In the 1970s, inspired by the Good Samaritan parable, two Princeton University Behavioral Scientists, Professor John Darley, and Dr. Daniel Batson, experimented on prosocial behaviors.
They embarked on a study of 40 students at the Princeton Theological Seminary. These students were given the task of preparing a sermon on the Good Samaritan. They were then instructed to walk alone to another building on campus to present their sermons to a group of professors.
Unbeknown to these students, the researchers hired an actor to portray someone who was mugged and left injured in a lane where each student would have to pass to get to the building to present their sermons. Each student was to be confronted with what seemed to be a real-life situation of someone in need.
“The experiment uncovered a surprising result. Of the students who were given the impression that they were late, only 10% of the students stopped to assist the actor. In contrast, 63% o0f the students who were given extra time offered help. Out of the 40 students, 16 stopped to help. Twenty-four did not swerve from their path. One even stepped over the “victim” to get through the doorway he had mistaken for the one he wanted.” (Source: New York times)
This experiment concluded that the quicker the pace of life, the more blind we are to the needs of the less fortunate. In other words, our pace may be too fast for the good of our soul.
Psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung once said, “Hurry is not OF the devil. Hurry IS the devil.”
Imagine the same scenario, only now the actor wasn’t planted by the researchers, but by God. What would we have missed?
Being in a hurry may cause us to miss the opportunity to serve the people in need, thus missed seeing and serving God in the process. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for brothers and sisters of mine, .’ ”
Psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung once said, “Hurry is not OF the devil. Hurry IS the devil.”
Faster isn’t always necessarily better. More isn’t always necessarily better. Slow down, take a deep breath, and look out for opportunities that may come your way. Who knows, you may see God in the process.
“Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” ― Oriah Mountain Dreamer
“Slow living is about intention, spending more time on things that are important and less on things that aren’t.” — Brooke McAlary
“Whoeve is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” ― Proverbs 19:17
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” ― James 1:27
Fred Tokè aka Dr. Tokèmon
