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On Being Nice
Philippians 2: 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
Romans 12:19 - Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is a great theologian, philosopher, orator and Catholic. Check out his 'Life is Worth Living' videos on Youtube which originated from his popular 1950s TV show. His episode ‘On Being Nice’ is yet another insightful take on things we take for granted. “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone” is a quote from Christ when forced into a dilemma by the Pharisees. It’s an exposure of the sinful nature of the nice people who know the rules but break the rules themselves. However, they just don’t see it until it is put before their eyes. They can get angry about it, repent of it, or just ignore it. Secular liberals choose to ignore it and many get angry and accusatory. Repent? God forbid.
I lived in Minnesota for 17 years. They call their culture Minnesota nice. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Minnesota and the finest people I have ever met are Minnesotans. It’s different there. But hey, their naivete is breathtaking. And when I think of nice people, I think of them.
“No, I’m not prejudiced.” they will say. “Well I am,” I reply, “but not as prejudiced as those people who think they are so wonderful.” I’ve lived it, experienced it from both sides, and explored the psychodynamic underpinnings of it all and tried to adjust. Our theater group walked into the WCCO radio studio in Minneapolis one evening to be interviewed. The moment the interviewer planted her eyes on me she made a quick decision. I hate this person. I saw it in her eyes and she was nasty to me throughout. Her white rabid, feminist ideology helped her make that quick decision. If I called that woman out on it, our interview would have been a disaster. I kept the peace. We have prejudices of all kinds whether it be based on race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, geography, neighborhood, status, occupation. You name it. Only one person on this planet had no prejudices and He was crucified for it. Those who crucified him were nice people but not honest about their sins. Those on the cross next to Him were awful people but convicted and honest about their sins.
Nice people give excuses for their behaviors if they do admit to doing anything wrong. Why? Because they are good people who never really do wrong. It’s a psychological aberration. We are sinners who live by the grace of God. That’s what is missing with nice people.
1 Timothy 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Then we won’t be so naive, but still nice.
Source:
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. 1957. "On Being Nice." Episode 100. Life is Worth Living. Youtube.
Dr. Michael J. Baglino, Ed. D. is a retired college professor, most recently an adjunct prof. in behavioral science at Palm Beach State College, Florida. He is a graduate of both Winona State University, MN and Florida International University, Miami. Michael is also a retired entertainer [singer/actor], performing primarily as a Frank Sinatra tribute artist under the name ‘Michael Matone’. A parishioner of St. Therese de Lisieux Catholic Church in Wellington, FL, Michael serves as a lector, EM, and 4th degree Knights of Columbus. He is a professional member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. The Baglino family, wife, children and grandchildren all live in South Florida.
He is the author of 5 books, most notably ‘From Gramsci to Freud’ and ‘The Dr. B. Reader on the Ologies’. In his books, Dr. Baglino presents a series of articles and vignettes on religion, psychology, politics and culture. He shows us that God is with us in our daily lives interweaving trials, travels, and decisions with Catholicism. Definitely not without humor, Michael presents a down to earth and Catholic perspective to so many of our contemporary issues. See www.michaelbaglino.com/speaker.
