Increase By Decrease

I turn(ed) 27 a month ago. Adding another number to my age total feels like progress. As someone who was formerly saturated in video games, I believe the feeling can be summed up as having level-ed up.

It is usual for progress to be tracked in terms of increase: more years, career growth, having a relationship/family, etc. This births the apparent want for more. There should be no surprise that the "creating a need" scheme works well in the marketing scene, and even beyond that. Since "more" connotes development, it is but logical for people to pursue it.

But, what if life was ultimately defined by a decrease? What if to actually increase, one must diminish? This might not sit well with many, Christians notwithstanding. The way people understand progress is about acquisition and addition, be it virtue or material thing. It is never letting things go. This gives way to what I believe to be the most offending paradox in all of Scripture, Jesus speaking (Luke 9:24-25), "whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses it for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains and loses or forfeits himself?" This clearly resonates with John the Baptizer (John 3:30): "He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease." What indeed is the profit of gain if the result is actually the opposite: loss? While I am totally neglecting a resolution to talk less of myself, this might be of some benefit. To myself, more or less.

Personally I have conjured a list of things to do for the year, some of which are exciting like brushing up on my Nihongo, learning how to drive, and possibly travel overseas. Additions are either good or bad, depending on what it is and what it is for. But I have observed that any sort of addition or increase has been the goal for most of us, almost without discrimination. Just because you can, does not necessarily follow that you should.