If I Have Not Love...

Today's post is a reflection on the announcement from the Ventner Institute that they had artificially synthesized the DNA of a cell and implanted that into an existing bacterium. The new entity divided into cells resembling the synthetic entity. This is astounding and ground breaking science, and carries with it the troubling and dangerous, as well as great potential. So why am I more troubled than excited?

Almost immediately, my mind went to the writing of the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth - a church that was having significant difficulty with the basics of being a community. In the 13th chapter, the writer launches into one of the best known, and oft quoted, set of verses on the meaning of love. The second verse says, "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (NRSV translation)

Here again, we are potentially on the cusp of a great discovery. Man has once again pushed back the veil on our unknowing and taken a step closer to understanding the basic building blocks of life. My disquiet comes from my perception that this is done in the name of Science, not in the name of humanity. To put it another way, where is the love behind the initiative?

So often today, I encounter people who are incredibly intelligent and successful people - they have figured out how to get ahead in the world. They come to see me, however, because they are missing something. They have all the material wealth (seemingly) that they need, but they are searching for that missing piece. They are trying to understand how they fit into the bigger picture - how to fully engage in life. They are missing love. The love that allows them to empty themselves of themselves and to truly engage in self-less acts which improve the world.

The future will show us whether or not this newest scientific discovery offers humanity the gateway into a new realm of health and wellness, or delivers us into an even worse place where we are even less whole than we are now. The key piece is whether at the center of the discovery there is love - real, honest and self-less love. This is what we at Possibilities Journey, Inc., are attempting to help people find in their lives. Only this type of love will lead to wholeness.

Peace and grace,
Dan