“The Good Place”
I recently watched the first season of a television series called “The Good Place” which deals with the afterlife. Once people die, an architect determines whether people end up in the Good Place or the Bad Place. Conversations among the characters revolve around why someone would be assigned to one place over another and broach significant and complex philosophical questions.
As season one came to a close, one of the characters realizes she is actually in the Bad Place, though (spoiler alert) she thought she was in the Good Place all along. A noteworthy observation was made that fits with themes of our reading from I Corinthians 13 this past Sunday. Motivation matters. When the character protests to the architect that she helped raise 60 million for charities during her life on earth and that this should be sufficient criteria for being assigned to the Good Place, she is reminded that her intent (motivation) was the good favor she would receive from others. Thus, being turned inward and doing things primarily for the good feelings or accolades afforded oneself – even if, consequentially, beneficial outcomes are derived in the process – is ultimately not “good” at all.
The Dalai Lama similarly said in a recent interview, that all suffering has as its origin individuals turned inward on themselves. When we seek to serve our own interests, the inevitable outcomes will be pain and sorrow – for ourselves and others. Perhaps not right away or in the short run. But over time this will always be the case.
This is the essence of I Corinthians 13. Paul says that all the talent and ability in the world – even the spiritual giftedness we have received from God, as generous and benevolent our actions may be, are nothing if not rooted in love. Such things are as useful as a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (read: not useful at all!). Love is the desired motivation. For Love is necessarily and primarily turned outward and seeks first to satisfy the interests and well being of others over its own. Love is actively and voluntarily sacrificial, seeking the best for someone or something else, regardless of the benefit it may receive in the process.
It is human nature to satisfy our own interests first, which is why Paul speaks this way about love. The love he references is really God’s love for us. God is forever seeking to sacrifice Godself for our best good. This was revealed most clearly in the gift of Jesus Christ given up for our salvation (our ultimate “best good”). And it is witnessed countless times over, in every moment when God is patient with us and not irritable with us (though we provide plenty of reasons and occasions for God to be impatient and irritable). And in our humble acceptance of this love, we are able, by grace, to live in that love and for that love. And when that happens??? We help build a beloved community and the Good Place is not merely something we enjoy in the afterlife, we experience it in the here and now.
Blessings – Michael