What Do You Want?

For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality

Romans 2:6-11

What is best in life?

It surely says something about my taste in movies that I remember this as a line from the Arnold Schwarzenegger sword-and-sorcery film “Conan The Barbarian” (which, while an uneven treatment of the Robert Jordan pulp fiction character, is still superior to the 2011 remake).

In that scene, Conan, while still a slave gladiator, is sitting amidst several Eurasian warriors (by their appearance Mongols from the time of Genghis Khan), when the chieftain poses this question: “what is best in life?”

One of the chieftain’s sons replies: “The open steppe. A fleet horse. Falcons at your wrist. And the wind in your hair.”

The chieftain rejects this answer, turning and posing the question to Conan, who gives an answer much more to the chieftain’s liking: “Crush your enemies. See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.”

Which of these is best in life?

One answer prizes freedom.

One answer prizes victory.

One answer holds the promise of peace.

One answer holds the power of conquest.

What makes one answer better than the other? Why should freedom matter more than victory? Why should conquest be more compelling than peace?

We can easily craft high-minded arguments in favor of both answers, and can easily make both answers appear to come from a position of morality and righteousness. Humans tend to be quite good at that sort of rationalization.

Yet, to my mind, the ultimate answer is embedded in another question: what do you want?

What do you desire in this world?

Do you want to be filthy rich? Do you long to be as famous as the Kardashians?

Have you a vision of walking the Earth like Kwai Chang Caine from the 1970 television series “Kung Fu”? (Yes, I have extremely eclectic tastes in the arts!).

Perhaps you want a bit of all of the above. I suspect that would not be unusual—people as a rule have complex and even contradictory desires.

Recognizing that people do desire—that people do want—leads also to the recognition that what we do, the goals we set, and the paths we ultimately walk, are a consequence at least in part of what we desire. While action arises from choice, choice in some measure arises from desire.

Choice begets action, action begets reaction, reaction begets consequence—and desire begets choice.

What we want can thus set in motion very nearly the whole of our lives. What we desire plays a role in very nearly everything which happens to us, both the triumphs that come down upon us and the tragedies that befall us.

Yet what we get in life invariably comes from what we choose and therefore what we do. Choice and action are the necessary intermediaries between our desires and our consequences.

That we desire is certain, but until we do—until we act—consequence is not certain. Consequence is certainly not yet inevitable. Inevitability only arises when we act, thus moving choice from present to past.

We cannot choose our consequences—consequences always arise from the reactions we get to the actions we take—but we can choose our actions, knowing at least some of the consequences likely to come our way. We can choose our actions, and indeed we must choose our actions. Until we have made a choice the impulse to act is not formed, and once we have chosen the impulse to act is itself inevitable.

As choice is the consequence in part of desire, action is the consequence of choice.

What do you desire?

Do you desire glory and honor and immortality? Do you choose to walk a path which leads to glory and honor and immortality? Do you choose to act in ways which give rise to esteemable reactions, so that the consequence is glory and honor and immortality?

Do you accept what other consequences may come as well? Do you accept such trials and tribulations such consequences may include?

Do you crave power over others? Do you choose to walk a path which leads to power over others? Do you choose to act in ways which give rise to powerful reactions, so that the consequence is an accumulation of power over others?

Do you accept what other consequences may come as well? Do you accept such trials and tribulations such consequences may include?

Once you have acted, all consequences from that action must follow. Once you have acted, the choice moves from present to past, and thus moves from what can be changed to what can no longer be changed.

Once you have acted, you have taken a step down whatever path you are walking.

If some consequences are unacceptable, the only chance for avoiding them is to choose different actions, and to walk different paths. Other consequences will follow, both good and bad, both triumph and tragedy.

Desire begets choice. Choice begets action. Action begets reaction. Reaction begets consequence. On every path, this will always be the order of things.

For myself, I desire to avoid tribulation and distress. I hope to achieve some measure of glory, and honor, and also peace.

My prayer is always that I make the choices which lead towards glory, and honor, and peace. My prayer is always that I make the choices which lead away from tribulation and distress.

My prayer for you is that you also will make the choices which lead you towards glory, and honor, and peace. My prayer for you is that you also will make the choices which lead away from tribulation and distress.

We will desire. We must choose. We will act. We will receive consequences, in accordance with our actions, and determined by our choices.

For each of us, this will always be the order of things. For God shows no partiality.