As we’re still struggling as a nation to put round the clock electricity in every home, China is already test running the passenger-carrying hyper loop train which reputedly travels at the literally neck breaking speed of seven hundred miles an hour!
Tell me, is there anything quite as nonsensical as being so blinded by self-centredness that you cannot see how it works against your overall interest?
This also gives the biblical quote, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” practical meaning. It’s our natural desire for people to do good back to us and not evil, that more often than not, is what motivates us to do the right thing and not always our unconditional love for them. If we can be smart enough to realise that our individual interests will be better served by cooperating with compatriots, we will undoubtedly find ourselves in a better place.
If I give way to you because you want to do something as mundane as change lanes, you and other road users will likely do the same for me when I need the same favour. I always tell my children that there are more cars on the road than my singular car, so my “little victory” now by “not agreeing” is actually a pyrrhic one as I’ll only be shooting myself in the foot in the long run. That’s the simple truth. Yes, you may have won this battle but with this attitude you certainly cannot win the war. Let’s not even talk of the mental fatigue as a result of always battling on the road, which is just so unnecessary. Most of the exhaustion we feel after driving on our roads is a mental one from battling “enemies” on the road. Forgive me for using that term but that is really what it feels like at times; a me versus them scenario. I’m sure some of you feel me on this.
I stand to be corrected by Bible scholars but in my understanding of our Christian Bible, this is in fact scriptural. Why otherwise would God admonish in Matthew 6:33 that we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” so that all other things can be added unto us? This is because he knows that as human beings we will have certain needs only He can provide, but the best way for us to serve our interest is to serve Him. Why didn’t He say, “seek ye only the kingdom of God” and just stop there? Let’s face it, just about everyone who worships God wants something from Him. We pray to Him so that we can be amongst those whom he shows mercy and compassion, which He made very clear, is His prerogative. It’s not always wealth that we seek. It can be good health, the peace of mind that comes from rest from troubles, divine direction for our lives or blessings for our children to name but a few; and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing immoral about making requests to God or having expectations of Him. Why would He tell us that all these and more come from Him if He doesn’t expect us to ask for them?
To buttress this point He says something startling but which becomes more apparent to most of us as we grew up, which is that the “the heart of man is desperately wicked”. And in my observation the most obvious wickedness is selfishness, which incidentally actuates most antisocial acts and tendencies. Can’t speak much for those mentally deranged folks who on a whim decide to invade a school Rambo-style, (only to snuff the life out of fellow human beings for no apparent reason;), behaviour which I must say is far more common in the west than here, where there’s nearly always a reason; many a time a pecuniary one in one way or the other. Still, apart for these exceptions, these societies have managed to temper this selfish wickedness by coming to the understanding that cooperative selfishness actually works for everybody. Doing that which pays all while it pays me too.
If we look at it this way, we’ll see that all is not lost for this nation. Having a selfish attitude doesn’t necessarily put us beyond the reach of redemption. Even if we don’t manage to get ourselves to the dizzy heights of selflessness collectively, all we need do is tweak it a little to move from the realm of crude selfishness to cooperative selfishness. Since morals can generally be described as actions which society judges as good conduct because they enhance the welfare of human beings and society, this minor adjustment of the dial could represent a paradigm shift from immoral to morally accepted behaviour. Maybe then, the kleptomaniac employee will realize that the best route to success is to work for the success of his employers and maybe, just maybe, the politician will also recognise that the best way to secure not just his own future but that of his offspring is actually to implement policies that benefit the society as a whole. My brothers and sisters, there’s still hope.
I can hear you saying “Ah! This is so idealistic”. Yes it is but let me ask you, is there a better mark to aim for? Even if we don’t quite hit it, as no society anywhere ever has, we would have achieved wonders while trying. As we’re still struggling as a nation to put round the clock electricity in every home, China is already test running the passenger-carrying hyper loop train which reputedly travels at the literally neck breaking speed of seven hundred miles an hour! Not because they don’t have some of the best trains in the world already but because they must continue to inch closer to the mark of the ideal. Nothing is impossible.
With all said and done, this does not in the slightest way take anything away from the rare case of pure selflessness, which will forever sit at the pinnacle of the love tree. That is why Jesus admonished in John 15:12, “love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”
Some say “me first” but I would rather we said “we first”. In that same spirit of love which this season represents, I wish you all a truly Merry Christmas.
Changing the nation…one mind at a time.
