HUNGRY FOR WONDER (1 OF 5)
Scripture: Genesis 28:10-18
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Hungry for Wonder (1 of 5)
Series: Soul Hunger
Dave Gustavsen
Genesis 28:10-17
Good morning! Today we begin a new series called ''Soul Hunger.'' I have noticed over the years that human beings have very similar desires. And I believe those desires are a clue to something bigger.
A friend of mine teaches college English, and the school where he teaches has this very diverse, international student body. And in one of his classes, he does a little exercise to help his students understand the characters that they find in literature. He asks his students to answer the question: ''What motivates humans? What do people want?'' And they make this master list on the board. He's been doing this for almost 30 years, so he can pretty much guess what's going to show up on the list: things like love, hope, security, meaning, peace, belonging. He said they normally wind up with about 50 items on the board. And then, after they finish, he asks his students: ''Is there anything on this list that does not apply in your home country, or in your culture?'' And he said not once in 28 years has a student named one of them. So it's always this enlightening experience, where they recognize how similar people really are. We all basically want the same things.
And the million dollar question is: why is that?
Some people would say that it's all because of evolutionary biology. In other words, if the origin of human beings is purely and only the result of a process of natural selection, this all makes sense. Because if certain conditions are going to protect me from predators or help me find food or somehow contribute to my survival, then creatures who pursue those things would survive, and they would pass on that inclination to their descendants. For example: why is it that humans crave belonging-everyone wants to be part of a community or a group? Evolutionary biology would say: it's because in our distant past, animals who were isolated and separated from a group were mor ...
Series: Soul Hunger
Dave Gustavsen
Genesis 28:10-17
Good morning! Today we begin a new series called ''Soul Hunger.'' I have noticed over the years that human beings have very similar desires. And I believe those desires are a clue to something bigger.
A friend of mine teaches college English, and the school where he teaches has this very diverse, international student body. And in one of his classes, he does a little exercise to help his students understand the characters that they find in literature. He asks his students to answer the question: ''What motivates humans? What do people want?'' And they make this master list on the board. He's been doing this for almost 30 years, so he can pretty much guess what's going to show up on the list: things like love, hope, security, meaning, peace, belonging. He said they normally wind up with about 50 items on the board. And then, after they finish, he asks his students: ''Is there anything on this list that does not apply in your home country, or in your culture?'' And he said not once in 28 years has a student named one of them. So it's always this enlightening experience, where they recognize how similar people really are. We all basically want the same things.
And the million dollar question is: why is that?
Some people would say that it's all because of evolutionary biology. In other words, if the origin of human beings is purely and only the result of a process of natural selection, this all makes sense. Because if certain conditions are going to protect me from predators or help me find food or somehow contribute to my survival, then creatures who pursue those things would survive, and they would pass on that inclination to their descendants. For example: why is it that humans crave belonging-everyone wants to be part of a community or a group? Evolutionary biology would say: it's because in our distant past, animals who were isolated and separated from a group were mor ...
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