Morning Reflections, 9/14/24

It is 3 AM here. I am sitting at my coffee table writing this. Suddenly, a thought occurs to me out of nowhere: you have everything material that you need, and more. You eat well, have a great place to live, you can get quickly treated if sick, and other things. From this space I can improve my relationship with God, analyze my actions from the past in order to understand myself better (thus minimizing future suffering, and maximizing my potential). Self-centered indeed, but with a view to be a better self. Why, you ask, why would anyone want to have a better self? What's wrong with just being happy with who you are? Well, I'll share my thoughts with you on this subject, which appears related to the question, why be good? Aside from the comically obvious, the short answer is: in order to better serve others, and to please God.  Also, I know that happiness as a goal is doomed to failure-one mishap in life and it's gone. Happiness, exactly like success, is ephemeral and as such, not worthy as a primary goal. These things are by-products, often the mere result of living life in a manner proper to human beings. A better self, or, a self better than who he was yesterday, is desirable because it enables him to be more effective in serving others. So this morning, by focusing on gratitude and humility, I chase away a million useless, often harmful thoughts. It occurs to me that humility and service are indeed humiliating to the person who is proud, arrogant and filled up with the hubris of intellect and accomplishment.  Humility is realizing and accepting the simple truth of your own inadequacy, the truth that you know very little and therefore what you don't know is more important than what you do know. Service to others is not  being their butler, maid nor slave; it does not mean that you sacrifice unnecessarily (i.e., just for the sake of sacrifice). No, it instead means (in this context) a willingness to help others with love and sincerity. 

Morning Reflections

Tell the truth, or at least don't lie.

-Dr. Jordan Peterson, Twelve Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos

IS IT OK TO LIE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, as long as in doing so no one is harmed and someone benefits? This seems to be the standard of popular morality. For example, if I wanted you to cheer up and be hopeful, I might tell you "everything's going to turn out alright", when disaster is looming. If a child asks you what happens to our bodies after we die, it's probably not a good idea to truthfully describe this process. When your wife asks you if she looks fat in her new jeans, etc., etc. The rule seems to be: "tell the truth unless it could hurt someone, then it's OK, even mandatory, to lie".

The Truth of God for a Lie

Even if it grants you great wealth,  puts food on your family's table, or just another car payment due, it is a grave mistake to be wicked. People think they are invulnerable, that they will never get held responsible for their evil deeds. All criminals in jail believe they are innocent, and all of them thought they'd never get caught. It often involves breaking Man's law, and also God's law at the same time. Evil despises God, because He exists and is good. All men know this. Over 2000 years ago, Paul the Apostle wrote: (Romans 1, verses 18-25, NIV)

Morning Reflections, 9/5/2024

Oh boy, we're now well into September, looks like the weather is just now starting to cool down. I am writing this in Savannah, Georgia, where summers can be hot as well as humid- every day. My friend is excited at this recent cooling trend, as she can leave her patio door open all the time. She and I just moved into a new apartment; our old one was getting annoying so we found a new place. Anyway, I've been thinking that the more I read Dr. Peterson's work (he's a famous clinical psychologist), and the more I understand the nuances and variations of human psychology, the more I understand myself. 

Consequences of Malevolence, Part One

 

People sometimes speak with fake authority whenever they are discussing insects, disease and germs. Over the years, I've heard that bedbugs can fly, carry diseases, and can not be fully eradicated. I've also heard that food that's fallen to the floor won't be contaminated right away (usually they say 5 seconds), that you can get germs from sitting on a public toilet seat, that you can prevent Covid infection by wearing a mask...all said by individuals expressing absolute certainty, acting (and fully believing), as if they have the final answer. This reminds me of the more passionate climate change/global warming alarmists, who believe with typical absolutism that Man is causing it, and must be stopped. It's like saying 2+2=5, not only building your entire world view on that false premise, but requiring others to agree, and actualizing it with passion and conviction.

I Remember

    I remember your smug, sanctimonious preaching to me that I should wear a mask, for the safety of my society, my city, my community. Because it's the right thing to do. I remember you saying things like unvaccinated people should be refused medical treatment, or even allowed to die. I remember you requiring children to mask up, even young infants. I remember the businesses closed down as "non-essential", while liquor stores, well-connected businesses, and porn shops stayed open. I remember your willful lies, told under the guise of public safety.  I remember being forced to wear a mask at work, or lose my job. You had a load of self-righteousness to inflict me on to me, and the rest of the world. I shall not forget, and I'm sure everyone else will, too. 

Trust Issues?

    I have heard that Jesus can do great things for me, if I put my trust in him.  No, not by winning the lottery, getting a good paying job, girlfriend or wife, etc., but truly great things that will grant me peace, transform me in any number of positive ways...really, I'm not sure what trust in this matter entails. These rewards or gifts are desirable indeed, but how do I trust Jesus? 

    It's a question I've only recently dealt with, largely due to critical thinking, and a desire to be precise and clear. So when a pastor of a church says "Trust Jesus/God", I ask myself, what does that mean for me? How do I act this out? 

    Pastors also say you have to trust with your entire being that God has your back. Here's another idea that sounds good, but is vague nevertheless. What does "entire being" mean? Usually people mean "mind, body and soul" to refer to one's entire being, and that's vague as well. What does it mean to love God with your soul? What is a soul? How do I love God-or anything-with all my soul?