There’s a question in philosophy – a Western koan of sorts – intended to stretch your noodle.
You’ve probably heard it before:
Can God create a rock so heavy that He Himself cannot lift it?
It’s supposed to test your understanding on the limits of omnipotence. If God can’t do it, then He’s not all-powerful. If He can, then He’s not all-powerful.
I think it’s supposed to be a question without answer.
Let me answer it anyway:
Yes.
That question about rocks is isomorphic with this one about minds:
Can God create a creature with such free will that He Himself cannot control its actions?
It’s the same idea. If God can give humans free will, then that’s a limit on His power.
He did it anyway.
That’s an incredible sacrifice on His part – more subtle than Jesus on the cross, but just as humbling. God could have created a clockwork Eden filled with loyal drones. Instead, He decided to create humans with the potential to shatter his Eden.
And shatter it, they did.
In there is an answer to the Question of Evil, too. If God is so loving and so powerful, then why do evil and suffering exist? Well, He loves us so much that he gave us power and freedom – enough to defy him and create a broken world.
Huh. That’s two major philosophical problems resolved in less than 250 words. I’m good at this.
Either that or I’m referencing divine, ancient wisdom and letting that do the heavy lifting here.
Whatever the case, here’s another answer to a timeless question:
The question is, How can I love my neighbour as myself?
The answer?
Read, reread and apply the lessons from Your Story Isn’t About You. It’s not some feel-good hippy nonsense – I wrote it as a practical guide to career, relationships, peace of mind and more.
Maybe the best works of philosophy blend enlightenment with real-world benefits.
This one certainly does.
And you can get it here: