{"id":39647,"date":"2024-11-22T01:54:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T09:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=39647"},"modified":"2024-11-22T01:54:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T09:54:29","slug":"the-magic-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-magic-it\/","title":{"rendered":"THE MAGIC IT"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Why are we never satisfied? This blog will read more like a preach than previous efforts. I am, after all, a preacher, and the truth contained in this week’s blog is too good to miss.<\/p>\n

The pursuit of \u201cmore\u201d is global and timeless. King Solomon, arguably and historically one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth, undertook an early, ancient social experiment. Solomon\u2019s famous pursuit was for the \u201cMAGIC IT,\u201d or as authors Daniel Lieberman and Michael Long put it, \u201cThe Molecule of More.\u201d[1]<\/a> Solomon\u2019s pursuit for \u201cmore,\u201d \u201cenough,\u201d \u201cthe perfect lasting dopamine hit\u201d or \u201cthe MAGIC IT\u201d is perfectly summarised by his statement; \u201cI denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labour, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.\u201d[2]<\/a> Solomon went to great lengths for the MAGIC IT, including building palaces and having 300 wives and 700 concubines No matter what he did, he sought more. His rather sober conclusion, which I will highlight at the end of the blog, is a great reminder for us all.<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Molecule of More\u201d, Lieberman and Long brilliantly clarify a common misconception about dopamine: that it is responsible for the feeling of pleasure. Dopamine was often referred to as the “pleasure molecule,” but Lieberman and Long suggest, with research supporting their proposal, that this understanding is incomplete. Rather, they say, dopamine is not primarily about pleasure itself but about \u201canticipation\u201d[3]<\/a> and the pursuit of future rewards. Dopamine drives us to seek out things we believe will bring us pleasure or satisfaction, but the actual experience of pleasure, once we attain something, is handled by other neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and endorphins.[4]<\/a> That dopamine motivates us to chase after things we don’t yet have, focusing our attention on potential rewards is a clear indicator of why Solomon, and subsequently we, never \u201chave enough.\u201d Dopamine, therefore, is the chemical of “wanting,” not “liking.” In other words, dopamine fuels desire and ambition, pushing us to constantly seek more, but it doesn’t give us the feeling of contentment or happiness when we achieve our goals. Without a doubt, dopamine as \u201canticipation\u201d rather than \u201cachievement\u201d is a threshold moment.<\/p>\n

The authors emphasise that dopamine is a future-oriented chemical. It activates when we think about possibilities, new opportunities, or novel experiences, keeping us in a state of anticipation. Hence why people driven by dopamine are often more focused on what they want or can achieve next, rather than enjoying what they already have. The pleasure itself, on the other hand, is a result of other neurochemicals that come into play after dopamine has helped us reach our goals. This shift in understanding\u2014that dopamine is more about anticipation than pleasure\u2014helps explain behaviours, even in Solomon, like addiction or endless ambition. Addicts, they say, are not chasing the high itself (pleasure) but the anticipation of that high, which is driven by dopamine.[5]<\/a> Similarly, highly ambitious individuals may find themselves perpetually dissatisfied, always striving for the next achievement without ever feeling truly fulfilled because dopamine keeps them focused on what’s next rather than on the pleasures of the present.<\/p>\n

I wonder how much this contributes to the church pastor whose pursuit of more people, programs, outreach, finance, etc, fuels the growth in some churches and their leaders and the demise in others. Is it possible that there are healthy doses of dopamine hit and unhealthy for the pastor? Personal reflection and global observation lead me to conclude that this is the case.<\/p>\n

Sadly, I reminisce over moments where, instead of truly enjoying moments and celebrating major church and personal wins with friends, we have moved on too quickly in pursuit of the next major \u201cmoment.\u201d In reflection, perhaps it was the anticipation of the next \u201chit\u201d of evangelism or perceived church \u201csuccess\u201d that drove us. Fortunately, about five years ago, we unknowingly recognised this threshold, \u201cmolecule of more,\u201d understanding and recognising our need to slow down and properly celebrate the significant events\/moments in church. In the UK, the American tradition of Thanksgiving doesn\u2019t exist. My wife suggested we add it to our church calendar for our teams to stop, thank God and thank each other for moments in the previous year that created momentum for us all. It has worked. (Perhaps, however, the anticipation of Thanksgiving meals and celebrations is merely perpetuating the next hit also?)<\/p>\n

While King Solomon\u2019s pursuit of the \u201cMAGIC IT\u201d left him with an overwhelming, or perhaps underwhelming sense of meaninglessness, his conclusion in Ecclesiastes chapter 12 was that we should all \u201cfear God & keep His commandments.\u201d[6]<\/a> In that passage, fear does not mean to quake in terror. Fear has several shades of meaning. It,<\/p>\n