Man is not designed to think of themselves first.
After Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan, the first thing
that he did is summon angels to minister to John the Baptist in jail. This is
according to Joseph Smith Translation. "And now Jesus knew that John was
cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and ministered
unto him." (JST Matthew 4:11) In the King James Version of the bible,
Matthew 4:11 says “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered
unto him.” One may have mixed feelings about Christ resisting Satan’s
temptation to “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone;” then
moments later, angels come and ministered unto him. Those mixed feelings are
valid, and they can rest assured that angels did not minister to him. Jesus
sent angels to minister to John the Baptist instead of our mis-translated verse
of Matthew 4:11. This act is a great example of thinking of others before
oneself. I have come to a realization when Jessica and I pondered this precept
this morning.
Although children & youth need to grow out of
ecocentrism, the “everything revolves around an individual” thought patterns, I
believe that man is not designed to think of themselves first. When people see
an ecocentric person rant, they may find it amusing. My father-in-law always
describes comedy as “an ordinary guy or gal struggling against insurmountable
odds without many of the required skills and tools with which to win; yet never
giving up hope.” An ecocentric person may be amusing to witness because they
are illogical. I don’t know whether the quote helps, but this is what I
understand about the quote. One may find an ecocentric scene funny because it
is not realistic. A mature person does not think that everything revolves
around them. People are not designed to
think about themselves constantly.
I have observed that people, who think about themselves too
much, tend to have anxiety and depression. Thinking that I will step on people’s
toes, I don’t know what to say more; however, I will say that man is not
designed to be anxious and depressed.
When one thinks about others first, they will be more happy.
They will be led more by God to bless others. They are more productive. The conclusion
of this post does not seem satisfying. The conclusion that I believe that man is
not designed to think of themselves first, but they should put others as their
motivation, inspiration, and purpose. Let us live for others as we are designed
to.
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