My iGoogle “Quote of the Day” widget spat up this gem from Mr. Microsoft today:
“Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.” ~ Bill Gates
It’s disturbing when the practice of one’s faith boils down only to measures of efficiency. Have we really grown so busy and consumption-driven that we have to analyze every aspect of every day to make sure that the output of our productivity is constantly at its maximum? Has our capitalism really become our idol to the point that we are willing to cut out matters of faith because there are “better” uses of our time?
I wonder what else Mr. Gates does or does not choose to pursue in the name of efficiency. Does he watch movies? Does he ever enjoy a nice meal, or does he stick instead to the quick convenience of a microwave dinner? He must converse with friends and family at some point, though perhaps he times the conversations and somehow justifies them as tax writeoffs — or maybe he just bills them afterward. At what point does efficiency give way to other priorities, as it certainly, eventually must? And how does one judge whether a particular priority option is or is not one for which sacrificing some efficiency is worthwhile?
Many questions, most of which ultimately lead me to the belief that Mr. Gates’ comment is grossly short-sighted. Granted, it is certainly not short-sighted if you feel that what we have here is all that we get. However, if there’s even the slightest chance that our time in this life is merely an infinitesimal fraction of an eternity that awaits beyond death in some form, isn’t it a good “allocation of time resources” to look beyond our current circumstances, investigate the options, and pursue something higher than this world?
That’s a big question that Mr. Gates, like each one of us, would do well to sacrifice some efficiency to ponder.
Gates always seemed to me like the kind of guy who doesn’t bother with God because he’s never had a material need for Him. The man’s made billions of dollars in the last few decades and has had the luxury to want for nothing. I seriously would be interested to know how many times a month he takes in a movie or actually enjoys a typical night out… much less ponders an omnipotent universal force (outside his own consciousness). Maybe now that he’s retired, he could find some time to focus on the more important things in life.