Thursday 1 October 2015

If the son of man was logical, we are doomed.


If the son of man was logical, we're done for.
I imagine a dialogue between the Father and His son on a topic that is logic driven. It is not to be taken literally. The narration is to prove a point.
Dad: Son I need you to go down to earth.

Son: To die for them?

Dad: Yes son.

Son: Erm...you think it makes sense?

Dad: Share with me your thoughts son.

Son: You want to kill your own just to save those who are not your own but just an image of you?

Dad: That's the plan.

Son: But that’s not logical. How is the value of their collective lives worth more than me your son? 

Dad: You're asking me about a cost benefit analysis? 

Son: Well, losing me for you ought to cost more than the benefit gained right?

Dad: That depends on definition son.

Son: I see...the cost of your own flesh and blood in return for the eternal redemption of all. That kind of definition you mean?

Dad: Well, not all will be saved. But yes, it’s one in exchange for more than one.

Son: Wow dad, you make it sound like a bargain!
Dad: Strictly on grounds of logic, isn't it? Doesn’t the net value add up in your book of strict logic? 


Son: But you're not comparing apple with apple dad. It is like trading off a bar of gold for a bar of soap. How does that add up?

Dad: What makes that gold valuable son?

Son: Scarcity. It pushes up prices or its value.

Dad: Not quite. But yes, it's about context and conditions. For example, is gold valuable in gold-abundant heaven?

Son: (thinking) So, you think this sacrifice of losing a son is worth it?

Dad: That's the plan son. 


Son: But your plan still defies logic. They will not learn. You are giving me, your son, up for a return that may not even pay off in the long run. How do you change a nature when to change it would only make it unnatural?
Dad: Son, I see you have put much thought into this.
Son: Yes, I even have statistics, tables and charts to justify my stand dad. You are like throwing good money after bad, so to speak.


Dad: But son, purely from a logical point of view, are you forgetting that you lose nothing in the end?
Son: You mean, it's only going to be a brief 33 years against
 an eternity? And as surely as I would leave you, I would also return to you in a blink of an eternity?

Dad: Well, that's the plan son.

Son: But it still makes no sense because it’s a quality sacrifice for a mere quantity catch. One god for the godless. Immortality for mortality. The Creator for his creation. 


Dad: Sure. You are right about that. But what price tag do you put on salvation? 

Son: Salvation for how many?
 
Dad: Even for one son.

Son: For just one of them?

(Dad nods).

Son: Now, my rebuttal would still be the apple for apple or the gold for soap example I gave earlier dad.

Dad: In a way yes again. But I have not exhausted my point earlier. You see, it all depends on definition, context and condition. If you look at and weigh it all in isolation and compare it to another in isolation, then logic dictates that I fold the plan and work on some other more logically defensible projects. I get that. But what if what makes gold 
worth its weight is not the gold itself or scarcity, but how I value and treasure it? 


Son: So dad, value depends on how you see them. We are back to the definition thingy right?

Dad: Yes son.

Son: So it is purely subjective, even arbitrary?

Dad: Yes.

Son: And after all that, we return to the subject of your inscrutable sovereignty? 

Dad: Well, can anything be discussed apart from my sovereignty? 
(Son shakes his head).


Dad: You see son, from the eye of the world, faith and belief are illogical.  Why would someone throw everything she has on a loser who later turns out to be a winner after many times being a loser? Love also defies logic. Love may count the costs but that has never stopped her from taking that senseless plunge. Logic does not always apply in some situations. At times, you'll have to release logic to its illogical end.
Son: I see. So you can't apply logic here. My dispatch to earth is not all about logic? 

Dad: Well, yes and no. Logic is the means and faith is the end. You see son, faith holds the map and it knows the destination. Logic on the other hand takes you from here to there, one step at a time. But logic cannot see the many bends ahead. Neither can
 it see the whole picture. Only faith sees it. But faith sees it not so much by seeing the end. Rather, it sees it by trusting the map it holds.


Son: So dad, I have a feeling that the author of the map is someone I am familiar with.
Dad: (smiles) Yes, son, I am the author of the map. I direct your path. I order your steps. I see the end. This journey, you travel light. All you really need is faith, love and hope. Faith to see where logic is blindsided. Love to empower when logic falls short. 
And hope to continue trusting when logic falters.
Son: I see dad. I understand it now. I humbly submit to your will. I will get myself ready. I shall drink this cup. Amen.

Cheerz.

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