If you have read my blog for long you likely know I can become quite focused on tasks and forget the end goal. I could see myself dying of heat exhaustion while digging a hole to plant a shade tree. We all have challenges with going about our lives while forgetting our why. As a society, we have found ways to do all types of miraculous things. We seem to have unlimited ambition and ingenuity. We have found ways to embed artificial intelligence in all types of devices. I wonder if the sci-fi movies where the robots take over and attempt to kill off or enslave humans are taken from the nightmares of AI engineers. Maybe their dreams are a bit more abstract and they are just stuck in a car that is speeding up with no controls.
For many of us, it is easier to live life doing rather than questioning why. Something about the way we are wired makes striving come more naturally than seeking and maintaining purposeful life. History is filled with stories of people striving to rule over others with only the desire for power. We kill less people today than in the past as we now strive to control others with our products. We no longer put them to the sword but instead provide them a device and allow them to consume. I am not suggesting a handful of tech billionaires are the problem. We have always had and always will have our desires that must be brought under control of a higher purpose. Technology is not the problem as it can be used to help millions. We can find contentment in a life of service to others. Why then is that not our natural instinct? Maybe seeking our desires is what allows us to find ways to advance mankind. We should balance our striving with the discipline of ensuring it is serving others. We see the need for balance in all forms of nature.
With all that we have achieved, are our widows and orphans well cared for? Would your neighbor go beyond calling 911 to save your family? While there are a great number of ways we have made the world a better place than it was thousands of years ago. This is a result of people questioning the why as often as they question if they could. If we examine God’s teachings we find the intent is something inspiring. What some think are antiquated laws serve a purpose to focus our minds on having the right intent. A practice of recentering ourselves ensures we question what we should be working towards. Rules limit us and might seem to slow us down but they ensure we are achieving for others. God’s laws are intended to limit our self-serving desires. They ensure a mindful practice of loving others. We should seek to be followers of the law of loving one another and not the judge of who is deserving. People that we could judge most harshly are those that need to be shown love. I am going to practice being more mindful of my intent to ensure I see the opportunities to serve others.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
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