It was the last subject we covered in Philosophy:Meta-ethics and an interesting way to end the class. Reflective Equilibrium is basically the idea of resolving cognitive dissonances in our lives into one workable whole. And Wide Reflective Equilibrium is doing that same thing but with bigger ethical systems instead of individual experiences.
It was an interesting way for him to end the class because of the last stuff he said and because it was him who said it. My philosophy teacher, like many philosophers, loves to attack ideas and beliefs, especially those ideas that rest on religion.
But this time at the very end of class, he talked about how you go out into the world and you learn things. You learn logic, morals, the way things are, etc, and they end up making an entire experiencial sort of system. Then say you also have this belief in Christianity. He said something like, "It's all right if that's what you believe. It's all right if you're an atheist, a Buddist, a satanist. I don't really care. But what I do care about is that you put those two systems together. That you live what you believe. And that is the whole point."
I thought about it and still am thinking about it. Then, this week's Sunday School lesson had a similar topic. It was the basic idea of "what would Jesus do." And I kept thinking.
And as I was thinking in the store the other day, I heard a guy come up beside me and start muttering, "Well, it's gotta be somewhere here..."
I looked over and said, "What does?"
The guy looked at me funny (probably because I was a stranger) and said some product, I don't remember what, but we were on the health/sickness aisle. We found it together and he said, "Aww man. That's way more than I thought it would be. Guess I'll go without this time."
I said, "Oh, well, I have some cash on me," and despite his initial protests, I reached in my pocket and said a little prayer. I had some different bills in there, so I asked Heavenly Father to put the right amount in my hand and I'd give it. Right after they guy admitted he needed about $4, I pulled out a $5 bill and handed it to him.
He responded, astounded, "Wow. Now I could get something to eat too. Thank you."
I nodded, smiled, and turned back to my own shopping, trying to remember what it was I'd been thinking about before. "Oh yeah. I was thinking about how I could make my way of life more in line with my beliefs," I muttered, putting a few things back on the shelf.
The irony didn't hit me until much later, until after I'd finished helping a Mom with her kid, played with a stray dog, listened to an old man, helping someone get onto the bus, gave my strawberries away to a hungry person, gave some people directions, and helped fix a bike chain.
It's a life style and Jesus was all about unexpectedly serving someone (well, it's unexpected for me anyway, though He knew it was coming).
Happiness is also on that morph list, I think. Tonight I played with a nine-year old, chased a dragonfly, made a wooden flute, ran barefoot in the grass, smiled at the sun, wondered at the clouds, laughed at the breeze, tried a new trick on my bike, read some of a good book... Oh and took quite a few finals and worked and stuff. All good.
Now, thinking about it...I guess that I do manage it. If life is made up of a whole lot of unthinking service and indulgent joy, then maybe I'm in balance. Not in control, hahaha, not at all. But I feel like my focus and my actions are heading in the same direction and it feels like the right one.
