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The Art of Selfishness: Part 2

The Paradox of Serving Others in a Me-First World
By Dan Dunford

If you joined me for last week's blog post, The Art of Selfishness: Part 1, you'll remember that we've been focusing on the issue of self-centeredness in the arts. I gave an example from the world of sports, illustrating that sports and sports-related products require customers or audience members to truly thrive. The music world works in a similar fashion. Without audience members (customers) musicians do not have careers. When selfishness is allowed to take over an ensemble, the quality of the product falls. If the principal trombonist in an orchestra decides that his minor line that functions as an underpinning is just as important as a major countermelody, issues develop that detract from the overall quality of the group. This trombonist may think that he is "getting his way," "sticking it to the conductor,"or "showcasing his musicianship," but he is merely weakening the

effectiveness of the ensemble. This can start a chain reaction. Someone in the audience, maybe a reviewer for a newspaper or a reputable internet blog, hears these types of things detracting from the performance and writes about it. Several thousand people read his review, which points out that the performance was sub-par. These people decide that this orchestra is not worth their time or money and do not attend the concerts. The orchestra loses money because they are not getting any new customers. This then results in the orchestra cutting salaries or concerts.

I realize that this progression is a rather extreme and very simplified timeline, but I think it validly illustrates a few things that can happen when selfishness is left unchecked in a music environment.

The Bible talks about being unselfish in a number of places. In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul writes, "...in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Later, in verses 6-7, Paul sets up a flawless example, that of Jesus Christ: "...who, though was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." We become the guiltiest hypocrites on Earth when we accept the love that Christ gives us in humility, and follow it up by setting ourselves above all the people around us. This destroys relationships, and it can hurt the cause of Christ. How can the lost take our message of the love of Christ seriously when we are unwilling to love others and be servants by putting aside our selfishness? Next time you are in rehearsal, or even stuck in a practice room, remember that your performance is not about you. It is about blessing others.

Finally, the number one priority in any performance situation and life in general is bringing glory to God. We all know these words by J.S. Bach, but it never hurts to have a reminder: "Music's only purpose should be the glory of God and the refreshment of the human spirit." These words might get bandied about in the Christian arts communities to the point where we start to lose their meaning, but it is still a powerful (and powerfully true) statement, There is nothing in that quote about making yourself look good, or making sure your musical opinion is followed above your colleague's opinion. We are given a powerful gift, a key to unlock the wells of human emotion with our music. However, it is just that, a gift. No one has done anything to deserve such a powerful emotional tool. The only thing that can be done to thank the Creator for this gift is to fall on our knees and offer it back to him as a sacrifice.

In Luke 12. Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who had an incredible harvest one year. His harvest was like nothing he had ever seen. The first thing he did was fall on his knees and thank God for the blessings He had bestowed. God blessed the farmer with long life and great wealth. Actually, that's not what happened. The farmer did not even bother to recognize God's blessing in his life. He decided to kick back and party. And God (basically) said, "I don't think so. You're done." And that was the end of the farmer. That's pretty intense reminder of the fact that our gift comes from God, and our selfishness is a sin against him.

As I wrap this up, there is one more thing to remember. In John 15:13, Jesus tells his disciples, "Greater love has no one that this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Unselfishness is an act of love. Placing the audience first is an act of love. On the other hand, selfish desire for more power and prestige got Lucifer and thousands of angels kicked out of heaven.

These are things that we cannot forget. Selfishness is running rampant across our field and across our culture. It should not be running rampant across Christianity. Take a look at yourself. Se if you need to change your attitude. It's Valentine's Day after all! Let's be a true representation of God's love by ridding ourselves of selfish ambition and instead unifying ourselves in Christ.