Piety - An Education in Love

This post contains an affiliate link to the book we are discussing.

Oh, how I am excited to be discussing The Liberal Arts Tradition with you!  Why am I so excited?  It is because in the past six months I feel like my eyes are being opened to a greater understanding of classical education, but I know that I still have so much more to learn.  This book is going to help me (and you, hopefully!) gain some of that knowledge.

Piety

Piety.  Have you heard that word recently?  I surely haven't!  That is probably because our culture does not value it any longer.   From page 10 -

Piety signifies the duty, love, and respect owed to God, parents, and communal authorities past and present.

Our culture thrives on the modern, the individual, and a rebellion from all things traditional.  No wonder we don't hear the word piety any more, let alone raise it as a virtue to be attained.

This chapter set the wheels in my brain turning.  I have recently been thinking about how children act (mine included) outside their homes, how they interact with others, and (from those I assume) how they act with their families inside their homes.  In general, behavior seems to be poor these days.  There is a lack of respect, lack of love, and great air of selfishness.

It all started making sense to me as I was reading this chapter.  We (in general) no longer teach piety first and foremost to our children.  If we are not actively teaching piety, we are passively teaching individualism, which results in rebellion, disrespect, and the like.

It all comes down to properly ordering our loves (ordo amoris).  Our love for God and his Word should come foremost, then love for family, church, country, etc.  Piety identifies who we are .  If we are Christians, then we should be easily identified by the things that we respect, our actions, and the traditions that we hold to.

As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that I knew all of this, but I don't think I had really thought of it in this way before.  I hold dearly to the Bible, but I admit to being prideful by not heeding the advice of those who have come before me.  I tend to think my own way is best (I'm not talking about forming my own opinion on things the Bible is clear about, but rather the idea of not following the "well-worn paths" of those who have come before me).

I see issues related to this in my own children and I take complete responsibility.  Now is when that changes.  From page 17 -

Without the students internalizing a fundamental respect for God, their teachers, parents, and elders, the entire process of education likewise fails...Before learning can begin there must be an education in love.

Wow.  I would like to say that I knew this already, and I probably did "on paper," but I am seeing this issue in a whole new light lately and now I have the right word for it...piety.  Reading this chapter was very timely for me.

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Do you prioritize teaching piety?

How do you practically lead your children toward virtue?

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Thanks for reading along this week!  What did you think of this chapter?  Leave comments here on the blog post, or share about it on social media (#ClassicalMamasRead).  I'll be sharing too, so follow me on facebook, twitter, or google+ and we can chat about it there as well!  Don't forget, if you want to share your thoughts about Home Education on your own blog, link it up below so we can all come and visit!

Next week we will look at the subjects of Gymnastic and Music in The Liberal Arts Tradition.  If you haven't gotten your own copy yet, make sure you grab a copy so you can join in on our discussions soon!

Classical Mamas Read Link-Up

Did you write about The Liberal Arts Tradition on your blog?  Have you been reading and blogging about another book (for you, not a children's book)?  Do you have a book club going on at your blog (once again, not for a children's book)?  I'd love for you link up here so we can all be encouraged by each other and maybe find another great book to read!

I'm going to keep this link-up ongoing since there aren't going to be a huge number of posts and then anyone new will be able to be encouraged by the other book reading ideas and discussions.  If the number of posts gets too large, I will fix it.

Please note, all posts must be on topic (about a book you are reading) and appropriate (think family friendly).