Hic Erat Nihil
If you know Latin, then you are probably wondering at the irony. If you don't know Latin, that this is going to be a boring post arguing making outdated arguments for the study of a dead language. I know I am a nerd and have a tendency to exaggerate, but I do think that the study of Latin is critical for the survival of civilization. Instead of rehashing the same old arguments, I want to try to provide a fresh perspective on the importance of Latin.
We like things to be useful. In an information saturated culture, we only want information if it can provide us with definite benefits. Because of this, Latin seems useless to the ordinary layman. Why does one need to study a dead language, when it is not spoken by the common man, when only lawyers and doctors recourse to it on the daily, when we are deluged by so much information that it starts coming out our ears? That is precisely why we need it. Latin is hard, it is painful, and it is complicated. But it is also beautiful. Devotion to Latin is beautiful because Latin is not useful, it has some benefits, but the primary reason for studying Latin is to study it for its own sake.
Now, there is a comparison to be drawn here between Latin and another thing done for its own sake, which is just as unpopular. The other thing is the Christian walk. When studied with the proper mindset, Latin can actually improve our relationship with Christ. The first reason is that following the commands of Christ does not always bring us material benefit. It is something we do simply because we have faith it is good for us. This mindset of doing things on faith without any view to material benefit can be honed and developed by studying Latin.
But there are benefits of the spirit that can be gained from studying Latin. The second reason is that Latin helps us obey Christ's command in the gospels to die to ourselves. As I have said, Latin is hard. It is in human nature to want to shirk hard things to give into our flesh. By studying Latin, we are denying our flesh and doing something that causes mental agony. If we desire to truly serve Christ, we must accustom our minds to this mental agony. If we build up our spiritual "weight training" to carry the cross of Christ in the little things, then we will be better prepared if we are called to carry his cross in bigger matters.
The final reason is that Latin teaches us that true lasting glory and gratification is not instantaneous. One of the many poisonous paradigms pervading our culture is what I call the: "instant results mentality." Basically, if a particular task/subject/goal does not bring about instant results, people are inclined to regard it as useless. This mindset is completely contrary to how the spirit works. In our walk with Christ, our reward is eternal, it is not necessarily temporal. The spirit of instant gratification seeks reward here and now as opposed to "storing up treasures in heaven." Now, Latin does not necessarily give us treasures in heaven, but it does teach us to suborn our desires for instant gratification so that we may have more lasting satisfaction at a later date.
So in conclusion, Latin teaches us to suborn mindsets that are harmful to not only our Christian walk but to civilization as a whole. This alone should make Latin a preeminent subject of study among all schools. Only by rejecting the easy lifestyle of our secular society can we truly come into the "weight of glory" that Christ has in store for us and not drown under the living waters of the spirit. The walk of the Christian is not useful in the eyes of the world, but it is ultimately the salvation of civilization. Latin too is not useful, but it is only by studying the useless and beautiful that we can be liberated from crude utilitarianism and truly appreciate the works of God.
So in closing I leave you with the words of Aristotle. "To seek for utility everywhere is entirely unsuited to men that are great-souled and free."
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