Willpower is a curious thing.  It can serve both positive and sometimes negative ends.  The endurance that we need to maintain persistence and consistency in our endeavors can be critical.  The question of the value in our use of willpower seems to fall within the assessment of what is “achieved.”

The German Existentialist Philosopher, Nietzsche, described the will to power as a primary force in humans and responsible for the seemingly undying drive for success and achievement.  From a phenomenological or descriptive standpoint, Nietzsche may not be far off, especially if we look at the history of humanity.  The “ego” primarily in the West, but also in the East, has been the cause for heinous activities that at best can only be considered inhumane.  When the “I” of individualism takes over, the “freedom” of will acts with force in a way that does not lead to Life, but in fact tends toward death and destruction.   The question seems to go back to that eternal musing about the great gift of “free will.”  Why was it granted to humanity, when it appears that we so often misuse it?

The mystery of the Creator God is that, within this amazing overriding context of Love – which all of the universe is sustained and maintained – we seem to have a choice about whether or not we will embrace a creation of Love or not.  I find that the “choice” is a bit over-rated and sometimes exaggerated by our inflated notion of ourselves, when our “egos” are running things.  Let me try to explain what I mean.

Without vilifying the ego, I must say that when the ego takes over beyond the capacity that we need in order to function in our world we fall prey to mistaken force and willful maligning.  It almost seems that Moses is speaking to the “ego” of the people in today’s First Reading (DT 30: 15-20):

“Today I have set before you – life and prosperity, death and doom.  If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways… you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,  but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.”

Yes, we can choose between “right” and “wrong” and “life” and “death,” but oftentimes we are trying to make those “choices” from a distant “land” (to make use of the scriptural image) in which we have already made a prior choice to occupy.  This is the land of exile from the garden of Eden, wherein we already made the choice to go it alone, and then followed that with setting up a series of dualisms in our lives that allow inclusion for some and exclusion for others.  This “foreign” land is the place we try to set up on our own, outside of the context of the Creation of Love that is the only reality to start with.   The odd thing is that we are already in the “promised land,” but we choose to ignore it.   It’s like we didn’t want to play the only game there is, so we made up our own.

Moses is talking about a “promised” land wherein all “choices” in life have THE context of Love.  When we try to remove ourselves from the context of God’s Love, which is ALL there IS, any sense of “right” and “wrong” and “life” and “death” become confused because they end up being our “own” creations and, worse still, outside the only context there is – God, Who is Love!

I have found that when I look at my life, I see some destructive patterns that seem to be hard-wired into me.  These habits or addictions are a real nuisance.   They confuse me and quite frankly wreak havoc in my relationships with others and God.  When I confront these, I sometimes take on the “role” of self-savior.  I intend to overthrow these habits, because I don’t like them, they are “wrong” and I think I have the willpower to do so.  I am sorry to say that this has proven to be a failed campaign every time.   The reason, I believe, is because I am trying to live in “my own land,” without acknowledging that there is a whole world and universe out there that contextualizes everything about me and everything else.  And, surprise of surprises, it is a compassionate and healing “promised” land that is not far away.  This context of healing is the core of who we are, i.e.,  Relationship.  In fact, the only “journey” to it that I have to make is to simply see and receive this relationship.  This is the only real choice!

When this happens, something does have to be lost.  When we really choose LIFE rather than death and doom, when we really walk in God’s loving ways and receive this Gift of relationship that we always have, we ultimately must, as Jesus says in today’s gospel, deny oneself and take up one’s cross daily and follow the Christ (LK 9: 22-25):

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”

This seems to be a paradox.  In order to really choose life, we have to give it up.  But, what if the “life” that we have to give up is that “ego” life that tries to go it alone by creating worlds of “success” and “achievement” that must be maintained by a will to power and force to exclude.  When we can begin to give up this type of life, which is actually a death, we can receive the Real Life that Christ is speaking about in today’s Gospel.

Here, willfulness becomes the willingness to be led down the pathway following Christ in the Footsteps of his Father’s love.  Once we start down this road, miracles of love begin to happen.  Even those ingrained habits and “undying” addictions may lessen or completely fade, but only because we are trusting the Creative Healer whose love forgives before we even “choose” to ask it.  The “worlds of ego” can begin to fade into our true identity as brothers and sisters in a “land” of loving Relationship!

Peace

Thomas

The soul is the delicate yet durable cloth  woven and laced together in loving pattern  by the merciful strokes of God’s Passings…
    And the sheen of our soul is the ever-glowing  awareness we have of this sacred-stitched fabric.

(originally published March 2, 2017)