Please don’t think ill of me when I say that I dream at times of a job that does not include twin toddler boys.  There used to be a time when I dreamt of little else than full-time mothering, but, predictably human as I am, I now find myself dreaming of philosophy colloquia and lobbying in the halls of the Capitol and meetings over tea.

So, today, I decided to describe for myself my dream job, and here is what I came up with: The Christopher Dawson Institute of Religion and Civil Society.  If only such an Institute existed, if would be a think-tank that would apply Dawson’s core convictions–that religion is the key vivifying principle of a culture and that any culture throughout history which has rejected its religion has died–to all aspects of civil society, such as economic life, neighborhood planning and zoning, laws that bear upon civil society, and so forth.

According to my knowledge, no such institute exists, at least certainly not in Austin, so I have decided to exhibit the ultimate hubris and begin working for this currently non-existent Institute from the computer of my laptop at home.  Because, if I can’t leave the house to work for this Institute, what with the twin toddlers, I can bring my house to the Institute through the power of technology.

I am considering writing blog posts from time to time that speak from the perspective of this currently non-existent Institute.  I think my first installment will be to analyze the new forms of monasticism that have sprung up in the shell of what remains of Western culture and reflect with hope upon the ways that these new “Benedictine monasteries” will preserve the riches of human culture through the Dark Ages that may well be upon us.  I think I’ll start with looking at the homeschooling movement and the “crunchy con” agrarian movement.  Check back later to see if I’ve fulfilled my promise.  And, I am accepting applications for Institute fellows for Spring 2010, so feel free to submit your resume for my review.