Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXXXIX

When you drive through a school zone, especially during the intervals of time between 7:00 & 9:00 am and 2:00 & 4:00 pm, you're supposed to slow down. It's the law, and there's a pretty steep penalty if you choose to disobey. It should be obvious to anyone why that law is in place. So....do you slow down in school zones? I think we all know it's the right thing to do, but what if there was no speed limit or penalties for not reducing your speed? Would you still slow down anyway? As children, most of us were taught right from wrong. And, for most of us, as part of the learning process, we received some type of punishment when we did wrong. The purpose for that punitive action was to get us ready for adulthood when there would no longer be someone there to watch over us, making sure we always did the right thing. The ideal situation would be that all adults would choose to do what's right, thus making many of the laws we have on the books unnecessary. It's apparent that we don't live in an ideal world. Sometimes I ask myself what kind of person I would be if there was no penalty for doing wrong. Is fear of punishment the driving force behind my title as a law abiding citizen? I'm the type of man that many people refer to as a "devout Christian." Why? Do I live this life because it's the best way to live, or because I fear Hell? If it's the latter, I'm afraid I may have a flaw in my motivation. Can I honestly say I love God if my primary purpose for obeying Him is a fear of what will happen to me if I don't? Do I love God or am I simply scared of Him? If my relationship with God is based on fear, then my motivation is selfishness....all about me. If I'm a believer of the Bible, which I am, then I have to believe in Heaven and Hell, but as I meditate on the points I've just mentioned, I firmly believe that if there was no Heaven to gain or Hell to shun, I would still want to live the kind of life I live. Just like everybody else I know, I still mess up so much more than I care to discuss, but I really feel that the reason I strive to be the man I need to be is simply because it's the right thing to do. If I speed through the school zone, I'll have to pay a fine. If I get caught shoplifting, I may have to spend a few days in jail. If I rob a bank or commit rape, I may have to go to prison for several years. So....I don't do those things. However, if all those penalties are removed, I'm still not gonna commit those acts, because my parents brought me up in "the way I should go," and when I became older, I didn't "depart from it." I want to live right simply because it's a better life than living wrong. Preston