The concept of “living forever” has existed since time immemorial in all corners of society, including religion, philosophy, art, and science. Songs like “Live Forever” by Billy Joe Shaver, Oasis, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors all these artists sing about eternal life in a figurative sense, but no one sings of this as a personally attainable reality. However, not everyone is like that in modern times.
“By demoting my mind and elevating my body, I felt more secure…It feels very freeing for me, because all my life I was desperate to break free from myself.”
What I saw recently is documentary The story is about a man named Brian Johnson who is tasked with living longer than science thinks is possible for humans. Despite overwhelming success in the business world, Brian suffered for decades from depression, lack of sleep, and poor eating habits to the point where he wondered if life was worth living. So he sold his multi-million dollar business at age 34, explored the world of anti-aging, and ultimately built his entire life around practices and supplements that slowed the aging process. And it worked, according to his biological data, with an elite resting heart rate, a 98th percentile muscle-to-fat ratio, and a biological age more than 10 years younger than his chronological age. There’s no denying that his method slows down our body clock, but at what cost does it take to achieve optimal biological health?
When we asked Brian what led him to live this way and how he was able to do so, his answer was shocking: “I felt more secure by demoting my mind and elevating my body…It’s very liberating for me, because all my life I was desperate to break free from myself.”
There’s a lot to take in here, but Brian’s responses can be categorized into three positive statements: “demoting the mind,” “elevating the body,” and “freeing yourself from yourself.” Let’s think of this like a problem. Here’s how Brian approached this life decision.
“Lower the mind” + “raise the body” = “Freedom from self”
The first two statements are elements of the equation, so consider the “how” behind achieving them. The latter statement, about Brian’s life goals, is considered in the light of two actions. But first, there’s the obvious “why?” What lies behind his experimental way of life, and if we scratch the surface to answer this question for Brian, we may find that his avoidance of death is more in line with society than we think.
Why would he do this?
The way Brian achieves these goals is by rejecting the mind in favor of listening to the body, but his approach is unique to many of us. We have seen examples of people who submit their bodies to the will of their minds. Think of the New York businessman who works 80 hours a week or the bodybuilder who dehydrates himself in preparation for a show. Both of these groups of individuals ignore messages from their bodies because their minds are controlled.
Should we listen more to our bodies or to our hearts? Can we trust our hearts?
Similarly, in society, many of us actively pursue things that are harmful to our health, such as soda, fast food, doomscrolling, alcohol, and drugs. We all know in our minds that these things are shortening our lifespan, but our minds actively oppose what our bodies tell us is harmful. Essentially, our bodies are telling us one thing, but we choose to reject it using our minds. And if we continue to do this long enough, it rewires our minds, making us more susceptible to the effects of addiction that form both mind and body, leaving us with the kind of mistrust that Brian once experienced. Brian is a unique example of neglecting the mind for the sake of the body and prioritizing the health of the body over the mind.
We can dismiss this as a decision made by someone without hope in Christ, but the underlying message is the same in society and in the sanctuary. The body is worth less than the mind. Consider the following example.
Disrespect for the body exists not only in “the world” but also in our church, and like Brian, many unbelievers recognize this dichotomy and seek to resolve it through their own means. But as believers, we are called to a higher calling because of our identity in Christ. So, as Christians, what should we do about this observation? Should we listen to our bodies more, or should we listen to our hearts? Can we trust our hearts?
The Bible teaches us to control our bodies (1 Corinthians 9:25-27) So perhaps what Brian is showing us is evidence of the power of the mind. But for Christians, rather than rejecting the mind completely, we must control the mind just as we control the body (ROM. 8:5-6).
“Demoting the spirit”
Brian may not realize it, but he is following in the footsteps of philosophers like Rene Descartes. This means that both individuals separate body and mind as two distinct natures. However, unlike Descartes, Brian places more authority on the visible than on the invisible. And because the mind can adopt a type of rationality that draws only on empirical truth, Brian adapted his mind in a way that rejected a value system that extended beyond the material, something that even Descartes would have been uncomfortable with.
Our minds can be “made new.” [in Christ]But we must avoid justifying the slow trickle of sin.
And this is where Brian’s definition of the heart and Christian understanding diverge. While Brian subordinated the rational nature of the mind to material reality, believers subordinated the rational nature of the mind to the values outlined in God’s moral law. Even if our rational nature is corrupted by sin, we must not completely reject it, but rather must always redirect the rational nature of our hearts toward Christlikeness. Nineties minstrel preacher Brennan Manning expresses the same tension: “Aristotle said I was a rational animal, but he says I’m an angel with an incredible ability to drink beer.” Our minds are capable of: “Newly made [in Christ],” But we must avoid justifying the slow trickle of sin.
The heart is fragile. We can be neurologically rewired many times throughout our lives, sometimes without even realizing it. This is not a bad thing, but rather God’s design for the human heart. It is our responsibility to be aware of how temporary experiences are affecting the rewiring of our minds. Perhaps this is why numerous Old and New Testament authors spoke about discipline of the mind.Isa. 26:3; 2 Tim. 1:7). We must submit our hearts to Christ. Because if we give authority to our mind and interpret all our needs through it, we will get the same result. In other words, you are giving up moral authority that exists outside of yourself. However, what is more concerning about this aspect is that over time, neural pathways rewire, affecting our judgment of right and wrong and moral decision-making. Other people become a means to an end for one’s own fulfillment. An unaccountable mind interprets truth through itself.
Professor Nash beautiful heart “Like a mental diet, I choose not to indulge in certain appetites,” he repeats Paul’s command. Romans 12:2to be trained “by the renewing of the mind” for the purpose of discerning God’s moral will on earth. As Christians, we are constantly exposed to temporary biological experiences as we live on this earth, but we should not “indulge” in the desires of our hearts that violate God’s moral law, but rather trust in our hearts to be renewed by God’s presence.
“Improve your body”
Philosophically, interpreting all needs through the body is tantamount to relinquishing a source of moral authority outside of oneself. If you listen to your body’s needs instead of resisting the demands of the Bible, you will take God off his throne. And if you do this without considering the heart, there is nothing that separates humanity from the rest of God’s creation. Plants and animals respond to the needs of the body without consideration of the rational mind.
Because the body is part of God’s creation and is closely connected to the human body. imago dei-As Christians, we need to take good care of our bodies. The Bible describes our bodies as “temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and as a living sacrifice to God (ROM. 12:1). It even speaks positively about the body, saying that sexual immorality is a sin against our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). Although the body is not spoken of as an authority in the Bible, it still has a valuable place in human experience. But if we give our body authority over our mind, we subordinate ourselves to material things.
“I want to be free of myself.”
In light of what we have said so far about the dualism of body and mind, consider the following. What are we trying to accomplish when we choose to empower our bodies or minds over our lives? What physiology do we believe will be the panacea for the pain we experience in the world? The wisest man of all time answered this question, but we tend to dismiss his advice as “outdated” or “irrelevant” (Eccl. 1:16–18; 2:1–11). If God wired our bodies and minds to be inseparable, then giving authority to one over the other only deepens our sense of captivity to the human condition. Because we are not living according to God’s original plan for humanity. Separating body and mind, or giving authority to one over the other, ultimately robs Christ of authority and from us how to live our lives.
After all, as Christians we are called to surrender authority over our lives to Christ Himself, rather than giving authority over our lives to our bodies or minds.
The sad irony of this is that Brian remained undeterred even when faced with the reality that there are qualities and virtues of right living that neither body nor mind can satisfy. In this documentary, Brian reunites with his estranged son before his son leaves for college, and finds deep fulfillment in changing the direction of his life around others. He is overjoyed to be so close to other human beings and finds more fulfillment in life than what is empirically true. In real time as the documentary is being filmed, we see him trying to reconcile the virtues of this community with a philosophy of mind over body, but Brian is so caught up in this vision of biological health that he dismisses this realized communal truth as irrelevant to the pursuit of an ideal life. The documentary ends with his son leaving for college and Brian returning to his futile pursuit of eternal life apart from Christ.
But even if unbelievers paid attention to Brian’s failures, they would be missing something. Human beings can consciously listen to our minds and bodies, intentionally choose to live in community, and exercise our freedom according to God’s moral law, but this is not enough. After all, as Christians we are called to surrender authority over our lives to Christ Himself, rather than giving authority over our lives to our bodies or minds. We must faithfully guide our lives and well-being to what is outlined in the Bible. If God designed human life, then God’s Word reveals the right way to live in terms of biological, mental, and social health, submitting one’s entire self to God’s authority.
Brian is an extreme example of body-mind duality, but his philosophy of life should be heeded as a warning. Since he has subordinated his mind to his body, he truly believes that he will never die thanks to his religious commitment to maintaining biological health. For those who have not experienced Christ, this philosophy is not far-fetched. Their concept of the “good life” is defined by lived experience, the temporary reality that surrounds us. But we are driven by an apocalyptic reality that gives meaning to our present lives. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “We look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are seen are fleeting, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”2 Corinthians 4:18).
Even when our minds and bodies inevitably decline, we do not fear because we have a greater purpose. And we are not afraid of death. Because we live our lives according to the invisible and eternal reality informed by the revealed Word of God and the saving work of Christ Himself.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
