When we hear about some heinous crime or violent act, one of the first questions that come to mind is, What made them do it? What was the motive? Attempting to, in some way, understand such moments, society clamors to figure out the “why” of it all. Investigators search for a cause, a reason, a rationale. Perhaps, if we could understand the thinking behind what the perpetrator did, we could bring some sense to the senselessness in an effort to stop such crimes from occurring.

And in fact, discerning the underlying impulse is significant. Actions begin with thoughts, so by zeroing in on the thinking behind an act, we start to move into the arena where real change can happen. And this begins with understanding what it is that really motivates us.  

Perceiving things from a material standpoint may lead us to believe that every individual is independently motivated—by their own mind; their own history; their own likes, dislikes, and proclivities. But Christian Science, which shifts perception to a spiritual basis, offers a very different picture of what we are. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, wrote of our true nature, which she generically identifies as man, this way: “The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. . . . Man is idea, the image, of Love; . . . that which has no separate mind from God; that which has not a single quality underived from Deity; that which possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 475).