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65 Is it a commandment?
“This is not a request.
This is an order.”
That is the movie version
of today’s topic. The Sunday school version is the pupil’s
question, “Is the rule against smoking a commandment?” People
seem to need certainty. Preachers tend to say that the Decalogue
is not “the ten suggestions.” Nevertheless, I shall demonstrate
that in real life it doesn’t matter. A class for young children
presented my favorite title for this: “the ten best
ways.”
I was shocked in a Sunday
School class when the teacher asked, “Do we need commandments?” I
answered with a resounding “No!” and held under my breath the
next part: “Who do you think we are?” I seemed to be the only one
in the room who held my view. The rest seemed to hunger for
certainty. Do they think I will ignore God’s advice and
suggestions until he states them as commandments?
Picture that God is
standing at the front of the classroom telling us that not
smoking is the best way to health. Is anybody going to interrupt
to ask whether that is a suggestion or a commandment? The
formality of the rule does not even begin to matter. What matters
is whether the practice is the best way. That is called the
authority of truth. The power of a divine “suggestion” is its
truth, not its procedure. Once I recognize it as the best way, I
need no further persuasion. I will not fear Love.
This brief explanation
shows that the term “commandment” is an unnecessary
embellishment. Human genius (not blind obedience) follows every
“best way,” including those that come by revelation. Next we
review my upbringing and provide a secular counterpart to the
slothful servant of this article.
In scripture, the
slothful servant is one who must be commanded in all things. The
business statement is that two kinds of employees are worthless:
(a) those who will not do as they are told and (b) those who will
do nothing else. You personally choose between being a zombie or
automaton and being an independent constructive force.
Before his execution,
Socrates asked the public to discipline his sons in his
absence. Robert A.
Heinlein said, “Do not handicap your children by
making their lives easy.” In
article 33 I explained that my joy in learning comes without
guilt over having been previously ignorant.
Article 47 praised my parents for teaching me that complying
was less important than understanding why I should comply.
Friday’s
article 64 encouraged reader independence. You are able to
grow here because the discussion is not a dogma imposed on you.
Room to disagree protects your independence. You are not
threatened by challenges you might encounter here; they help you
grow.
Today we discussed a foundation of
personal beliefs and business success. The independence principle
is also a foundation of government.
Article 56 showed that government is a way to cooperate, but
progress results from voluntary individual commitment to
improvement of society.
Internalizing the
why takes care of implementing the what.
Being For Others Blog copyright © 2020 Kent Busse
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