Inevitably we crash. Sometimes we simply need a do-nothing day at home. Then there are those times we completely break down - whether physically or emotionally. We break under the constant pressure to do it all and to be it all. Stress related illnesses and diseases are no stranger to the modern American.
Multum Non Multa - Much not Many.
The first time I heard that phrase I was very confused. How can you have much of something, but not many? Isn't it an oxymoron? In a way it is, but it encapsulates a truth the ancient world, and more importantly Christ, knew was vital to a well-lived life. The idea of Multum non multa is that our time is better spent, and our quality of life is better when we do fewer things, but do them well. There is such a thing as too much good. Depth is more important than breadth. Quality is more valuable than quantity. Less is more.
Take a walk down the aisles of Target. You have $1000 to make your life more beautiful. How do you spend it? Often in life we stock our cart as high as we can. We will even put some on credit. Nothing in your cart is "bad", it may even all be good things that you will enjoy. Everything you bring home is going to bring happiness - at least for the time being. But in 1 month, 6 months, 10 years, how much of that is going to end up in the trash, shoved under a bed, or sent to GoodWill? And when the credit card bill is due - what do you do then?
Living a life of "Much not Many" is walking out of Target, across the street to the local work-worker, choosing wood, stain, and fabrics, and paying for instruction in handcrafting a beautiful rocking chair in which babies can be cuddled, fictional lands explored, and stories told. A chair that can be passed down from generation to generation.
Within education, this means carefully choosing what we study and when. This is why many classical models revolve around history. Students study a set time period's history, literature, art, music, philosophies, theologies, and scientific achievements and discoveries - digging deep into not just the what, but the how's and why's. They look at history's big picture, how that picture is composed, and how all those components work together. A rotating 3 or 4 year cycle means students come back to the same material multiple times, each time with deeper study, research, and understanding as they grow in wisdom, rhetoric, and logic. Each rotation allows them to dive into the details and depth of that one picture. They are trained to find and love the truth, beauty, and goodness in the picture as a whole, and in each of its components. They study Latin, because it includes the study of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, logic, linguistics, and foundation of western culture - in mastering one language, they have mastered the fundamentals of all Language. They study math not as a set of utilitarian facts and algorithms, but as a language that describes the world around them. We spend hours in the early grades training in spacial relationships and place-value while attaching purposeful meaning to fact memorization, so that in the later years algebra and calculus become simply the "rhetoric" of the art of numbers. Multum non multa. (I am beginning to realize much "classical" curriculum is overly complicated and includes too much at the expense of better things, but that is for a different discussion.)
Multum non multa is the next step in achieving Schole - it is putting aside good things to focus on the best things. It is properly ordering our loves and lives. Our lives have many good things, but what is it that we should LOVE? Enjoying too many good things means we are not loving anything.
The easiest way to begin working toward schole, is to prioritize and structure our life around those things that are most "true, good, and beautiful". What are my priorities? What is not just good in life, but what is best in life? How can I structure my day, my week, and my months to focus on what is best?
I've begun making a few small adjustments to help keep me and our home focused on the "best". We have started using the Daily Lectionary for morning devotions. We are read one of the Psalm readings together, taking a few moments to discuss what truths about God we see, followed by reciting the Nicene Creed, singing the Doxology (the 6 year old's idea), prayer requests (personal, friends, family, national, and world) and praying Thomas Aquinas's "Ante Studium". In 10 to 15 minutes we have started our day with praise, learning a little about the nature of God, internalizing the basic tenants of our faith, and directing our thoughts, joys, burdens, and studies to the Creator. It also includes literary analysis, memorization, current events, theology, music training, and spiritual formation. It is simple and easy, yet incorporates many great truths and beauties that will benefit all of us for the rest of our lives. As an added bonus, even mornings that begin with grumpy children (or Mommy), ruined breakfast, and unexpected events, settle into a more peaceful atmosphere simply by having a routine focused on what is best. We have dropped AWANA and Classical Conversations this year - both good programs that were detracting from better things in our family life. I have worked on simplifying household chores, so now most of it can be completed in about 20 minutes after dinner - leaving me time for better things in the afternoons and evenings.
Christopher Perrin says, "Stress is a dysfunctional relationship with time." Much of the stress in our lives is because we are spending our time on good things, but not the best things. We are jacks of all trades, yet masters of none. We fail to realize that by spending time investing in one or two great things, we learn more, we can be more, and we can do more.
I believe Christ pointed to this concept in his ministry. God gave us a world with many good things to do, but He also gave us one singular goal:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6: 33 (ESV)
He reiterated this to Martha. Martha who was so busy doing many good things, but missed the best!
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha,you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.
Luke 10: 41 (ESV)
When we focus and prioritize our life around glorifying God, it simplifies it all. There is only "one thing necessary" and all those other things will happen.
When I am stressed, when life seems to be chaotic, the to-do list is never ending, and nothing is being done well, I need to ask myself one question, "What glorifies God?" When I slow down to focus on my one purpose, I am more and I go further than I ever thought possible.
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