If you knew for a fact that the world was going to end on March 1, how would that affect your behavior? It’s worth thinking about. Not only because, well, hey: maybe it will! But also because that kind of thinking can help us decide how we should behave even if the world takes a lickin’ but keeps on tickin’.
When I had my birthday three weeks ago, I did a little thought experiment. How would I change my life, if at all, if I knew for a fact I had only one more year to live, or five years, or ten years, or twenty? How would knowing that affect what I do with myself before then, what I prioritize, whom I see and spend time with, and what of the stuff I normally do doesn’t actually matter that much. For me it was an interesting mental exercise: The answer differed depending on the timeline. If I had one year I would definitely make some immediate adjustments (and I realized which ones); if five, some adjustments but not as many; if ten or twenty, maybe none at all.
I wasn’t expecting that conclusion, but that’s what I came up with. If time is short, in my case at least, it would guide a lot of my priorities and commitments.
Which, oddly enough, takes me to the teachings of Jesus, specifically, his teachings of wealth and giving. As I’ve repeatedly indicated,
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