When it comes to more important areas of life it seems that more often I am in need of a reminder rather than instruction.  It is quite common today to have academic discussions about things like morality and each person’s right to determine what is true for themselves.  Although, C.S.Lewis (Oxford and Cambridge professor, author: The Chronicles of Narnia) surmised that what we typically need is simply a reminder.  He wrote,

“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that.  As Dr. Johnson said, ‘People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.’  The real job of every moral teacher is to keep on bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are all so anxious not to see”

Isn’t that what Jesus Christ did when he gave us the golden rule, reminding us to treat others the way we want to be treated?  Why do we tend to avoid moral teachers that are simply trying to remind us?

So, you might ask, what does the law of large numbers have to do with Ultimate Pursuits and asking life’s most important questions? Excellent, thank you. That is precisely the question I asked myself while listening to Gilbert’s book on my iPod while riding a stationary bike and feeling like I was going nowhere. Then it struck me, for all of the important questions in life (at least all that I can think of right now) it is crucial to apply the law of large numbers when drawing conclusions and arriving at answers. For example, it would be possible to conclude, after surveying 10 clinically depressed individuals residing at a psychiatric hospital, that there is no ultimate meaning to one’s existence. A broader survey of the population at large might yield much more optimistic and statistically accurate results.

Wouldn’t the same principles come into play with questions about such vast and important topics as say the existence of God? Granted, that is a question that can seem somewhat like eating an elephant for dinner; it is difficult to know where to start. If that is the case it may not be most important where you begin, but how far you get. For example, many an undergraduate student has been discouraged by a single university science or philosophy professor who has declared that there is no God. As a result, on the basis of one academic, that freshman has concluded that all (or most) thinking university types must have arrived at the same conclusion. Who would argue against encouraging that student to explore further, read more widely, and gather more knowledge before arriving at a conclusion on such a weighty matter?

A friend of mine who is an eminent philosopher suggests that when tackling the important questions we ought to state the question in the form of a proposition and then set out to see where all the lines of evidence converge, apply some logical tests and make a decision accordingly. My guess is that this is actually the process you use subconsciously to make decisions on a regular basis. How about deciding where to go and what to do on a vacation? Aren’t you ultimately asking what will make you happy or what is worth pursuing?

The law of large numbers does not mean that you have to have weighed every apple in a barrel to determine the average weight of the apples. It does mean that weighing seven out of ten apples will give you a more accurate average than by only weighing three. Regarding Ultimate Pursuits types of questions I think it is safe to say that you are more likely to arrive at true and satisfying answers if you ask focused questions, gather as much relevant information as you are able, and test those conclusions to see how they work.

An example of how compound interest works for you can be seen in this scenario. If a person invested $20 a week at 5% interest annually that investment would be worth $1,065 after one year; $13,486 after 10 years; $35,723 after 20 years; and  $132,828 after forty years. A small amount invested at regular intervals leads to a significant gain over time. Needless to say it is more fun to look at how investments grow using compound interest than it is to calculate the actual amount you pay for a home over the life of a typical 30 year mortgage.

As is often the case, principals in one area of life work in the same manner in another area of life. In this case C.S. Lewis, renowned philosopher and author, describes the spiritual truths of compounding interest.

Lewis writes, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”

Are the little decisions you make each day really of infinite importance? Are there areas of life that you have invested in over time that are beginning to pay off? Can you see areas of neglect that over time have begun to feel more like the weight of an unpaid loan that has reached its maturity date?

Every once in a while someone gets lucky and wins the lottery or hits the jackpot. On the other hand every day everyone makes decisions that will determine the outcome and destination of their life by the same principle of compound interest. Those that work the land know this as the principles of sowing and reaping. Those that work in the financial world know it as the value of compound interest. So, the next time you look at your 401k retirement account balance or are considering giving in to that familiar temptation calculate the compounding effect it will have on your life.

Fortunately for me I was just visiting. In my role as chaplain for the Sheriff’s Office I was given a very complete tour through the entire facility. When we approached a locked set of doors, after a few moments, there was the comforting click of a lock being released. Someone high up in the command center acknowledged our presence and granted permission to continue in or out.

“Most of the people that come in here are pretty good people who are having a really bad day” was the observation of a seasoned deputy who had checked enough people in over nearly two decades to know. I would have thought that someone who has booked all kinds of people into the jail might have a more cynical view of humanity. Instead the thin line that separates those who reside there from those who can leave is often just a few bad choices. Someone who drank too much and thought they would be fine getting behind the wheel to go home. Someone else let their anger take control of them and took it out on their spouse. Another crossed over in desperation to feed a habit that was driving their life.

Driving away and looking at the jail from the outside I was struck by a couple of thoughts. First, it would be pretty easy to end up in jail; all of us are just one poor decision away. Second, how do the deputies that work in that environment deal with all of the questions that must arise in their own hearts and minds as a result of the situations they deal with every day? Most of us are confronted by the harsh realities of life occasionally; they deal with them every day.

On another level I wondered, does God see us in a similar light? Does he see men and women who are generally pretty good, but because of some bad choices find themselves imprisoned by their consequences? Is he interested in bringing about real change, rehabilitation, and setting people free? Does he treat us with dignity and respect no matter what we have done? Is God more concerned with setting people free or making sure they pay a penalty? My time in jail today showed me that it is run by compassionate people who have not lost sight of the fact that inmates are human beings and not just criminals. Maybe God is like that also. If Jesus Christ can be trusted it appears that God is more concerned with “setting the captives free”.

Some time ago Millard Fuller, of Habitat for Humanity, was speaking to a group of pastors. He asked this group of spiritual leaders “Is it possible for a person to build a house so large that it’s sinful in the eyes of God?” Those in attendance agreed that it was possible. Then Fuller asked them what size the house would need to be to become so excessive. After a period of silence one voice said, “When it’s bigger than mine.” I am sure the response drew some laughter, but it also contains insight into how many people view what it means to be rich.

To answer the question, who is rich, requires a benchmark or baseline by which to compare. Those comparisons usually involve someone nearby (neighbors, office, celebrities) who has more. Maybe that is not the best baseline by which to evaluate? Consider that if you live in America, own a car (or two), own the place in which you live (or even if you rent), have machines like a dishwasher, washer and dryer, computers, DVD players, etc. then you are wealthier than 80% of the rest of the world. Are you rich? Most people would say that the top 20% should be considered rich.

I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with being rich. I am suggesting that the way a person answers that question will help answer other questions that surface as a result. How much is enough and what should I do with the rest? Is there a better way to make decisions than simply asking, can I afford it? Am I in anyway accountable for how I use my riches? If so, to whom?
Again, as the story goes, a wealthy man died and at his funeral one of his friends whispered to another, “how much did he leave?” The reply was, “all of it.” Who do you think is rich?

C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and renowned professor at Oxford and Cambridge, likens this type of scenario to the spiritual pursuits of many people in relation to God. Lewis writes, “There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (‘Man’s search for God!’) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?”

Is your pursuit of God a sincere one full of anticipation of actually finding, as Francis Schaeffer put it, “the God who is there?” Or is it simply a noble goal with no hope or real desire to actually find One? The question of real significance becomes, what should I do if I find one? For that matter, how would it feel if you came to realize that you were not the pursuer but the one being pursued?