'of the same feeling from psycho-logical language to moral language. To say, in a psycho-÷ ÷ 4- Guilt VOLUME 28, 1969 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS logical context;.that I am weak, flaccid,, incompetent, un-lovable is the same as saying, in a moral context, I am bad, sinful, guilty. The difference here between the neu-rotic guilt and genuine forms of responsible guilt lies in the difference between the phrase "I am bad" and the statement "I do bad things." The former is a description of the basic personality of the self-depreciating neurotic; the latter a description of occasional activity. The most apt expression of the neurotic guilt feeling was given me, quite incidentally, by a woman patient, who was in-credibly scrupulous. For her, every action was a sin. In a therapy session, she remarked, rather in passing: "You know, sin is in my veins." And with this cryptic obser-vation, she sums it all up. "Sin, badness, is as much a part of me as my very blood. It describes my life, my being, my essence, as it were. And since I am, in es-sence, sinful, every action, which, in fact, is an expres-sion of my nature, must be sinful. I shall either discover it there, as the scrupulou
Production in 2004 was actually running higher than consumption prior to 1995 and this has caused the existence of a world surplus of baled cotton in the form of stocks in warehouse. It is the existence of these "ending stocks" that has a large effect on the international price of cotton. Consumption began to outpace production in 2001 to 2003 period and this, mixed with crop disasters in various regions, caused the international price to rise. The reaction from many countries was to increase production in reaction to this. Cconsumption failed to match this increase in production, causing a fall in prices and a renewal of the world's ending stocks.
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Recent developments suggest that the ISIS threat has metastasized to a level that the United States believes requires stronger action.In the span of less than a week, U.S. forces conducted two major operations targeting the group's forces in Syria and Iraq. A broad joint U.S.-Iraqi operation was launched in Anbar province that reportedly killed at least 14 ISIS militants and was followed by the capture of an ISIS leader accused of assisting members of the terrorist group who had escaped detention in Syria.The two operations indicate that the U.S. military is taking a more aggressive approach to the terrorist group than in recent years. A report by the New York Times described the Anbar operation, with over 100 U.S. Special Operations forces taking part, as one of the largest-scale anti-ISIS offensives conducted in Iraq since the fall of the caliphate in 2019. American commandos reportedly led the initial raid of the operation during which seven U.S. soldiers suffered injuries.That these troops' lives were essentially put at risk testifies to how seriously decision makers in Washington are now taking the ISIS threat, particularly as Washington has reportedly reached agreement with Baghdad that it will withdraw hundreds of the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops currently deployed in Iraq over the next year with a full withdrawal (albeit with a small contingent left in the Kurdish area of Erbil) to be completed by the end of 2026. "The (Biden) administration believes the U.S. has a strategic stake in Iraq's stability and that ISIS threatens that stability," according to Steven Simon, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute who served as a senior director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama."It is noteworthy mostly because (Anbar operation) was launched as the U.S. and Iraq had agreed on the overall reduction in U.S. troop levels and on a training mission for remaining troops," he added in an email interview with RS.However, the Anbar offensive appears to have been more than just about preserving the stability of Iraq. According to the Times report, the primary target was a high-ranking ISIS commander responsible for directing the group's operations in the Middle East and Europe.Both these regions have recently witnessed an uptick in ISIS-related activity targeting close U.S. allies. The terror group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shiite mosque in Oman last July that resulted in the death of six people. It marked the first time that the Gulf nation fell victim to ISIS-related terrorism. Last month, an ISIS-claimed knife attack in Germany, which the alleged perpetrator claimed was motivated by Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, resulted in the deaths of three people. In the same month, the CIA and Austrian authorities reportedly thwarted an ISIS-linked plot to stage an attack during a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.The capture of ISIS leader Khaled Ahmad al-Danda, the man accused of helping escaped ISIS detainees in Syria, adds to the impression that Washington is taking the group's ambitions more seriously, as indicated by the statement released by CENTCOM following the operation. It included an unusually stark warning from CENTCOM's commander, Gen. Michael Kurilla, regarding the potential threat posed by ISIS prisoners held in Syria."Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative 'ISIS Army' in detention," noted Kurilla, who further cautioned that "if a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond."The general's reference to an "'ISIS Army' in detention" highlights the concern over the possibility that the group is planning to once again attempt to seize large swaths of territory, plans that would require significant additional manpower. Currently the number of ISIS foot soldiers in Iraq and Syria is estimated at around 2,500."CENTCOM undoubtedly is attuned to the possibility that if several hundred ISIS detainees were to become free, they could be part of a force that would seize territory," explained Paul Pillar, a former top counterterrorism and Middle East analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, in an interview with RS. "The history of the ISIS 'caliphate' that comprised large parts of Iraq and Syria is not that far in the past," added Pillar, currently a senior non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute.The Gaza LinkThe growing threat posed by ISIS may be related to the ongoing war waged by Israel against Hamas in Gaza. A report released by U.S. governmental agencies at the beginning of the year found that ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria were at record lows in the last quarter of 2023 when the Gaza war was in its early stages.This situation changed drastically, however, as the Gaza war continued over the following months, with CENTCOM announcing in July that, if current trends in Syria and Iraq hold, ISIS will likely more than double the total number of attacks in 2024 that it claimed in 2023.The United Nations also noted an uptick in ISIS hostilities during this same period in a report it released in July. According to the report, the terror group intensified its attacks in Syria starting early this year, with March witnessing some of the worst violence instigated by ISIS in the country since the fall of the caliphate (while also noting the operational tempo in Iraq remained contained) five years ago.It would appear that this sharp rise in ISIS activity may be, at least in part, attributable to the regional reaction to the Gaza war. According to one Pentagon assessment, attacks by Iranian-backed groups on U.S. forces stationed in Syria and Iraq after the Gaza war began last October had hampered operations against ISIS.Perhaps even more important, the conflict in Gaza seems to have helped ISIS by diverting the resources of Iran and its Shiite allies in Iraq and Syria that were instrumental in the degradation and defeat of ISIS. The Institute for the Study of War noted that Iran and allied groups, notably Hezbollah, have redeployed some of their forces from deep inside Syria, where they were more focused on ISIS and other Sunni extremist groups, to southern Lebanon and areas closer to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to put pressure on Israel to cease its offensive in Gaza.According to a brief released by the Washington-based Institute just days after the start of the war in Gaza last October, ISIS stood to benefit from these redeployments, as they reduced pressure on the group within Syria, enabling it to rebuild and take a more aggressive stance.In that respect, Washington's continuing "iron-clad" support for Israel in its war in Gaza may be undermining its counter-terrorism efforts in Syria and Iraq.Indeed, as long as the Gaza war continues, Iran and its allies in Syria and Iraq, which have opposed ISIS since its inception, will prioritize the conflict with Israel over other considerations, effectively removing a major obstacle standing in the way of ISIS's expansion. This would heighten the threat to U.S. forces and possibly eventually even the homeland itself, something the Biden administration would do well to keep in mind on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
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The next moves have been played in the Bossier City term limits drama, but don't change the dynamics that put reformers in the driver's seat.
Last week, Republican Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry's office replied to a City Council resolution of Aug. 15 seeking a legal opinion of the status of a petition certified Jul. 10 by the parish registrar of voters. The city, relying both on its city attorney Charles Jacobs and an outside opinion written by a lawyer who had worked with the city previously but who has no particular expertise in this area of law, questioned whether the petition followed state law and the charter.
The AG's office declined to assess that, stating that it represents registrars of voters and therefore could not involve itself. Whereupon GOP Mayor Tommy Chandler placed back on the Council's Aug. 29 agenda an item passed over two weeks earlier: calling an election to have the electorate consider the petition's lifetime three-term limit, past and future, on elected officials.
But that also will share space with a resolution proposed by no party Councilor Jeff Darby – who along with Republicans David Montgomery, Jeff Free, Vince Maggio, and Democrat Bubba Williams previously had voted down an attempt by Chandler to put tardily on the Aug. 1 agenda the other method to amend the charter by petition, by a Council vote within 30 days of petition certification – to call for a charter review commission. That would launch a months-long process that could add some form of term limits to the charter after voter approval, along with any other items the commission backs.
This signals, at the very least, the Council majority resisting term limits feels sufficiently threatened by the petition to feel it operates from a position of weakness. If the petition language successfully passed voter muster, four of those five would be out of a job come 2025. Proposing this alternative attempts to negotiate a settlement short of this outcome.
The likely deal behind closed doors is for petition backers, both on the Council and within the public, to abandon the effort to put the petition on the ballot in exchange for the commission recommending limits – even though limits backers Chandler and Republican Councilors Chris Smith and Brian Hammons could appoint only four of the nine commission members, short of the needed majority to make recommendations. Thus, the Council majority would pledge to appoint members in support of limits, but only if these apply starting with the 2025 term, or perhaps with the commission unlikely to have everything ready prior to 2025 elections the item could be a retroactive lifetime limit, but starting with the 2029 term, buying time for the graybeards, who by then all will have hit ages to draw Social Security full retirement benefits, to stay one more term if they win reelection.
That being the case, Smith, Hammons, and citizen backers should approve of Darby's measure – and also Chandler's, because they hold all the cards. The charter's language on the matter is unyielding:
Where the petition contains a request that the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the people, if not passed without veto by the City Council, the City Council shall either pass without veto the ordinance without alteration within thirty (30) days after attachment of the certificate of the registrar of voters to the petition; or forthwith after the registrar of voters has attached his/her certificate to the petition, the City Council shall call an election to be held within ninety (90) days thereafter.
A certified petition was received Jul. 10 and stands before the Council. Since it didn't pass into amendment an ordinance prior to Aug. 9, the Council now must resolve by Nov. 7 to have a referendum on the petition language – setting up a Mar. 23, 2024 election during presidential preference primaries, or if passed by the Sep. 19 regular Council meeting it could make the Nov. 18 statewide general election runoff ballot – to comply with the charter. The charter doesn't make exceptions for petitions believed to have legal infirmities; it addresses only certified petitions. Failure to pass that resolution by Nov. 7 violates the Charter and opens the city to litigation. It has no option not to do this unless it deliberately chooses to violate the law.
Jacobs, perhaps delivering a message on behalf of the Council majority, repeatedly has said litigation will ensure if the election is approved, along the lines of years down the road a disqualified councilor under the petition language will sue to get on the ballot. Well, guess what? That litigation will come sooner if the Council doesn't put that language on the ballot.
And if Jacobs, et. al. worry about potential future legal challenges to a petition that voters put into the Charter, the commission could take care of that by addressing term limits. Of course, what term limits backers should do is load up recommendations popular with voters – ordinarily term limits themselves in any form undoubtedly will pass any citizen vote – but anathema to the Council graybeards, such as ethics reform that curtails the chance to make a fortune off of taxpayers as has Montgomery – and dare the Council majority commission representatives, who will have a 5-4 majority, to vote these down to leave only watered down term limits that would amend stronger limits voted in previously, and if that happens then lobby the electorate to deep six the commission's recommendations at the polls. Better, they could get a tradeoff of weaker term limits (at least for a few years) in exchange for a whole bunch of structural reforms making Bossier City government far more prudent, less insider, and more transparent and accountable to the people.
Even if the Council majority wants to play hardball and votes down the resolution calling the election, this doesn't forestall litigation and the very act puts them on the record not only opposing term limits but also acting illegally. Neither would look good for attempted reelection bids, if eligible, in 2025.
The combination of Smith and Hammons must bring up and second the agenda item calling the election – which temporally follows the Darby commission item on the agenda – and put the Council majority on the record, if not on the hook. They and other term limits backers shouldn't let blandishments by a power-hungry, untrustworthy Council majority tempt them to throw away a winning hand that could pay off far beyond the issue at hand.
