The Freshness Principle

 












At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Jesus loved little children. I think this was because he found it very easy to talk to them. Innocent and unpretentious, children are easily teachable, unlike many adults who are so puffed up with knowledge they believe they are smarter than everybody else. Consequently they are unteachable. I believe this is why the men Jesus called to follow him were simple (and perhaps illiterate). They would be prepared to listen to what he had to say and learn what he had to teach. The most intelligent of the twelve he chose was perhaps Judas, and there is probably a lesson in there somewhere.

Now, being intelligent is not a bad thing, but it often gets in the way of discovering the truth. Being knowledgeable is not a bad thing either, but this too often makes one blind to things that should be obvious. One always has to be open to learning, open to looking at things from a different perspective, open to the realization that one does not and one cannot know everything. And the best thing one can do is wipe the blackboard of past knowledge and start afresh, doing this repeatedly over the years.

This principle applies even to life, and can bring about a freshness to everyday things. Let me explain. Consider today’s passage. In two and a half years, we have had this reading over a dozen times. I’m not kidding. When I saw it again, I groaned: “Oh, no, not again.” Then I decided to do what I just spoke about. I wiped it off the blackboard of my mind, and although there were still residual traces of previous reflections, I discovered something new. I discovered “The Freshness Principle”. 

Have you heard of The Freshness Principle? No, you haven’t, because I just made it up. The Freshness Principle states: “Whenever you see something, or hear something, or do something, imagine you are seeing/hearing/doing it for the first time, even if you have seen/heard/done it a hundred times before.” Isn’t that cool? Now, if we apply The Freshness Principle to life, it can really bring about a host of wonderful changes. Consider, for example, your relationship with your spouse. 

How long have you been married? Five years? Ten? Fifteen? Longer? Well, you know as well as I do that relationships can get jaded, and the longer you are with someone the more jaded it gets. Things that were once exciting now become dull. Things that the other person said that made you laugh now don’t even bring on a smile. Things your partner did that you would appreciate profusely now no longer merits a simple ‘Thank you’. Know what I’m saying? Of course you do! Now apply The Freshness Principle to your relationship. Imagine you are seeing your spouse for the first time, take her out on a “date”, and see the difference it makes. 

Do the same thing with your early morning breakfast. Or the prayers you say. Or, hey, with anything and everything. Enjoy life 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/dMgm630Ylc8

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