Last week I talked about the person that the entire
universe revolves around. Today I flip
the coin to the other side and discuss YOUR universe, its ins, outs, and
focus. Who do you suppose the focus of
your universe is? And, more importantly,
why do you suppose it needs to change?
The focus of your universe is yourself. I say that with confidence because, were that
not true, you would not still be living in a Telestial state. It may be that some of you may have friends
and family that you are deeply concerned about and that you put others first in
many things, but if you had accomplished that completely you would be very
different from how you are now, which I will explain a little later on.
First of all, let me start by explaining that the happiness
of others is the only motivation that is truly selfless. Many other good-sounding motivations are
really just another way of saying that you are seeking your own happiness. For example, wanting your children to be
well-mannered so that they aren't a nuisance in public can be another way of
saying that you don't want to feel uncomfortable. Self-honesty is key, because it is the only
way we can really evaluate how we are doing.
Seeking another person's happiness, rather than even the happiness that
comes from seeing them happy, is the only time our focus really shifts away
from ourselves. Every other motivation,
if you study it long enough, has a core root that is burrowed ever so deeply
inside of yourself.
It is also important to recognize that celestial beings cannot be selfish. If you have imagined to yourself a celestial being that is selfish, you have created in your mind a being that is not like God. If, therefore, you are to become a celestial being, you cannot have most of the motivations that naturally guide your daily decisions. There is a great disparity between where you are and where you should be. If that isn't obvious, think about the irony of the fact that I just attempted to motivate you to focus less on your own happiness by explaining that such is a requirement for celestial joy. Potentially even your motivation for wanting to be selfless is inherently self-centered.
There are certain things that we will be readily selfless
about. In a serious medical emergency,
we are not likely to walk away rather than call 9-1-1. Parents generally want the best for their
children, often at the sacrifice of all else.
However, at certain point, as the prophet Joseph Smith so eloquently put
it, "[we]
set up stakes and say thus far will we go
and no farther." At a certain point of selflessness
our nature chafes. For example, most
people making a career choice place more weight on what they want from life than
on what is best for the people around them.
If you knew that becoming a menial factory worker for the rest of your
life would help more people than anything else you could do with your life
would you do it? Most people get married
for their own happiness rather than because doing so will bring about far
greater happiness to others than anything else they could do.
Do you feel the chafe?
In the city of Zion, the new Jerusalem, the concept of self will be
considered barbaric. Hearing that, isn't
there a little voice inside you that says, "Surely I'll get to think of
myself some time. Maybe a few minutes working on my golf putt
or playing video games by myself. Maybe
reading a science fiction novel."
If you feel at all this way, you have run smack dab into
the natural man of King Benjamin fame.
To be clear, I do believe we will have both individuality and
opportunities to enjoy and appreciate the things that God has created for us in
Zion and in Heaven. I believe that a
"self" will exist in some sense.
But I also think that because of how far we all are from selflessness,
thinking of Zion as a place where self is barbaric is far more accurate than
our current conception of what it will be like.
What should now be obvious, if it wasn't already, is that
this is precisely the entire purpose of the Atonement. Christ can change us into creatures that
thrive rather than chafe at the thought of perfect selflessness. If you notice, the times in your life that
you grew the closest to God were a result of the most selfless things that you
did.
Jesus instructed his disciples, "For behold, ye are
they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you,
take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor
yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment?" Now, I have
heard many people say that this does not apply to the general membership of the
Church because we are not called to the same calling that they were. To that I say, it is just as applicable to us
as Christ's injunction to "feed my sheep." That is, it may not apply to us in the same
capacity as the Nephite disciples, but to say that it doesn't apply at all is
preposterous. If we are seeking the
happiness of others the Lord will provide for us.
I mentioned earlier that if we were truly selfless that we
would be very different than we are. One
of the reasons for this is that selflessness and sin cannot exist at the same
place at the same time. To rid yourself
of selfishness is to rid yourself of sin, and those that we know of who have
done that, such as John the Beloved and the three Nephites, were translated.
Personal happiness is a byproduct of true selflessness, not
what you should be going after. Something to be grateful for, but ever willing
to sacrifice. There are people who say
that our salvation should be our highest priority, but I believe that seeking
the salvation of others is our
salvation. Not just a facet of it, but
the thing itself. Through the Atonement
our natures can be changed and we can become completely selfless. A people of love, life, and miracles.
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