Last week, I shared a story about how my question “What happens to our relationship with God when we gain more wealth?” was met with resistance. The final answer was, “God does not change” which did not quite address the actual question.
There are a lot of moving parts. However, I believe this experience addresses a fundamental aspect of the relationship between Religiosity and High Performance.
Religion is good for the ego. You believe you are going to heaven, that you are superior to those who are not Religious and that the world before you is in control of an entity that is on your side.
Certainty is good for the ego. Certainty leads to action. Action allows us to move towards our goals.
Morality is bad for the ego. You’re never sure if you’re in the right. You spend a lot of exhaustive brain energy trying to do the right thing. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride. Sometimes you have to do something you don’t want to do even though it’s the right thing to do.
Uncertainty is bad for the ego. It causes you to doubt yourself. It makes you anxious. It inhibits action and you’re never sure if you’re moving towards your goals.
There are two ways where Moral Uncertainty can become Religious Certainty.
- Dogma
- Critical Thinking
What happens to our relationship with God when we gain more wealth? I am morally uncertain and would like to explore this relationship. The dogmatic answer is “God does not change” but is it satisfying?
Critical thinking is an attempt to understand reality in the context of our biases. Our biases protect our ego. Sometimes, reality is against our ego. But if we embrace reality, we can perform at a higher level compared to those with a biased perspective.
So Let’s explore “What happens to our Relationship with God when we gain more wealth?” next week.
