“Love towards God does not seek to gain anything. It most certainly does not seek to gain anything other than God. But neither does it seek to gain even God Himself or His love. The very thought of gaining anything, even of gaining God’s love, is fundamentally alien to it. It is a free—and in that sense spontaneous—surrender of the heart to God.”
What kind of society do you want to live in? Christ also answered this question. We all should want to live in a society where people take care of each other. It is not wise to face reality (the box) all by yourself.
It should not surprise us that those philosophers and theologians who incorrectly give the gospel primacy to love over life, also incorrectly give the gospel primacy to others over self.
Selfishness: The undue regard for the SELF at the expense or exclusion of OTHERS. Victor: Self Victim: Others
Unselfishness: The due regard for SELF and OTHERS at the expense or exclusion of neither SELF nor OTHERS. No Victor No Victim
Selflessness: The undue regard for OTHERS at the expense or exclusion of SELF. Victor: Others Victim: Self
In this give and take (within a Marriage, within a Family, within a business partnership, etc.) the ground cover is the common courtesies (please, thank you, contracts, covenants, etc.) that make the give and take less grinding.
What happens to an unselfish (selfull) stream? It takes and gives, making everything grow and progress. Beautiful, sustainable, and long-lived. Only through “take and give” can a stream, flower, or person live a sustainable, beautiful, long-lived life.
Mother Teresa and those who hold similar beliefs like hers who take a vow of poverty have an obvious contradiction on their hands.Taking a "virtuous vow of poverty" yet going around saving all the poor from poverty. Why save the poor from something that is so virtuous? Shouldn't the poor be taking a vow of poverty too?
Do these scriptures seem to promote selflessness? It is a fundamental error to take any single statement or scripture (like “charity seeketh not her own”) and run with it, while selectively ignoring overall context. Seekers of truth pay attention to ALL the available evidence.
1 Cor. 13:4-5 Charity ... Seeketh not her own [absolutely … in any way whatsoever]. 1 Cor. 13:4-5 Charity ... Seeketh not her own [if it be at the unjust expense of others].
1 Cor. 10:24 Let no man seek his own [ever], but every man another’s wealth [always]. 1 Cor. 10:24 Let no man seek his own [at the unjust expense of others], but every man another’s wealth [as part of his own Self-full life].
Philippians 2:3-4 ... but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves [unconditionally]. Look not every man on his own things [ever], but every man also on the things of others. Philippians 2:3-4 … but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves [self-fully]. Look not every man on [exclusively] his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
If Christ's gospel were duty ethics (others over self), wouldn't this have been an excellent time to rebuke Peter by saying "Shame on you Peter! What a selfish question. You should be altruistic and forget about yourself or any reward for your own actions and focus solely on others. It is immoral to expect anything from this. You should do it just because it is your duty." …But that is not what Christ said.
God's help in your life can greatly benefit your life. Doing good things to others of God's children, brings His blessings to you.
You live in a society (neighborhood, a community, a state, a country, etc.) Others are a part of YOUR life…Life would be lonely and much less meaningful to YOU without others toshare YOUR life with.
Paul an Altruist? Hebrews 11:6 … for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
John an Altruist? 2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
King Benjamin an Altruist? Mosiah 4:27 …And again, it is expedient that ye should be diligent, that thereby ye might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. Mosiah 1:7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.
Alma an Altruist? Alma 41:14: Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward.
“When I labor in the kingdom of God, I labor for my own dear self, I have self continually before me; the object of my pursuit is to benefit my individual person; and this is the case with every person who ever was or ever will be exalted.”
“Every good that man performs is, firstly, for his own benefit and eternal welfare, if he continues in well doing, and secondly, for the common good of others. … First and foremost is to secure our own salvation and do right pertaining to ourselves, and then extend the hand of right to save others.
"It is for my own benefit, it is for your benefit; it is for my own wealth and happiness, and for your wealth and happiness that we pay Tithing and render obedience to any requirement of Heaven … I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the man who feels that he is making sacrifices for God. We are doing this for our own happiness, welfare and exaltation, and for nobody else’s.“
“For whose benefit are we laboring? For our own. All my preaching, laboring, and toils in this kingdom have been for myself, to get into the Celestial Kingdom of God. I have been laboring for that and nothing else.”
“I used to tell the people, and I tell them the same now, I do not go in for a few millions, I go in for the pile, and I calculate to have it. ‘How are you going to get it?’ By serving God with all my heart and being a Saint indeed, and when the earth and its fullness are given into the hands of the Saints, I shall go in for my share—the whole pile. I used to say, ‘Why, brother Joseph is the greatest speculator I have heard of in modern times—he is going to have the whole earth.’”
“The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first—wanting to be God, in the centre—wanting to be God, in fact … And out of that hopeless attempt has come … the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith Altruists? D&C 135:6 They lived for Glory; They died for Glory; And Glory is their eternal reward.
And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
The personal value, the sacred splendor of every ONE of YOU, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation. CONTRARY to the parlance of the day, this IS about YOU. NO, don’t turn and look at your neighbor. I AM TALKING TO YOU!”
“Every man lives for himself.”
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them…”
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Years from now, historians will look at our culture's devolution into pet worship and write many volumes attempting to diagnose it. But I think the cause is quite clear, and has already been mentioned above: selfishness. To love another human being is to sacrifice. It is to come out of yourself and put someone else's needs above your own. To love a child or a spouse is to serve, to give. Modern man is not willing or able to forget himself or put anyone higher than himself, so he targets his affections toward his gerbil or his poodle instead. That way he can feel like he's "loving" something without actually having to do anything or change his life in any significant way.
It is pure unadulterated narcissism that leads a man in this direction. He is rejecting the entire human race because the human race requires too much of him. It is not subservient enough. It will not lie down and lick his palms, so he dismisses it outright. And here is the most tragic thing of all: while he protects himself from greater pains by idolizing a lesser being, he has excluded himself from the greater joy that comes from loving a greater being. I'm afraid that one day, when he's dying alone with only his mutt to mourn him, he'll regret that choice.
Of course, a tree or a rock or an orange has never lied to anyone, either. A paper towel has never cut me off in traffic. A pair of shoes has never taken too long ordering food in the drive thru while I'm starving to death a few cars behind. A box of crayons has never texted in a movie theater. A dandelion has never deleted the show I had saved on the DVR. Plants, animals, and inanimate objects have never committed any evil acts at all, because they are not capable of committing evil acts. It is not a mushroom's superior virtue that prevents it from becoming a terrorist; it is the fact that it's a mushroom. Your dog cannot hurt you like your brother can hurt you, because he is a dog. It's not that he's making better moral choices than the humans in your life, it's that he's not making any moral choices at all.
But it's not really love. Yes, some people do love their pets, and love them in a healthy way, by loving them in accordance with the natural order of things. But people who love their pets more than they love people don't actually love pets at all. They don't love anything. More precisely, what they love about the pet is what it does for them and how it makes them feel. They love themselves through their pets. The animal is a blank slate that the loveless modern man can turn into a little avatar of himself. He worships his dog because his dog worships him.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “In my Primary days, we sang ‘Give, Said the Little Stream’ (Children’s Songbook 236) certainly sweet and motivating but not exactly theologically drenched. Today’s children, as you know, sing the more spiritually focused ‘I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,’ (Children’s Songbook 78–79).
Abraham an Altruist? Abraham 1:1-2 I, Abraham ... finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers.
Christ an Altruist? Mathew 19:27-29: Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you ... every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mothers, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. D&C 58:28 And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. D&C 59:23 But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.
Jesus knew how to involve his disciples in the process of life. He gave them important and specific things to do for their development. Other leaders have sought to be so omnicompetent that they have tried to do everything themselves, which produces little growth in others. Jesus trusts his followers enough to share his work with them so that they can grow. That is one of the greatest lessons of his leadership. If we brush other people aside in order to see a task done more quickly and effectively, the task may get done all right, but without the growth and development in followers that is so important. Because Jesus knows that this life is purposeful and that we have been placed on this planet in order to perform and grow, growth then becomes one of the great ends of life as well as a means. We can give corrective feedback to others in a loving and helpful way when mistakes are made.
The Savior’s leadership was selfless. He put himself and his own needs second and ministered to others beyond the call of duty, tirelessly, lovingly, effectively. So many of the problems in the world today spring from selfishness and self-centeredness in which too many make harsh demands of life and others in order to meet their demands. This is a direct reversal of the principles and practices pursued so perfectly by that perfect example of leadership, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus’ leadership emphasized the importance of being discerning with regard to others, without seeking to control them. He cared about the freedom of his followers to choose. Even he, in those moments that mattered so much, had to choose voluntarily to go through Gethsemane and to hang on the cross at Calvary. He taught us that there can be no growth without real freedom. One of the problems with manipulative leadership is that it does not spring from a love of others but from a need to use them. Such leaders focus on their own needs and desires and not on the needs of others.
Jesus also taught us how important it is to use our time wisely. This does not mean there can never be any leisure, for there must be time for contemplation and for renewal, but there must be no waste of time. How we manage time matters so very much, and we can be good managers of time without being frantic or officious. Time cannot be recycled. When a moment has gone, it is really gone. The tyranny of trivia consists of its driving out the people and moments that really matter. Minutia holds momentous things hostage, and we let the tyranny continue all too often. Wise time management is really the wise management of ourselves.
Jesus gave people truths and tasks that were matched to their capacity. He did not overwhelm them with more than they could manage, but gave them enough to stretch their souls. Jesus was concerned with basics in human nature and in bringing about lasting changes, not simply cosmetic changes.
Jesus was not afraid to make demands of those he led. His leadership was not condescending or soft. He had the courage to call Peter and others to leave their fishing nets and to follow him, not after the fishing season or after the next catch, but now! today! Jesus let people know that he believed in them and in their possibilities, and thus he was free to help them stretch their souls in fresh achievement. So much secular leadership is condescending and, in many ways, contemptuous of mankind because it treats people as if they were to be coddled and cocooned forever. Jesus believed in his followers, not alone for what they were, but for what they had the possibilities to become. While others would have seen Peter as a fisherman, Jesus could see him as a powerful religious leader—courageous, strong—who would leave his mark upon much of mankind. In loving others, we can help them to grow by making reasonable but real demands of them.
“Man is a child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God.”
Self-full (adjective): To describe a person that is concerned about bettering one's self without disregarding others.
“Love towards God does not seek to gain anything. It most certainly does not seek to gain anything other than God. But neither does it seek to gain even God Himself or His love. The very thought of gaining anything, even of gaining God’s love, is fundamentally alien to it. It is a free—and in that sense spontaneous—surrender of the heart to God.”