02/24/2026
Worth re-posting.
Occasionally we are asked why we built the barn. It was to have, not only a place to host contra dances, but specifically a BEAUTIFUL place to do so. As homeschool parents, we try to focus on the good, the true, and the beautiful. We believe very strongly that part of the job of Christians is to restore beauty to the world.
As we discussed the joy of hosting the dances this morning, one thing we noted was what Aristotle spoke about in his Nicomachean Ethics. He posited that true, or genuine, love is based not on utility or pleasure but on virtue. True love is found when two people are seeking mutual companionship based on their independent pursuit of goodness, or virtue.
What does this have to do with the barn? So often, our culture encourages young people to use their bodies to gain “love” via their sexuality. This is a form of both utilitarianism and pleasure. Using yourself or others to gain pleasure, affection, etc. is one area where we believe the world has twisted our natural desires.
We love the barn dances because it is a place for young people to get to know others not through showing off their bodies, gyrating, displaying their sexuality, but to develop virtue or display it. It is a place for getting to know others based upon who they are, not what their body looks like or their “sex appeal.”
This is part of our broader vision. We hope God enables our youngsters to live in marriages and relationships where the mutual desire for virtue, or Christ, are the driving attractions. We hope that in some small way, we are facilitating this. May it be so.