"Trad lifestyle" and hypocrisy

[Kaesekopf]

I was watching a video, and a thought struck me.

All the time, we as trads hear (whether rightly or wrongly) that trads need to do "old-fashioned" jobs and live "old-fashioned" ways.  We're told to 'return to the land', to be farmers, woodworkers, glass-blowers, bookbinders.  That a trade is the best route for a good trad man to take.

Well, in all of this discussion, are we to give up "luxuries" like air conditioning, modern travel modes (for this discussion, consider say a bike over driving), and other modern conveniences? 

It seems like a short-sighted, half-worked idea to shun the things we don't like, yet keep the things we do. 

What do you all think?

[Mithrandylan]

I don't hear that very often.

Sometimes I pick up on a general theme from some folks that we "should" go back to the way things are in terms of common trades, living situations, etc.  But never more than a theme.  Nostalgia, I suppose.  I don't pay too much attention to it. 

[Bonaventure]

In the world, not of it.

Avoid sin and the occasions of sin.

Put the talents God has given us (which He didn't have to) to good use.

[Anastasia]

"Old fashioned", " traditional " ways or not, I'm not giving up indoor plumbing!

[Penelope]

At the risk of derailing this thread, let us also remember that the Catholic tradition encourages, among those who are able, engaging in intellectual pursuits, not shunning education, so all this talk about "real Catholics only pursue trades" is inauthentic. It's one thing to say that trades are more practical than a modern university degree, but it isn't accurate to promote the idea that the real trad lifestyle should devalue intellectual pursuits.

Moreover, as much as some may wish for this to be the case, it is impossible to return to an agrarian, pre-Industrial Revolution lifestyle. That's not the world we live in and like it or not, we are called to live in the world as it is right now. We can try to change the culture, but at some point, a level of practical resignation needs to take effect. We live in a "bigger" world with a global economy, so old-fashioned, small-town life with little family-owned shops and niche tradesmen is just not going to be the reality for most of us. It's an ideal that I wish very much that we could embrace, but it just isn't realistic in today's world. Trads who demand that it be otherwise are only fooling themselves.

Re: modern conveniences/technology, we can and should shun that which leads us to sin (and this is going to be different for each individual), but I see no reason to shun cell phones, computers, central air conditioning, or what-have-you just because they became popular in the modern era. That's totally illogical.

[Mr. Mysterious]

We're Traditional Catholics, not Amish.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong in having a decent sized garden where you can grow your own food, have bees so you can make your own honey, and so forth. You can have the best of both worlds in having modern conveniences and yet at the same time having a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Learning a trade or having a career which can be financially rewarding may also come in handy if you plan on marrying and having a lot of children, too. 

[Ancilla Domini]

All the time, we as trads hear (whether rightly or wrongly) that trads need to do "old-fashioned" jobs and live "old-fashioned" ways.  We're told to 'return to the land', to be farmers, woodworkers, glass-blowers, bookbinders.  That a trade is the best route for a good trad man to take.

Why? Is Traditional Catholicism just nostalgia for a past age? Or is it about eternal Truth that transcends culture?   

[Ancilla Domini]

Having said that, there's nothing wrong in having a decent sized garden where you can grow your own food, have bees so you can make your own honey, and so forth. You can have the best of both worlds in having modern conveniences and yet at the same time having a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Nothing wrong with any of those things. But what do they have to do with Traditional Catholicism?

[Bonaventure]

The nostalgia isn't wrong, and we can long for better times, but traditional Catholicism, even Catholicism before the notion of "trads" came about, was never about feelings, nostalgia, "it's in my family," etc.

It's about professing faith in Jesus Christ and the Church He founded.

[Quo Vadis]

I want to shun addiction to comfort.  I didn't used to be this way.  Man was not made to live in a warm bath.  But I better hurry and do something about it because I'm getting old...

[MilesChristi]

I was watching a video, and a thought struck me.

All the time, we as trads hear (whether rightly or wrongly) that trads need to do "old-fashioned" jobs and live "old-fashioned" ways.  We're told to 'return to the land', to be farmers, woodworkers, glass-blowers, bookbinders.  That a trade is the best route for a good trad man to take.

Well, in all of this discussion, are we to give up "luxuries" like air conditioning, modern travel modes (for this discussion, consider say a bike over driving), and other modern conveniences? 

It seems like a short-sighted, half-worked idea to shun the things we don't like, yet keep the things we do. 

What do you all think?

Some have become trad because it reflects their temperament best, or that it provides an outlet for Romanticism.
Since traddom has been exiled since 1970, many subconciously see being a trad as going back to the good old days.
For some that means living in 1950, for others 1850, 1250, etc.

Give the right books and movies to a boy with a melancholic temperament, and he will become a romantic youth.

[OCLittleFlower]

"Old fashioned", " traditional " ways or not, I'm not giving up indoor plumbing!

I really think this is one reason that the 50s are so appealing to many Trads, myself included.  Pre-conciliar, but with washing machines and dishwashers and cars.   

Then again, maybe it's better than us young Trads don't know what we're missing -- I can't imagine surviving the "pulling-out-of-the-rug" that was the Council.

[Bonaventure]

Give the right books and movies to a boy with a melancholic temperament, and he will become a romantic youth.

Hopefully not Romantic in wanting to include, write, and talk about everything, thus never getting anything done.

[Mr. Mysterious]

Having said that, there's nothing wrong in having a decent sized garden where you can grow your own food, have bees so you can make your own honey, and so forth. You can have the best of both worlds in having modern conveniences and yet at the same time having a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Nothing wrong with any of those things. But what do they have to do with Traditional Catholicism?

They don't. I was addressing the OPs point regarding the notion some Trads seem to have about returning to something resembling a pre Industrial Revolution lifestyle vs. the possibility that if they did so they'd have to give up modern appliances, et al.

[Bonaventure]

The fact is that in all we do, wherever we are, and whatever state of life God chooses for us, there will be a struggle, temptations, etc.

Before recently, I somehow thought that the religious life was extremely easy. Since monks, for example, don't have to worry about paying bills, taking care of family members, working, and so on, I thought that the religious was life was easy. You just prayed, lived in peace, and were away from the world.

I could not have been further from the truth. The spiritual life is extremely difficult, and the most difficult life. Climbing the mountain to spiritual perfection is no easy task.

We have to make do with what God gives us right now, since longing for an ideal time period, an ideal life, the ideal salary, and so on amount to nothing. I'm sure that the apostles longed for the years they spent with Our Lord on Earth. St. Catherine of Siena, who lived during the good ol' days, hundreds of years ago, spoke of how things had gotten bad in her times.

Follow Padre Pio's advice, pray, hope, and don't worry.