An Alternate View of the Science of Human Behavior……..

Economists argue that economics offers not merely a set of insights about the production and consumption of material goods but also a science of human behavior.  At the heart of this science is a simple but sweeping idea:  In all domains of life, human behavior can be explained by assuming that people decide what to do by weighting the costs and benefits of the options before them, and choosing the one they believe will give them the greatest welfare, or utility.

The alternate view to the science of human behavior is the dimensions of mind and spirit. Research in the study of disease causation reveals the dimensions of the mind and spirit are crucial factors in the disease process.  What we think and feel seems to be as vital to the state of our health as the food we eat or the exercise we engage in.  The emergence of the holistic model of the person or the person-centered model of care views the human being as a total person, an individual with social, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs as well as obvious physical needs.  Changes in one dimension of the person will trigger changes in other dimensions of his or her personhood.  What emerges from this unified understanding of the person is the conclusion that the health of the spirit is the vital dynamic in the health of the whole person.

So what is the fundamental meaning of the science of human behavior as it relates to the spiritual aspect of human existence?  Does life really have meaning—any real meaning—or do we just live and die in a small frame of a pointless, accidental cycle of the universe?  Why is everything the way it is?   What is the rhyme or reason behind all this?  What is our purpose in living?  Where can we look for—THAT--which is ultimately real, that unlimited source from which we derive life and meaning?  Behind all such questions is a fundamental one.  The question of meaning in its deeper aspects involves us in the realm of the “sacred” where thinking and feelings are revealed.

The “sacred” is about a path to ultimate transformation.  It is expressed in thought, action, and feelings.  The “sacred” is not something to be proved or disproved.  It’s a certain feeling.  The “sacred” realm of reality with ultimate significance is the ultimate good in human life.