As we
come out of the Christmas season I figured I would reflect on one
important lesson. Regardless of whether or not you are a Christian, I
want to talk about a concept central to the teachings of Jesus
Christ. That concept is sacrifice.
As we
know, in the Christian tradition, Jesus sacrificed his life for the
good of others. A pretty extreme example which illustrates the
importance of sacrifice.
Quoting
from a very old book titled The Biblical World, “Nothing is
more characteristic of the teaching of Jesus than his insistence upon
the duty of self-sacrifice. Again and again he goes back to the same
thought, that a man must lose his life to gain his life; that no man
can be his disciple unless he deny himself and take up his cross and
follow him; that no man can serve two masters.”
As that
quote suggests, there exists a powerful paradox inherent in the
concept of sacrifice. “A man must lose his life to gain his life.”
Now, we do not need to take that quote literally. Sacrifice does not
have to be about life and death. Sacrifice is about the decisions we
make every day.
Stephen
Covey would say sacrifice is giving up something good for something
better. I like perspective a lot. We are all driven by impulses. And, some of these impulses tell us to be content with
the status quo. What's more, our impulses tell us to seek the path of least
resistance.
This is
not surprising. In fact, the path of least resistance is nature's
preferred path. During a chemical reaction the reactants interact,
and transform, via the path of least resistance. And, when water
flows, it flows down the path of least resistance.
But, do
not take mother nature and use her as an excuse to be lazy. Here is
why. The path of least resistance is meant for simple substances.
Water is a very simply substance. Water to two hydrogen atoms bonded
to one oxygen atom. Simple stuff. And so, it operates through a
simple channel of little resistance.
When
hydrocarbons react with oxygen (combustion) the reaction produces
water and carbon dioxide. All of these products are simple
substances. As expected, the reaction charts a simple course of least
resistance.
But,
humans are not simple molecules. Humans are complicated. Humans are
capable of making decisions. We are capable of weighing the options
and selecting our behavior from many the choices. We understand
things like cause and effect, the future and the past. So, we are
able to identify the folly of immediate gratification.
I say
all that to say this, your impulses are a product of the physical
world. So, your impulses will often encourage you to take the path of
resistance. Given my examples, taking the path of least resistance is
an understandable choice.
What I
am saying is sometimes it is wise to not trust yourself. Sometimes it
is better to not listen to your impulses. Your impulses are meant to
keep you alive and to help you reproduce. But, these impulses are
obsolete. Humans have created such a vast array of effective systems that our
survival is rarely in question. So, living by our impulses has become
maladaptive.
Perhaps
this is why we needed Jesus to teach the importance of sacrifice. In
a way, what Jesus was saying was, just because you feel like doing something, does not mean you should. Sacrifice is the very paradoxical notion that, just because we feel like doing something, does not mean we should.
