ASK AN ETERNALIST A QUESTION
Questions are the portals of discovery. In a recent discussion with a former class participant, they asked: It is hard to break old habits. How can I stop doing things out of duty ethics, and get myself in the mode of doing things out of value ethics?
Short Answer: Get into the habit of mentally calculating the value in what you are undertaking, instead of just unconsciously acting out what you "feel" you should be doing. When having to decide between two alternatives, the conscious mental math of comparing the value between the two alternatives can help you get the most value and happiness from your life alternatives.
Longer Answer: Consider the following example from the Christian Eternalism book where a friend of mine related a story that effectively illustrates the difference between duty ethics compared to value ethics. He said: "One Sunday morning, I got a call from the bishopric asking me to organize a snow removal team from the Elders Quorum to clean the church sidewalks before the services started. We had previously planned a snow removal group of men to be on-call with the directive to only come if they saw there was snow to be removed. Earlier that morning I looked outside and didn't see any snow on the sidewalks, so I (and everyone else) assumed there was nothing to do. However, there was a significant layer of ice on the sidewalks that everyone had missed. I wasn't copied on the list of people from the original snow removal team, so I couldn't call them. There was little time to form a new snow removal group, since the other ward's members who shared the building with us would soon begin arriving for the first meeting in the building at 9am. So, I chose to just go do the job by myself. My attitude was poor as I performed my duty alone. I grumbled as I shoveled the first few dozen feet of sidewalk. I then turned the corner and saw members of the other ward's leadership out shoveling as well. I knew these guys from when I had previously met with them as the high councilor assigned to their ward. As the members from this other ward who shared the building with us began arriving for their meetings, I happily visited with many of them as they entered the meeting house. Because I knew them and liked them, I was happy to help them safely reach their meetings without slipping and hurting themselves. Once I saw my task as taking care of people whom I knew and liked, my attitude immediately changed for the better."
When my friend recognized the value in what he was doing, instead of it being just a duty he had to perform, he was much happier. Notice that the same snow, the same shovel, and the same sidewalk were involved in his task. The only thing that had changed to make my friend happier was his value ethics philosophical outlook.
HAVE AN ETERNALISM QUESTION? Send an email to:ChristianEternalism@gmail.com.
Eternalism Book There is now, a companion ebook called "Christian Eternalism" available on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play. If you like the book, please leave a review on one or more of these distribution platforms.
SUBSCRIBE
Like The Eternalist? Forward it to your friends and they can subscribe to the distribution list here:
