THE WORLD WATCHED as America's much-vaunted snowboarders considered defying Olympic traditions by refusing to wear the official team costume, in order to defend their individualism. These talented young athletes are among those who are often referred to as Generation X.

Television programs and advertisements have glorified the Generation X approach to life. The extreme attitudes, risks, and lifestyles seem to promise extreme rushes of joy. And when the challenges are mastered and no longer provide a thrill, the search for even more extreme risks begins. Life is symbolized by a mad, barely controlled dash down the mountain—with the ride often being more important than any accomplishment along the way.

Well, this group was remarkable for something else at the Olympics. When their certain "favorites" didn't win the expected medals, they didn't stomp off in a self-indulgent huff. The world got to witness some of the most gracious losers in the Winter Games. Arrogant attitudes were replaced by good sportsmanship, and even humility. Humor, courage, and joy appeared where defiance and bravado had previously overshadowed everything else.

As I watched these interviews, I felt I was seeing the one-dimensional, selfish stereotype of Generation X being replaced with real, three-dimensional people, many of whom are doing far more good for society than is often recognized.

Pondering this fact, I found myself thinking of Peter, one of Jesus' disciples. In some of the New Testament's accounts of him, Peter expresses extreme attitudes. Yet his loyalty, faith, and spiritual understanding eventually overcame his impetuosity, daring, and unreliable temperament. The human characteristics that allowed Peter to become a disciple had to be purified and molded into spiritual qualities before Peter could go on to accomplish his life's work of spreading the gospel. Peter's struggle with the results of his sometimes rash behavior versus the spiritual growth that transformed him into a great individual, provides a guide for each of us.

When referring to man's individuality, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy states, "Personality is not the individuality of man" (p.491).

Elsewhere, this book describes man's true, spiritual nature, saying, "He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas; the generic term for all that reflects God's image and likeness; the conscious identity of being as found in Science, in which man is the reflection of God, or Mind, and therefore is eternal..." (p. 475).

As we each strive to assert our individuality, it is important to separate from our true identity those characteristics of personality that would identify us as mortals existing outside of God. Each of us is in fact a spiritual idea, the expression of divine Mind, and can include only qualities that come directly from God.

Peter's transformation through his continuing exposure to Christ Jesus' teachings shows clearly the difference that accepting one's God given individuality can make. To me, the need for Peter to change his outlook came into focus during the last supper, when Jesus began to wash his disciples' feet (see John 13:1-15).

In some of the New Testament's accounts of him, Peter expresses extreme attitudes.

First, Peter asked incredulously, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" Peter recognized the gap between Jesus' pure spirituality and his own thoughts, which were still on a material level. But perhaps he mistakenly attributed the difference between himself and Jesus to what he believed was his material identity or personality. Hence, his self-righteous unwillingness to allow Jesus to wash his feet. He declared, "Thou shalt never wash my feet."

Jesus quickly corrected Peter. "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." The Christ must wash away all sense of unworthiness, guilt, self-righteousness, pride, arrogance—any quality that does not come directly from God—in order for the spiritual man that God created, to shine forth.

Peter immediately got the point. And he reversed his position, although still with traces of his extreme attitude. He said, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Even this profession of faith was gently corrected by Jesus: "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit."

Peter would confront his faulty sense of himself many more times before he thoroughly understood his own identity. Even his sense of loyalty to Jesus was tested the night the Master was taken into custody. Previously, Peter had sworn to die with Jesus if that became necessary. But this affirmation of loyalty was made more from animal courage than from spiritual understanding and conviction, although Peter did not realize that at the time.

Jesus recognized that Peter's promise lacked a spiritual basis, and told Peter that his courage would fail him before morning (see John 13:36—38). In fear and anguish, Peter did deny his Master three times. This humbling failure of human will helped to turn Peter more toward Spirit, God, for his strength.

During each of these battles with his own sometimes confused sense of self, Peter learned a little about his real identity apart from any material personality. Eventually, he went on to lead the other disciples in establishing the other Christian Church. Finally, he willingly laid down his life for Christ, not from bravado or false courage, but from a clear conviction that his life was eternally in God and could not be taken away.

Peter is a wonderful example to all of us. Instead of free-falling down the mountain with no particular purpose except the thrill of the fall, we can experience the constant challenge and excitement of a journey to the top. Along the way there will be plenty of opportunities to exchange the obstacles of personality for the steppingstones of our true, spiritual identity. Is the result extreme joy? Absolutely!

Issues such as these will be explored at an international conference for the academic community on August 6-8, 1998, in Boston, Massachusetts. See advertisement on page 2.