Actually, I'm hoping that that there will be discussion and even some debate within the boundaries of friendship (as iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another.) I chose the title of my blog as a reference to the greatest commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27 NASB) I'm hoping to use this space to discuss relevant questions at the intersection of faith, morality, and philosophy. I don't claim to be an expert in any of these areas, but I have heard far too many poor reasons for why people believe what they believe in these areas, and I want to encourage loving with all your mind.
Let's begin by parsing that statement: Love with all your mind. (I have limited this blog to the mental aspect of the greatest commandment not because I think it is most important - certainly not - but because I think it is the most ignored in today's culture.)
1. Let's not overlook the first word - it is my belief that when people think correctly about other people, they can't help but love them - not in a gushy, mealy-mouthed, romantic way, but in the way that we recognize the humanity in others, and love and hate the same things about all people that we love and hate about ourselves. Babies are often used in dramatic settings in movies and the like to demonstrate this kind of love. The 2006 film "Children of Men" has a powerful scene in which a newborn baby stops a violent and deadly urban battle, if only for a few moments. This is mostly because of the storyline of the film, but that storyline takes much of its poignancy because of the humanity expressed by the innocence of youth. I would like everybody to be able to see the humanity of all people as much as we see the humanity of children.
2. The second word ("with") implies activity and agency - love is not an emotion, but activity that requires agency. Shakespeare spoke well when he asked "How do I love thee?" because it is easy to speak of love without demonstrating it.
3. All means all. Not the parts that you use for comfortable sound-bite theology or philosophy, or the parts that have been filled with other people's thoughts, but your entire capacity for thought. None of us will be able to do this constantly, but I expect we try. Please don't spout aphorisms or bumper stickers without examining the thought you are expressing.
4. "Your" relates to the last sentence. What do YOU think? There are plenty of placed to have opinions provided for you - I hope this is not one of those. When leaving this site with a thought that isn't yours, it better be tested thoroughly first!
5. Some say we only use about 10% of our brain's capacity for thought - I'm not a scientist, so I can't bicker with the numbers, but I'm certain that the vast majority of people do not use the full capacity of their brain. There are records of the entire Qur'an being memorized. Orchestra conductors often conduct 80 instruments or more for an hour's worth of music from memory, while emoting, expressing and performing music (which is one of the most complex brain activities.) Even mediocre chess players are expected to be able to plan several moves in advance and adjust them in seconds when a new move is made. Dozens of other examples are extant - my point is most people waste the brain they were given, and I for one would like to change that. Any takers?
3 comments:
OK I'll bite. I have a background in broadcasting and advertising, and education in cognitive science, math and logic, and I use my brain to think up wiener jokes that'll make my brother laugh.
Now before you go thinking that's a waste, consider this: my brother Greg is an adult prodigy who is chronically depressed and suicidally ambivalent. (Those things come with the package for most adult prodigies.) He's an inventor with several patents and a wickedly talented musician.
I, on the other hand, make wiener jokes.
And those jokes keep him alive.I write a blog called "Dear Gregory" with that as its sole purpose - to make him happy, to make him feel cared for and to keep him alive.
So with all my knowledge of psychology and cog sci, the most effective treatment I've found for depression is a good wiener joke. I don't know if that's brilliant or kinda sad, but I love my brother with all my mind, and there you go.
Thanks for your comment. My first, and from a writer, no less - I'm honored. Your brother's story is interesting to me, and I commend your efforts for him. I've noticed before the prevalence of depression and/or ambivalence in those that are very intelligent, especially when combined with a lack of faith in God. My theory is that when sentience reaches a certain level, it becomes apparent that this life is but a vapor, and the motivation to continue in it wanes. I don't know Greg (or you) by anything but your blog posts, but may I ask your spiritual/religious (though I don't like that word) preference or belief system, and why you believe it to be true?
Hmmm, deep stuff. Do you give college credit?
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