So Very Human

We are so very human. As such, we love our opinions. We love them, and even more, we love to express them. My students were complaining today that I don't let them write persuasive essays, you know, the ones where they get to rant and rave about their own opinions and then (hopefully) back up what they say with scholarly academic research? Nope, I sure don't include those in my curricula. Why not? Mostly because those types of essays are too easy. The cognitive requirement of such assignments is mediocre at best. Higher-level thinking skills are better developed through assignments that challenge students to analyze and synthesize the ideas of others and then reflect on those ideas in the context of what they, themselves, know or believe.

But I digress.

I was thinking about how much our beloved opinions relate to our feelings about agency, or the gift of free choice. Let me first say that I understand the critical importance of agency in our journey here on earth. Without the ability to choose, we could never learn what we need to learn or progress intellectually beyond the mentality of a young child. Part of our "schooling" here is to practice making choices and then to experience the consequences of those choices, positive or negative. I get it. I do. As a mom, though, there have been times when I've questioned it. "Is this agency deal all it's cracked up to be?" Or "Maybe these kids could wait to receive the gift of free agency when they're about 25 and have full cognitive maturity." It's true. The human brain doesn't reach full maturity until the mid-20s. Yikes! Just imagine all the life-altering decisions most of us make long before then. Many of us choose our education paths and careers. Often, we choose a partner and marry. Some of us even have children of our own. I did. I did all those things before I even had full use of my brain!

But again, I digress. There is a point here. I promise.

It occurs to me just how much our cherished personal opinions govern how much free agency we want everyone to enjoy. Because face it: All laws limit agency. That's what laws do. Even minor traffic laws limit my agency, dictating how fast I may drive, when and where I must stop, and even what I must do in order to register my vehicle. Still, I think most would agree that laws are necessary to protect people and to give society some sort of sane structure. Without them, anarchy would almost certainly result. We are, after all, so very human.

What I've found most intriguing is the way our opinions affect our feelings about agency. We are more than happy to limit someone's agency through a law, if doing so coincides with our own personal view on the issue. But if it doesn't, we rise up and shout "Don't take away my free agency!" We are so very human. For the record, I use the pronoun "we" intentionally. I am perhaps the most opinionated person I know. And my views on what should be law and what shouldn't (i.e. where we should limit agency and where we shouldn't) lie squarely and poignantly in my own personal and dearly beloved opinions.

Indeed, we are so very human. Thankfully, we are so very human together. We have the strength of each other, differing opinions and all, as we travel through this earthly probation. And fortunately for us, the One who gave us the amazing gift of agency also provided us with a back-up plan for those times when that very agency would be our downfall. As we celebrate His infinite atonement and resurrection this weekend, may we be ever mindful of that glorious gift and the growth it allows us.