Rethinking preferences

“I’ll have a pot of Chamomile tea with three lemon wedges­—not slices—and some of that green sweetener.” 

As I overheard a woman at the next table give the waiter this detailed request, it reminded me of some of my own preferences, which I quickly realized were not inconsiderable in number. I noted, for instance, that I preferred dark chocolate to milk chocolate, cashmere to wool, large dogs to small, tennis to basketball—my mental list kept growing and growing. Next, I started wondering just exactly when I’d become so particular about everything! 

Well, I reasoned, what’s wrong with having personal preferences? Aren’t they the natural and inevitable result of one’s life journey and individuality? Yet, there’s a potential pitfall with preferences, I saw. They can stifle creativity, spontaneity, and our receptivity to inspiration from God. When our routines and inclinations begin to dominate our thoughts and actions, they lead us away from the First Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me [God]” (Exodus 20:3), to a life where we seem to be in our own orbit, under the influence of many little “gods.” This can be particularly true when our preferences stem from pride, ambition, fear, lack, or willfulness, or from a desire to influence others. What might start out as a harmless fancy can lead us away from the divine Mind, God, and keep us tethered to a belief of existence as material.