There are mainly two greatest foundational motives that shape all other motives. These two are the reason to why you wake up everyday to go and do what you do. They are also the reason you are sometimes lazy enough to spend hours in bed or waste your time in other things. Everything you do is absolutely dependent on these two foundational motives.
These two motives are “Rewards” and “Punishments”. These two are the absolute determinants of what we do or do not do.
When there is a reward for you to wake up (let’s say you have to wake up to go to work so that you will earn a living at the end of the months) then you will wake up whether you feel it or not. When there is a punishment for you not to wake up (let’s say if you don’t wake up on time, you will miss the bus/train/flight), again you will definitely wake up.
However much we like sweets and hate vegetables, for the fear of problems that come with too much sweets (fear of punishments) and for the reward that comes from eating vegetables, we find ourselves abstaining from sweets sometimes and eating vegetables that we hate. Medical pills are bitter, we take them anyway, that is because of the fear of punishments for not taking them (escalation of the disease) and the faith in rewards (healing).
You have heard people say that “I don’t really know what his/her motives are”. It’s easy, check out what might be his/her possible rewards/punishments.
Have you ever asked yourself why someone might continue to do something that has clear consequences and still do it anyway? Well, sometimes it depends on secondary factors that influence our interpretation of rewards or punishments. Factors like “the severity of punishments or rewards” I call them the weight factor. The second factor is “the imminence of the punishments and rewards” I call this one a time factor. The third factor is the authority in charge or what we could call the trust factor.
Here are a few things that I shared with him that you might find true, if you truly think about the reason to why sometimes the two fundamental motives might be seem not to be effect in a certain way.
- Severity/the weight factor
Severity is the level of seriousness or gravity of something. How severe are the punishments or rewards will determine the level of our motivation. For this student at that age, he has no idea of how severe the consequences of an educated life are. Let’s raise the severity of failure academically to being imprisoned. If this young man was told that failing academically will have him imprisoned and he is taken to visit the prison, trust me the next day, he would change the way he behaves around books.
In all court systems, they raise the severity of punishments for the crimes they want less committed.
There was this one pastor teaching us in one of the singles retreat, asked about what one can do to stop the addiction of pornography, his answer was stunning. He said “you are not addicted to porn, you just don’t know how it seriously damages your life, if you were offered poison in your favorite drink, you wouldn’t dare drink it leave alone being addicted to it”.
- Imminence/the time factor
Imminence is the state or fact of being about to happen. Punishments or rewards that will come later in life are not very motivating. The more imminent the punishment or rewards are, the more we likely get up to do what we ought to do or stop the nonsense we are doing. Procrastination is a result of this. We don’t do what we ought to do until the imminence of the reward or punishments is at the door. The office task is not done until deadline, it’s only done because once the deadline is here, you might be fired from work.
The other student knowing that he will be taken to prison if he doesn’t excel in the test, he is still likely to start studying one or two days to the test, but the eminence of the test and the prison that comes after that will definitely push him to start studying.
- Authority in charge/the trust factor
If the authority that brings the rewards or punishments is trusted to deliver results, we will get ourselves to do what we ought to do. Corruption in many countries continue to persist not because the laws in place do not provide for severe punishments to those involved but because the authorities in charge are corrupt too. They are bribed not enforce the laws.
So many people don’t use their family members in their businesses because they tend to think that the rules of punishments will not apply to them.
Where are you going with this man?? you might be asking…
Heaven and hell are the highest severe reward and punishment respectively. They have been spoken by the greatest authority there is…This authority is also trustworthy, proved ever since the known record of human history to walk the talk. The challenge is the imminence of those rewards or punishment. More than we realize our lives can end at any time, once a life ends, there is no more chance to change anything. That is how imminent is heaven and hell, there more imminent than we realize.
Almost all Jesus’ parables would eventually paint this image of heaven and hell at the end of human life. Up today I don’t clearly comprehend why even Christians live their lives without the eternity perspective. I don’t understand how one ends up believing hyper grace. I don’t.
Don’t you think it would be wise for you to take sometimes and investigate from the Bible and other sources you might find, what heaven and hell is?? May be understanding their severity and imminence might change the way you live your life.
One of the greatest Kings of all time, known for his wisdom, riches and research on the pleasures of life, after having written about his researches, he concluded this:
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil”:– King Solomon, Eccl 12:13-14
These other two verse are worthy meditating on.
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment: Hebrews 9:27
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. Revelation 22:12
