Magis in contemporary society: discernment, excellence, and service to God

¶ … Magis?

By any measure, life in the 21st century is characterized by excesses of all sorts. Indeed, as a result of increasingly sedentary lifestyles, obesity has reached epidemic levels in many industrialized nations. Moreover, billions of others in emerging nations such as China, Brazil and India are joining the middle class and beginning to enjoy these excesses as well and all signs indicate that these trends will continue well into the foreseeable future. In this environment, determining the importance of the concept of "magis" has assumed new importance and relevance for those of faith. From the Latin meaning "more," the concept of magis conceptualizes the goal of excelling in ways that serve to glorify God and this conceptualization is especially apparent in the Jesuit faith. In this regard, Migliazzo (2002) reports that, "In sum, the ideal of Jesuit education is the well-rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God" (p. 237). This Jesuit ideal is intended to be achieved through the spirit of magis, described by Migliazzo as "the pursuit of excellence in its work of education and formation [to] create an ambiance which will promote excellence" (p. 237).

Jesuit educational values also include the concept of cura personalis, or "care for the whole person" which contrasts sharply with the concept of "magis" which indicates "striving for more" (Kirby, McBride, Shuler, Birkholt, Danielson & Pawlowski, 2006). Occasionally, these conceptualizations can become mutually exclusive to some extent. For instance, Kirby and her associates note that, "Embodying cura personalis implies finding harmony between one's professional and personal/family/faith life. Yet the simultaneous value of magis and striving for excellence often translates to conflict with caring for their 'whole personhood'" (p. 87). Even the most pious adherents, then, will require a careful balance between striving for excellence pursuant to the concept of magis and the need to care for themselves and their families as exemplified by the concept of cura personalis. As Kirby et al. emphasize, "Tension emerges when magis -- striving for more -- becomes incompatible with cura personalis and instead becomes a (secular) tool to work people harder under the guise of a spiritual value" (p. 88). This observation suggests that it is vitally important to recognize the fundamental difference between seeking excellence in all ways and turning this enterprise towards one's own individual goals and to strike a balance between these two. In this regard, Kirby and her colleagues add that, "Being more, giving more, doing more is both a directive and a challenge ... however positive it sounds, it can and does have a dark side. There's not more hours in the day, there's not more of us, so where does the more come from? Asking people to do more with less resources ... is a clever (and manipulative) way to 'guilt' people into doing more without a fair return" (p. 88).