Goodness in Work

The Letter

Look at nature. If you believe that molecules just happened into being without an outside force, you need to look more.

Nature has rules that are as complex as they are consistent. If you pay attention, keep an open mind ’till the day you die, and work regularly to hone some sort of skill, you can “prosper”.

Prospering is different from stealing. Theft is part of the worldview of a “zero sum game”. Prosperity is what happens on an apple tree: The tree has apples without stealing apples from another tree. Not every rich person got rich through prosperity nor does every rich person get rich through theft, but every rich person could have made either choice.

One of the biggest keys to prosperity and success is not whining about problems that aren’t your fault. We have such problems all the time. Carry on without complaint and without distraction. Then, you’ll get stronger, smarter, and you’ll prosper. We all get lucky to prosper. Hard, smart, open-minded work has the tendency to create luck consistently. Eventually, the one with the strength and smarts to prosper will overpower the one who steals. Thieves appear to win in the short run, but they only win in the long run if so-called “good men” are actually just lazy.

Observe nature, learn from it, practice, and don’t complain about things you can’t control. Eventually, you’ll prosper.

Jesus’ claim gave powerful insight into the measure of whether God is or is not good: “God will not be mocked; a man reaps what he sows.”

Everyone prospers differently and at different times. But, prosperity is possible because of nature’s consistency. Prospering through nature’s laws—coupled with patient pursuit thereof—is what makes good men good.

The God of this nature has given us all the reason we need to give Him the benefit of every doubt. Honesty about your own work ethic and your own results are all you need to know about God’s goodness and His existence.

Theological questions, metaphysical questions, etc… These begin with either the presumption that God is good or the presumption that we can’t presume that God is good. But, you do have a choice about which presumption you begin with. And, the very assumption that your time spent thinking is not 100% waste is all you need to presume that nature’s God is good.

So, start with the presumption that God is good. Take responsibility for your role. Then, all the other stuff is a lot easier to figure out. As you figure out the greater questions of existence, as you take a stab at the meaning of life, your answers will contradict less and will guide you to happiness wherever you are.

It starts with the evidential presumption of God’s good work, which you can see through your own work, good or bad.