Think Just Enough to Act

"In Hebrew philosophy, a belief was not a belief until it was acted on. And all beliefs affected community, because the actions they spawned affected every area of life. In Greek philosophy, belief could be separated from action. Thought and action suffered a painful divorce into upper and lower stories of existence.

Greek thinking led to dualism, a separation between the material and spiritual aspects of life. The material world -the realm of the senses and action-decline in value. The spiritual world-the realm of the mind and emotions-represented a higher plane of existence. The work of earning daily bread played second fiddle to the pursuit of philosophy. Greek thought infiltrated the early church and gave birth to a separate class of priests, clerics, and a host of monastic orders. This thinking still pervades modern society and the church in a variety of ways.

The Hebrew philosophy seems comparatively simple. No dualism. No separation. If you love someone, you will meet her need. If you meet someones need, you love her. Hebrews did not separate the heart from the mind, or belief from action. They were one and the same. What you believed affected all you did, from cooking a meal to building a city. What you did reflected what you believed. Therefore, work became an act of worship, and no vocation was viewed as more sacred or higher than another."

- The Ascent of a Leader

Currently, I am pursuing the goal of dismantling the disparity between thought and action, sympathy and physical assistance, or intention and fulfillment. It's amazing how we've come to the point where we need to reprogram our lifestyle to align the boldness of our thoughts with the courage of our hands. I've come to the conclusion that over-thinking is the cause. We predict way to often and continually remain in state of inquiry and assessment.

To tilt the scale back into a state of balance my weeks aim will be to think just enough to act.

We'll see how well I do :)