By Dr. Gary Keepes
Catholic Healthcare
Many of you are likely aware of G.K. Chesterton, the great 20th century English writer. He happens to be one of my heroes. I believe that his writings are full of wisdom, wit, humor, prophecy and many other enjoyable adjectives. I hope that one day, the Church will recognize his many gifts and contributions to humanity and declare him blessed.
So, as a family physician, I often look through his readings with an eye on what he has to say about health. Chesterton was not so much interested in physical health. He often made fun of fad diets. He was not much for exercise unless it involved a person chasing their hat being blown by the wind. He drank too much alcohol; though it was always in the company of his friends and contributed to enjoying human interactions. He was never obsessed with his own health. For Chesterton, it was always about happiness and human flourishing. St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Chesterton was very much interested in what makes a man “fully alive.”
In this regard, some themes start to present themselves. I will list several, but will only expound on a couple. Chesterton believed that human flourishing was dependent on gratitude, family life, meaningful work, friendship, laughter and a deep spiritual life.
Gratitude may be Chesterton’s most important theme. It is so important to be thankful. In “Orthodoxy,” he says, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Another quote from “Orthodoxy” is, “The worst moment for the atheist is when he feels really thankful and has nobody to thank.” He always looked at the world through the eyes of a child. He would wonder why grass was green; why such a strange creature as a rhinoceros existed. He thought that a blank, white ceiling was a giant canvas for him to draw on. He laughed at himself. His poor wife Francis, who could possibly be canonized in her own right, must have had a time taking care of him. He once famously sent a telegram to her saying, “Am here, where ought I to be?” That child-like quality of wonder, innocence and gratitude is so essential to human happiness. It is definitely worth trying to cultivate in our own lives.
Another important factor for Chesterton in human flourishing was family. In “What’s Wrong With the World,” he said, “The place where babies are born and men die, where freedom and love flourish, is the house.” He very much believed, as articulated years later by Pope St. John Paul II, that the “family is the first essential cell of human society.” Chesterton worried about social, economical and ideological forces that weakened the family. He anticipated many of the attacks on the family that we see in our world today. He argued that we should work toward a social order that gave ordinary people the freedom and security to live life well. He thought it important that everyone have access to owning private property. This is essential for the family. He argued for small scale economies; locally owned and family owned businesses. He was not a fan of big corporations. One can only imagine what he would have said about Walmart and Amazon.
Perhaps the lesson that we can learn from Chesterton regarding the family is to cherish and to be grateful for the family that we have. Most families are imperfect, and there will be disagreements, hurt feelings and disappointments. But it is in dealing with these that we develop empathy and humility. We learn to forgive and to be forgiven. These are essential for humans to flourish, and it is in the family that we develop these virtues.
There are so many other great Chesterton quotes that I could give you that expound on human flourishing. If you are not familiar with Chesterton, a good place to start is his great book “Orthodoxy,” especially the fourth chapter entitled “The Ethics of Elfland.”
My goal as a physician is to maintain and restore health so that my patients can truly flourish in this life. Good health is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to know God, to love him, and to serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next (as our Baltimore Catechism tells us). Chesterton offers us much wisdom on how the ultimate goal can be achieved. G.K. Chesterton, pray for us.
Dr. Gary Keepes serves as a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Evansville. He is assigned to Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Petersburg and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Oakland City. He is also a member of the Southwestern Indiana Guild of the Catholic Medical Association.