The New Rationality

It is crazy for most people to drop out of Harvard, but not to Bill Gates. It was crazy for Kanye’s mom to leave everything behind in Chicago and move his son to New Jersey just because he made beats. New Jersey – really? It was crazy for Cornel West to leave his post as a professor who could teach any subject he wanted at Harvard, just because he had integrity. The list goes on and on. People who did irrational things and exhibited risky behavior for the sake of something far greater.

In this life, you can decide to talk about great people at the dinner table – or you can be the topic of discussion while other people are eating dinner. If you want to be great, you have to make deep sacrifices. If you want to be the best, you have to be irrational – at least the way others define rationality. When you want to play in another playing field, this world’s strategic implementations do not work.

The worst advice I have ever received is: “Pursue your heart’s desire, but be realistic.” I despise the author of these words – b/c the author is the Devil himself. Yesterday, I spoke with someone I deeply respect. For the first time, someone agreed with me when I said “College made me 4 years backwards. If not for college, I would be way ahead.” He smiled and said “you’re right – I know you’re right.” Only people who operate in the prophetic can make this judgment call. Only people who see far beyond the masses can agree to this statement. College taught me some things – many of which I am thankful – but for the most part, college was a waste of my time. It taught me how to be safe – it taught me what every other person wants – and for this, I cannot fully vouch for university training.

Here is the best advice to anyone who is dealing with choices – difficult, life altering decisions. You will come up to a place where everything else other than what you want to do will become totally irrational. It may take you 5 years, but it is best to keep moving in one direction until you see how ridiculously stupid it is to keep moving that way. Your heart will just make you stop – and no matter how stubborn of a person you are – you will stop – because you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that making your new “irrational decision” is the only logical thing to do.

When you interface with the living God, rationality takes a new twist. What becomes rational for you will indeed be irrational to everybody else. The trick is to allow hardly anyone into your conversations – into your psyche – because quite frankly – if your life is safe, you are not dangerous – you are not dangerous enough to having an impact on the evil in this world – and as we learn from CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters – this is exactly where the Devil wants you – safe, comfortable, and self-focused.

We live in a time where people like to fit God into their circumstances. I have never heard more stories about how God did this and God did that in such a time like this. But when I hear these stories, I can’t help but wonder if God really did what they are talking about, or if they did it themselves. I have many capable people around me. When they credit God, it is hard for me to really credit God with them. The things that people say God did are things I could do myself. We need to be people who can have a more compelling witness – a more persuasive argument. I want to see the living God in you – I want to be speechless when I hear your stories.

There will be no clever ending to this – sometimes we just end in the thick of the fight – peace, and much love to you – John Baptist!

One Response

  1. Lmarcos

    >what an incredible and courageous post! Thank you for reminding us that it's better to fail at being great than not succeed at what's been done…that it's better to not take the road that's been already run.

    Copyright G-VO "Why do we give up"