Alternative Centers

Key Points:

• Each of us has a center, though we usually don't recognize it as such. Neither do we recognize the all-encompassing effects of that center on every aspect of our lives. There are nine centers that we are going to at look: Spouse, Family, Money, Work, Possession, Pleasure, Church, and Self. 
• We will be going over what each of these centers and their qualities are in relation to our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.
• Spouse Centeredness= If our sense of emotional worth comes primarily from our marriage, then we become highly dependent upon that relationship. We become vulnerable to the moods and feelings, the behavior and treatment of our spouse, or to any external event that may impinge on the relationship--a new child, in-laws, economic setbacks, social successes, and so forth. 
• Family Centeredness= People who are family-centered get their sense of security or personal worth from the family tradition and culture or the family reputation. Thus, they become vulnerable to any changes in that tradition or culture and to any influences that would affect that reputation. 
• Money Centeredness= When my sense of personal worth comes from my net worth, I am vulnerable to anything that will affect that net worth. But work and money, per se, provide no wisdom, no guidance, and only a limited degree of power and security. All it takes to show the limitations of a money center is a crisis in my life or in the life of a loved one.
• Work Centeredness= Their identity and sense of self-worth are wrapped up in their work, their security is vulnerable to anything that happens to prevent them from continuing in it. Their guidance is a function of the demands of the work. Their wisdom and power come in the limited area of their work, rendering them ineffective in other areas of life. 
• Possession Centeredness=A driving force of many people is possessions-- not only tangible, material possessions such as fashionable clothes, homes, cars, boats, and jewelry, but also the intangible possessions of fame, glory, or social performance. Most of us are aware, through our own experience, how singularly flawed such a center is, simply because it can vanish rapidly and it is influenced by so many forces.
• Pleasure Centeredness= We live in a world where instant gratification is available and encouraged. Too many vacations that last too long, too many movies, too much TV, too much video game playing-- too much-undisciplined leisure time in which a person continually takes the course of least resistance gradually waste a life. It ensures that a person's capacities stay dormant, that talents remain undeveloped, that the mind and spirit become lethargic and that the heart is unfulfilled.
• Church Centeredness= Seeing the church as an end rather than as a means to an end undermines a person's wisdom and sense of balance. Although the church claims to teach people about the source of power, it does not claim to be that power itself. It claims to be one vehicle through which divine power can be channeled into man's nature.
• Self-Centeredness= The most obvious form is selfishness, which violates the values of most people. But if we look closely at many of the popular approaches to growth and self-fulfillment, we often find self-centering at their core.

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