Life of Impression

One Stoic Scholar by the name of William Irvine (Not Irving's, Salted Egg!) has give an comforting thought on how we ought to live. He ask us to imagine that in this world is only us and no one else. At that world, we can stay in whatever house we like and can use whatever clothes we love. What happened? we found ourselves we do not crave for anything, what else we want? Big house, small house, good clothes, bad clothes does not give any difference whatsoever in our life. Why so? Because there is no other people. Then he conclude that, yes, we live most of the time is just to impress other! We crave for more, just to prove that we are great and want the approval of others. This is our mode in life and existence. By doing that we fulfilled our psychological need of affirmation and endorsement. 

We all like to feel important. The highest hierarchy of need is self-actualization. Nobody would deny it. And because of this, we suffer tremendously and so badly because as we start the journey of aiming this high, we are trapped in the world of comparison. We never contend. This is the nature of human being as long as we are living with other people. It is easy for us to live out the other people expectation. That is why, it is always wise to choose and pick our friend wisely. The rule is this, make friends who want the best for you whereby you can be an authentic person and stop playing any impression-game!

Sometime, if we honest to ourselves, living a life of impression is so tiring and demanding. That is not odd that the famous existentialist wrote, "Hell is other people". But having said that, it also at the same time a paradox. isn't it? We dislike others yet we seek approval from others. And hence, the long life of impression begun. The cause of happiness and unhappiness is found out to be the same.  

Even, sometimes in the realm of faith, we often also seek approval from others to impress others with the lot amount of information of the Bible that sometimes too long and unnecessary, to gain impression (Unless it is our duty, let say, lecturer. Or it just our authentic style, let say we as a theologian and philosopher). Here let me copy the section from Disciple: A Handbook for New Believers written by Juan C. Ortiz that can share us good insight with an apt illustration:

"Now we will go to the next verse..."And the people of the congregation say, "Our pastor is so deep! My, he can go two or three weeks on one verse-tremendous!" At the end of three months, you will finished my letter, but no one know what I said. Yet that's how we teach the Bible....we like to impress people by the amount of information we know about Biblical text. We think we are being "deep". But does anyone really understand what we are saying? I Doubt it. We are concerned with information. But Jesus concern with formation. We need to learn from Him how to form disciple."

From the illustration above, we should not separate information from formation. Both are inextricably connected. Yet the foundational point is clear, that impression should not be the goal of information but formation. According to the need of other people, and depend on how much we like them to grow and learning deep stuff for their good. Bottom line, is not about us but how we become a channel of blessings to others. To become a facilitator of growth. Not to impress but to build and edify each and one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Here, intention is vital. And only God knows.

Also, what we are searching in this world should not the approval from other people but God.

Live is not only about horizontal dimension, it is also grounded vertically, a live between us and God. To glorify God and to live a life that worth of living, as He called us to be and do in this world. 

As long as we live in this mode of projecting impression, we will be upset and lost our identity. Only living for Christ, even in the midst of up and down of life we can still found joy and meaning of life. In fact, God never call us to "impress" other people. He call us to love them. Furthermore, He call us to share the Gospel and make disciple of whole nation. The anguish because of what people say only drain us and only derail us from the original intention of which God created us on the first place.