8:30pm. 24th of March, 2018.

Today’s been a pretty chill day. It’s one of those days where you don’t see the finish line of your goals yet, but you know that you will stay on track if you keep up the pace.

In summary: I got a good night’s rest, ate well, ran four miles, read chapter 8 from Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, completed some work for my boss, did some homework, began writing this blog post, and had a few low-key conversations with friends.

No frills, really. Nothing too overtly fancy or impressive. Some highlights of the day were having a chocolate croissant at breakfast (oui, monsieur) and the subtle exhilaration of going outside and enjoying the fresh air. But by the end of the day, I look back on these little gifts with a smile.

I think we live in an era with a serious issue of comparison, especially with the advent of Instagram. Our lives are judged by the almighty heart button. In the pursuit of the ever-receding horizon of mass approval and likability, we often give up our individuality — our innate special qualities — for the sake of the approval of strangers.

Too frequently, I critically judge others on the basis of superficial appearances, and in turn fear the judgment of others. Why though? “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” My fondest memories will never be fully captured nor communicated through the shutter of an iPhone camera lens.

I am increasingly interested in the ideas of the religions of the old world — Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Platonic philosophy — for their affronts to the mentalities of the modern era. They are not relativistic; they are not hedonistic. There is a truth, and it extends beyond the mere satisfaction of our animalistic impulses. These assertions seem revolutionary in a culture that resents rules and is consumed with immediate gratification. 

The consequences of rejecting objectivism and temporary self-denial are staggering. Rejecting objectivism means rejecting the concept of cause-and-effect, preventing one from understanding the nature of reality. Rejecting temporary self-denial makes one a slave to impulse, destroying the ability to persevere through difficulties in the pursuit of higher ends.

Helmholtz Watson in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World possesses a gift for words and for language. He yearns to express wisdom through his wit, but his employment limits him to writing trite advertising slogans and government propaganda. I think a lot of us find ourselves in this position. We have gifts and skills with deep potential, yet often we are encouraged to pursue shallow things, to promote ourselves and our own gain. We are told to build castles made of sand and sky. 

Isn’t there more to life than being really, really good looking?

We must look elsewhere for fulfillment and for the realization of our potential. We cannot define what is good on the basis of how it compares to what others have.

In verses 3:10-11 of the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul lucidly articulates one of the primary goals of his life: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Here, Paul rejects self-seeking and superficial motives through “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” He no longer seeks the approval of man, but instead concerns himself with grasping the life and mission of Jesus, who embodied self-sacrifice by giving his own life for the sake of others. Paul embraces the pain that comes with sacrifice, knowing that giving the best of one’s own life and talents will not always mean personal accolades. It may mean insult or worse, but it will ultimately bring the greatest good to the greatest number.

To improve the world we live in, we ought to do the same. We must practice gratitude first, refusing to let our happiness depend on comparison. Next, we must develop and use our gifts to create something that contributes value to society.

Did Paul believe he had achieved the greatest good? No, but he did not allow that to stop him from zealously pursuing it: “I do not yet consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Let us accept what we have gratefully, and exert ourselves daily to contribute some measure of good to a world in desperate need.