If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase “What would Jesus do?” then you must be living under a rock. It’s commonplace to see WWJD emblazoned on various things like bracelets, jewelry, and various knick knacks. The most basic assumption that can be made about people who display this acronym is that they are Christian/follow a religion in which Jesus is a central figure. However, it seems like oftentimes the examination stops there. How many of us have actually stopped to think about what it actually means? Yes, WWJD stands for “What would Jesus do?” Yes, it’s straightforward enough that after a quick examination you can correctly assume that it serves as a reminder to act in line with the bible’s teachings. But how many of us, religious or not, actually feel like we grok the phrase?
I first heard of the phrase in the ’90s from a Christian friend of mine at the time. Although it’s been more than 10 years since I was first exposed to WWJD, I never examined the meaning behind the phrase. I never consciously thought of it as something that could apply to me, probably because I don’t identify as religious and thus I don’t often actively seek to examine things pertaining to religion. But recently, I’ve come to discover how powerful the underlying concepts of WWJD can be, even to those who are not religious.
Taken verbatim, WWJD encourages us to do as Jesus would. Some non-religious folk may disagree with this idea, but in my opinion they are missing the point. When it comes down to it, the main concept behind WWJD is to model yourself after someone who has qualities that you think are important in life and that you would like to have yourself. In the context of WWJD, the ideal role model is Jesus Christ. Regardless of whether one agrees that Jesus is an ideal role model is besides the point. In my opinion, the spirit of the phrase is both valid and valuable. After all, what better way to grow as a person than to actively become the person you want to be?
Some nonbelievers may argue that WWJD is ridiculous because it encourages people to model themselves after an imaginary person. But it seems like even when someone uses a real live person as a role model, they are often actually modeling themselves after an imaginary person without realizing it. When a real person is chosen to be a role model, it’s often assumed that that person is a role model in every respect and it’s easy to become attached to that idea. But realistically, chances are that there are going to be characteristics about the role model that violate someone’s idea of the ideal person. And when that comes to light, they may feel disillusioned. Their reaction may be to remove them completely as a role model. They may lose some faith in humanity. This is all a result of projecting their personal ideals onto their role model, resulting in an imaginary person.
There are at least a couple ways to solve this problem. One method that would work well for those who need a concrete, real life example to model themselves after is to find qualities that you admire in other people and see them as a role model but only in those qualities. Recognize that although they fit your ideal in some ways, they do not fit your ideal in other ways. Also recognize that if they do not fit your ideal in other ways, it does not invalidate the ways that they do fit your ideal. Using this method, you’ll likely find that you’ll have different role models for different aspects in life, and as you and your role models change as people, you’ll switch role models once in awhile. But basically, what you’ll be striving for is becoming a mesh of all the ideal qualities of all of your role models.
A method that would work better for those who tend to be more abstract in thinking would be to take the qualities you find ideal and mesh them into an imaginary role model. Whether you imagine your role model to be your ideal/higher self or as a completely different entity is up to you. Regardless, if your ideals change in life, your role model will also change along with you.
Funny enough, the concept of having a role model seems to be undervalued. Everybody has dreams, goals, passions, and desires, but many people don’t pursue them because of the idea that there are certain prerequisites. Whether it’s because the prerequisites don’t get completed quickly or because more and more prerequisites get added to the list, all too often people keep postponing living their ideal life and being their ideal self. Their ideal self has the potential to be their role model, but somehow people don’t actually model themselves after their ideal self. This is where another concept behind WWJD comes in: take action. Live your ideal life. Be your ideal self. The longer you wait to take action, the further you will be from being who you want to be.
Too many people wait their entire lifetime to take action, and unfortunately there are those who never get to live their dream. Although taking action is a simple concept to grasp, it can be a very difficult thing to accomplish. The first step is the hardest, but it only gets easier and faster from then on. Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Live your ideal and you can change the world. If you change a few words in that quote, it can apply to the life that you live: “Be the change you want to see in yourself.” Live your ideal, and you can change your life. It all starts with one baby step: ask yourself, what would you do?
Food For Thought
Who is your role model? What are some important qualities of your role model? What steps can you take to develop those qualities in yourself?
