“Buddhism is centripetal, but Christianity is centrifugal.”G. K. Chesterton · Ortodoxia · 1908 · capitolul 2
A faith that only turns inward dies; living faith goes outward to others.
Chesterton uses a geometric image: Buddhism seeks the center, sinking inward until desire itself is extinguished, while Christianity starts at a center and bursts outward. A God who goes out of himself through creation and incarnation makes love of neighbor a mission rather than a retreat. The Buddhist monk withdraws from the world; the Christian missionary enters it, with all the risks that entails.
Why it matters It helps someone see why spirituality should not become an escape from responsibility, and why a living faith is measured by what it does for others, not by inner calm alone.