How Paul the Apostle Accidentally Identified the Cause of Self-Destructive Behaviors
Wisdom From The Past.
Apostle Paul is one of the most significant figures in early Christianity, a man living in a troubled era marked by widespread political and religious corruption, violence and moral decay. In the midst of this horrible chaos, Saul (Paul) of Tarsus sought to spread a message of spiritual rebirth and ethical living, deriving inspiration from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth from the near South East.
Regardless of one’s personal stance on organized religion, I believe it's worth approaching such religious figures as teachers from a bygone era, much like the sages of Ancient Greece and the Far East, and see how their teachings resonate with our modern experiences.
After all, apart from the fantastical stories and hidden agendas, religions are, at their core, the attempts of our predecessors to make sense of the mysteries of life.
Life by the Spirit
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” — Paul the Apostle, Galatians 5
What did Apostle Paul mean with this letter to Galatia?
As we know from Judeo-Christian theology, the Bible stresses the importance of resisting the desires of the flesh, such as lust, pride, and gluttony amongst others, warning that these actions are sins that will be punished by the Abrahamic God.
However, theological superstitions aside, could these teachings actually be on to something, and do they have any relevance in our modern scientific understanding of mental health?
Chasing The Flesh
Self-destructive behaviors come in many forms. Some are overt, others are covert. But a large majority of them, have something peculiar in common — they all involve the satisfaction of the flesh. Flesh, including the brain.
Let me give you a few examples:
1. Smoking, Drinking and Drug Consumption
Psychoactive substances that release dopamine in the brain, granting a feeling of temporary pleasure. Those satisfy the flesh by exploiting the natural dopamine reserve, whilst damaging it at the same time.
The costs? — A couple of decades of your life.
2. High sugar consumption
We all love sweets and soda. They satisfy our taste buds and give a sense of pleasure and comfort. Who wants to drink only water anyway?
The cost? — Clogged arteries, increased blood pressure, premature heart disease, diabetes.
3. Procrastination
The connection here is more subtle, but take for example this: Doing your exercises or finishing that project you started might benefit you in the long run, but your flesh so craves to just relax on the couch all day and not strain itself. Consequently, procrastinating on tedious tasks to indulge in relaxation is once more driven by the urge to gratify the flesh.
The cost? — Your personal, financial and academic success.
The examples do not end here, but those should be enough to get the idea.
The Meaning Behind This
Paul of Tarsus taught that the flesh and spirit are in constant battle with each other. Taking a look at the many underlying causes of depression, reveals the unexpected truth behind it.
To approach things from a different angle, what Paul referred to as the flesh is simply what we want, whilst what he referred to as the spirit is what we need. Here, the flesh can be seen as a metaphor for our immediate desires, whereas the spirit serves as a metaphor for our deeper needs.
Life often presents a dichotomy where our immediate cravings diverge from the path to true satisfaction and success. For example, anyone who has battled addiction at some point in their lives, understands the dynamics at play, and how our own brain can often work against us.
Deep down, our spirit yearns for freedom from addiction, longing to heal and finally break free. Yet, the flesh, symbolizing the addicted brain, seeks its dopamine fix, constantly sending trigger signals that could lead to a relapse. As such, our own brain becomes an antagonist in our lives, and it is through our willpower that we aim to conquer ourselves.
Or take for example your desire to achieve your dream body. Deep within, your spirit passionately craves it, and if there were a shortcut to achieve it, you would take it without hesitation. Yet, the allure of flavors that will satisfy your tastebuds, and skipping workouts to relax for the day, can sometimes be too hard to resist.
In the end, it’s the weakness of the profane flesh that becomes an obstacle in achieving our dreams, which sadly never come without a preceding portion of sacrifice first.
Ultimately, that immediate gratification of the flesh at the expense of our greater aspirations and sense of achievement, inflicts a massive blow to our confidence and self-perception, resulting in lower satisfaction in both life and ourselves.
Struggle To Stop Struggling
Nothing in this world comes for free. Life presents the same struggle for every creature.
Just like the stork has to build its own nest, so do we have to pay our mortgage.
Just as the eagle has to hunt for its dinner, so do we have to show up at work at 8AM in the morning.
And just as the lion has to prove himself the leader of the pack, so do we have to prove ourselves deserving of the life we aspire to attain.
While the seemingly easy modern way of life may deceive us into feeling struggling is suddenly obsolete, we must not delude ourselves into believing that enduring happiness comes without prior sacrifice. This is how many people end up in the downwards spiral of self-destruction, and immediate gratification is almost always the cause of it. Be it in the form addiction, laziness and procrastination or mindless thrill seeking.
A great irony of life, is that the path of least resistance ultimately proves to be the most challenging in the long run, while struggle becomes the means to end all struggles.
To fulfill our deepest aspirations, we must overcome the weakness of the flesh and its immediate desires, for what we truly need and deserve is far greater.
So walk in spirit.