First Things

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

What Are Your First Things?

What Are Your First Things?

Thursday, in Philosophy and Critical Thought, Dr. Berger shared about C.S. Lewis’s first things. Lewis says that we must have our priorities straight or else if we have second things confused for first things we will not achieve any of them, but having first things first and second things second, we will achieve both.

In our discussion, I realized my first and second priorities were mixed up. In actuality, I didn’t know what my first and second things were; I never sat down to think, “This is my first thing in life…” I have made several goals in the past but they are not in any order. I wasn't sure I had succeeded at my first or second thing without knowing what they are. That night, I chose to “pursue truth” as a first thing with school. I also realized through dialogue between Dr. Berger and a couple of students that homework is not a first thing. When I want to pursue truth I want to do that in classes, asking questions, listening well and doing my homework and studying.

While studying for a test that night, I went through my notes with the mindset that I will seek truth in what I was reading and studying and learning. I remember making connections with the concepts and thinking to myself, “Wow, I know this is comes out of this equation during this process.” I felt like I achieved my first thing; I felt it was accomplished. I am not sure where grades come into play for me, because I got my test back and it was lower than an A. Even with the few hours of studying for the two nights of reading, reviewing, and studying plus all the work I did along the way, I found that I did not get an A. Does that mean I do know the information? I don’t know. I will go and speak with my professor this week.

As for now, I am still in the middle brain storming my “first things” or what I think my first things are. I have lots of words on the whiteboard in my head of “first things.” No one wakes up and says, “my first things are…” I know that I want “pursuit of truth” to be my first thing because it is a positive first thing. There is no harm in doing this first thing, at least not right now.

Although the discussion on first things helped a bit, it was also confusing. I have discovered some of the first things people have listed to be conflicting. If we want to represent Jesus with our love, who gave his life for his friends, then we wouldn’t want survival to be our first thing. I am currently looping around this talk of “first things” and what mine are and are not. I know that a guide for having first things will be to have them in the right order and to make sure they do not clash.