The Beautiful Simplicity of Christianity

Rule 2: "Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping."

-Jordan B. Peterson, from Twelve Rules for Life

Jesus has told us that the best way to live our lives is to love God with all our hearts, and to love others as we love ourselves. That is a challenge for me, because I am an arrogant elitist sometimes, thinking proudly that I despise the entire human race and all its' foibles, making me better than everyone in the room with me. Not because of anything superficial, rather, because that's how fucking awesome I think I am. Eventually, I wind up boring, and alienating, everyone I meet. No wonder. Most people can spot a selfish jerk immediately. 

But! Ah, the beautiful simplicity of Christianity! Love God for real, love others as you love yourself! There you go, there's the ticket into eternal life right there. Seriously! Jesus himself said this (Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV): 

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

It's simple to understand, very much to the point. How do we love others as we love ourselves? First, we must love ourselves! We must behave in a manner that reflects the reality that we alone our responsible for caring for ourselves. Belief is demonstrated by action, not by saying it out loud to others.  And here's the kicker, the great thing about this: by demonstrating what you believe, you become kinder, people are positively attracted to you, and you are far less stressed out all the time about any number of things. Don't tell your co-worker "I love you", just hold the door open for him, offer her a bag of chips, cheerfully help when asked, etc. Don't put a bumper sticker on your car that says "Be Kind to Others", just don't flip off the guy who cuts you off in traffic. Instead of flying a sign that says "Free Palestine", volunteer for service at a Palestinian refugee center, or at a hospital, et al. 

I discovered that if I love myself as if I were responsible for myself, I can easily love others. And so, I'm slowly recovering from behaviors that resulted in social anxiety, alienation, chaos, and chronic loneliness. Today, I demonstrate my belief in God by looking at others and realizing that they might know something I don't, and so listen to them carefully and attentively. The love follows, which astounds me. The power of God can never be overstated, it is something much better than any other substitute I've tried-and I've tried many.