Do You Desire Greatness?

[Treasure Hunter]

As illustrated through scripture, the people who God relates to and uses to do his will often are people who have a desire for greatness, whether it was Abraham and Isaac through lineage or Moses through a promised land.

That was a different time, and greatness should no longer be identified through lineage or land, but what was being represented still remains. It’s the desire to have a meaningful, lasting impact well into the future. I’m wondering what percent of people here identify with this idea.

 

[idea]

Define "greatness" a little more clearly

To "save" other people? Not so great - people have to save themselves.

Too many cult leaders who gather little insecure slaves under the false promise of salvation

I've never met a leader who made any good meaningful changes.

Change comes from within.

I respect amazing fellow travelers, not supposed "leaders".

 

[Treasure Hunter]

It’s the desire to have a meaningful, lasting impact well into the future.

Define "greatness" a little more clearly

More clearly than the above?

 

[idea]

More clearly than the above?

What do you consider to be meaningful? What impact? Talking others into joining your religious group? Trying to force your beliefs onto others?

Or something else - like discouraging group-think, encouraging critical independent thought?

 

[Twilight Hue]

As illustrated through scripture, the people who God relates to and uses to do his will often are people who have a desire for greatness, whether it was Abraham and Isaac through lineage or Moses through a promised land.

That was a different time, and greatness should no longer be identified through lineage or land, but what was being represented still remains. It’s the desire to have a meaningful, lasting impact well into the future. I’m wondering what percent of people here identify with this idea.

Greatness is temporary like all things. It will never be top priority in the grand scheme of things so greatness for me is just simply doing well in this lifetime.

As Joe Walsh sung, " Life has been good to me so far".

 

[Treasure Hunter]

What do you consider to be meaningful? What impact? Talking others into joining your religious group? Trying to force your beliefs onto others?

Or something else - like discouraging group-think, encouraging critical independent thought?

It’s the desire to have humanity 1,000 years in the future universally agree that you had a meaningful and beneficial impact on humanity. That’s simply what I mean. Do you desire that?

 

[Quintessence]

Such is the desire of those full of ego and hubris.

I had that when I was a kid.

I not only lack it as an adult, the very idea of it makes me recoil in disgust.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Such is the desire of those full of ego and hubris.

I had that when I was a kid.

I not only lack it as an adult, the very idea of it makes me recoil in disgust.

I suspect it’s a pretty universal desire among children.

 

[idea]

It’s the desire to have humanity 1,000 years in the future universally agree that you had a meaningful and beneficial impact on humanity. That’s simply what I mean. Do you desire that?

Our current advances, and future advances, are not from any individual but from many people experimenting and studying.

Follow data, learn from experiments.
Follow no person. Ask none to follow you.
Encourage all to research with diverse sources, no single group, and do their own experiments - lifelong learning for all is how progress is made.

None greater than another. Everyone imperfect, everyone learning from experiences and learning from all other people (not following any single person - listening to all)

Much better to be side by side with others, than push to any supposed front of the line.

I wish for humanity to be better, and do my part. I do not wish for any personal recognition in the process.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Our current advances, and future advances, are not from any individual but from many people experimenting and studying.

Follow data, learn from experiments.
Follow no person. Ask none to follow you.
Encourage all to research with diverse sources, no single group, and do their own experiments - lifelong learning for all is how progress is made.

None greater than another. Everyone imperfect, everyone learning from experiences and learning from all other people (not following any single person - listening to all)

Much better to be side by side with others, than push to any supposed front of the line.

It doesn’t read like you have a connection to the desire I’m speaking to so you would vote ‘no’.

 

[idea]

It doesn’t read like you have a connection to the desire I’m speaking to so you would vote ‘no’.

Some define greatness - not as being popular, or a celebrity, but instead as finding peace, having close friends and family, to travel and see the world, meaningful work - as such, I have found my "greatness".

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Some define greatness - not as being popular, or a celebrity, but instead as finding peace, having close friends and family, to travel and see the world, meaningful work - as such, I have found my "greatness".

I would say that lowers the bar too much to have the same meaning. I’m referring to the established meaning of greatness.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

For any Christians who vote ‘no’, I’m interested in hearing whether or not you feel justified in voting ‘no’ based on your Christianity..

 

[Stevicus]

As illustrated through scripture, the people who God relates to and uses to do his will often are people who have a desire for greatness, whether it was Abraham and Isaac through lineage or Moses through a promised land.

That was a different time, and greatness should no longer be identified through lineage or land, but what was being represented still remains. It’s the desire to have a meaningful, lasting impact well into the future. I’m wondering what percent of people here identify with this idea.

I suppose "great" would depend on the context, although I might think of a great ball player or a great doctor as being the elite of their profession and recognized as such by peers and future generations. Only a handful of U.S. Presidents get to be called "great" by historians' consensus. That's why it's difficult to define greatness by contemporary standards. It might be 50 or 100 years (or longer) before the long-term impact or greatness of a person or event can be measured.

I do sometimes desire to grate on people, and I find that that desire is easily fulfilled.

 

[Regiomontanus]

As illustrated through scripture, the people who God relates to and uses to do his will often are people who have a desire for greatness, whether it was Abraham and Isaac through lineage or Moses through a promised land.

That was a different time, and greatness should no longer be identified through lineage or land, but what was being represented still remains. It’s the desire to have a meaningful, lasting impact well into the future. I’m wondering what percent of people here identify with this idea.

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, so no. Jesus teaches us to be humble.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, so no. Jesus teaches us to be humble.

True. Is Jesus great?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

There were a few areas of life in which I took a great interest: music, theatre, science. I think, in theatre, I would have liked -- if not to be "great" -- at least to be less mediocre than I turned out to be. In music, while I love to play the piano, I'll never play in a concert -- again, not good enough. I did pretty well in science, since I built a good career in Information Technology, with at least one invention that earned my company some millions of dollars.

But now, late in life, the one thing in which I think it might have been nice to be "great" is in reaching people who are obviously going the wrong way in the rabbit hole -- to frame my arguments such that they might pierce the armor of prejudice and dogma that, usually without factual basis, so grips so many people.

And in that, I think I've failed. Certainly, for all the writing I've done of RF, my successes have been very sadly less than stellar.

And then, I remember that such stellar minds as Gallileo and Copernicus couldn't convince the Catholic Church, whose leaders were the most educated people in the world at the time (the lowliest Catholic priest still has earned the equivalent of a Masters Degree in any accredited university). So maybe I'm not so bad -- maybe the ambition itself is unachievable, by virtue of human nature itself.

 

[Regiomontanus]

True. Is Jesus great?

He is the Word made flesh, so yes - the greatest. I think the issue here is that you do not understand the orthodox definition of pride.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

He is the Word made flesh, so yes - the greatest. I think the issue here is that you do not understand the orthodox definition of pride.

I agree that Christ is the model for greatness. I’m wondering how Christians reconcile this while denying their desire for greatness..

 

[Regiomontanus]

See post #18