Peace Has to Be Protected

A recent visitor to my home told me that our property is the most peaceful place he’s been to in quite some time. That’s not by accident.

By design, I have distanced my home and my family from any source of unpleasantness that I have the power to reject. Of course, some types of unpleasantness can’t be avoided, such as sickness, bad weather, taxes, and the difficult lessons we all must learn as life progresses. But many things I can control, such as who I allow to influence my daily life, who my friends are, what type of entertainment I allow the children to enjoy, the type of schooling the children receive, the level to which I am willing to care about the news and world events, the kind of food I eat, the brand of pipe tobacco I enjoy, the books I read, the words I write, and how best to use my time and resources in a way that benefits my family and those around us.

The world is a nasty and contentious place, and in my mind, among the most important jobs of a father and husband is to keep that nastiness outside the home, at least as much as possible. I don’t want my children to know about violence and wars happening across the globe. I don’t want ill-mannered persons to ever walk across my threshold. I don’t want the state to control a full third of my children’s schedule through a public school system. I don’t want the government and the “experts” to tell me the meaning of patriotism, liberty, and freedom. And so, I don’t allow these things to happen. It’s part and parcel of the daily battles that Daddy’s must fight in order to protect the peace, joy, and harmony of the home.

One way that we have managed to maintain a largely peaceful existence here at home is by keeping potential sources of disturbance at a healthy distance. Identifying those sources begins with knowing one’s limitations and tolerance level. There are just some people, behaviors, items, and circumstances I can’t tolerate, and I try to avoid all of them. Examples of things I know I can’t tolerate: frozen or processed foods; ugly furniture; anything made of plastic that used to be made of something better; obnoxious, rude, and confrontational people; traffic; house parties; large crowds; Walmart after dark; most college campuses; bookstores without old and used volumes; almost all modern shopping centers; most “country” music recorded since 1990. The list goes on. A home should be a place of beauty, and should reflect the character and interests of those who live there. Anything that opposes or challenges that beauty is at war with the peace and comfort of the home. Peace is the most beautiful part of it all.

The preservation of a civilized people begins with building and maintaining civilized and peaceful homes. This is one among many reasons why I have always believed that private property is the foundation of a constitutional republic. In our American society, one of the greatest threats to a peaceful home life is the government itself. Since 1913, the federal government decides how and how much of the family income will be stolen, taken away from the home, for the benefit of someone else. Local and state governments often require property owners to pay taxes for the right to continue living on “private” property. That money frequently goes to support local public school systems that teach reliance on government rather than personal responsibility and independence. In many ways, the greatest threat to the ability of a person to build a peaceful home, start a family, and live freely, is not an external force or power, but rather the internal workings of our own government system. It’s a source of unpleasantness most of us can do nothing about. I’m convinced voting changes nothing.

I can, however, elect who and what is allowed in my home and on my land. I can also decide when and if I want to leave my land to venture out into the world. I seldom choose to do so, and I don’t mind staying at home for days on end. Indeed, I prefer it. You might say, well how are your children to be socialized if they stay at home most of the time? I’ve never understood this line of reasoning. I think the local parish, neighbors, and a few select family friends is quite enough socializing. They need to know the importance of being alone, silent, and bored. For reasons unbeknownst to me, many Americans can’t stand staying at home all day, as if home is a place to escape, the place where you end up when there’s no where else to go. I suppose its different for those who live in apartments and in housing developments. But I live on a large acreage, and the land itself offers an endless source of entertainment and fascinating experiences. I would rather tend a garden than attend a house party. I would rather watch my chickens peck the ground than watch the news. I would rather pick the banjo for my children than perform for a thousand man audience of strangers.

God has blessed me with a life of goodness, peace, comfort, and joy. I wrestle with the devil to keep it that way.