Consider others – A novel idea

I watched the movie, “A Beautiful Mind”, the other night and it was quite interesting. It is a true story about a genius, John Nash, who suffered from schizophrenia. He was too smart for school and as a young man did not attend a class and yet was heavily courted by Princeton who went after numerous other geniuses of the day.

It was there at Princeton that his illness first surfaced in the form of seeing several imaginary people, (including a roommate). These imaginary people stayed with him throughout his life. He was treated with electric shock treatments and was committed to a mental institution for some length of time, but he never got over it. Eventually he was released into the care of his wife and ultimately he learned to live with his delusions, albeit it was a struggle.

In spite of his severe illness and strange ways he was an exceedingly brilliant mathematician and while at Princeton he came up with what he called his “Big Idea”. He developed it into an economic theory that is widely used throughout the world today and later in life it even won Nash a Nobel Prize.

Oddly he got the “Big Idea” while at a local pub. He and several other geniuses were gathered there when a beautiful blond came in with several other less beautiful women. All of the guys were ogling the blond and each was planning their own personal strategy as to how best to put a move on her and win her heart.

John Nash reasoned that if everyone went after the blond, the majority of them would end up disappointed because, at best, she would only end up with only one of them and of course all of the other guys would be mad at the victor; however if everyone would ditch conventional wisdom and concentrate on the other women instead of the obvious target, the biggest prize of all, (the blond), they would all likely end up with one of the women and thus a far better result would be realized and everyone would end up being happy.

Over a year’s time he formalized this into an economic theory that went entirely against the conventional wisdom and leading theorems of the day that guided economic principles on a global basis. The Dean at Princeton was utterly amazed at this ground breaking discovery and his career was launched.

John Nash discovered that if we would concentrate on what is best for the majority instead of our own personal desires everyone would benefit. He was quite right in understanding that the norm in our society is to think of self and that if we could overcome our natural tendencies in that regard we could benefit greatly.


If only our government leadership could learn these lessons.

Jesus did not win the Nobel prize, but He came up with this logic thousands of years before Nash did. Study His life and His word and learn what a real genius is like and how you can be just like Him.


Philippians 2:3-11
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.