The NFP Mindset, by Michael Johnston

Everything has to make sense. Everything must fit in its proper place. This has gotten me into some trouble and oftentimes I take more time to do even simple things than is strictly necessary. Simple questions become large, time consuming monsters. Do I want to have fruit trees on my property? I have to exhaust every possible combination so that it works out just right. Do I want to teach a class? I have to know every possible answer to all the questions that will inevitably arise. Does my wife appreciate that I may have spent 67 hours researching fruit trees? Probably not.

But when it all works out and when a plan comes together I can take a seat and safely say, in the words of John (Hannibal) Smith, that “I love it”. There is a harmony or beauty in that. The same is true of concepts or philosophies which fit into a larger whole—as a key in a lock or a puzzle piece bringing more clarity to a grand picture. This is one of the pleasures of being Christian generally and Catholic specifically: many people have done a lot of thinking about it for a long time and the parts fit together. …

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