Sacred and profane
“One day Jacob was cooking a stew. Esau came in from the field, starved. Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stew—I’m starved!” Jacob said, “Make me a trade: my stew for your rights as the firstborn.” Esau said, “I’m starving! What good is a birthright if I’m dead?” Jacob said, “First, swear to me.” And he did it. On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn....That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.”
How do you make decisions?
This ancient story of Jacob and Esau is more than just one extolling the values of long-term thinking when making decisions.
And no, it’s not about the importance of keeping snacks on hand or avoiding grocery shopping while you’re hungry.
It’s about knowing what’s sacred in your life, and what’s profane.
Those probably aren’t words being used in your budgeting and planning meetings… though maybe they should be.
Sacred refers to the things that have special importance. Things that inspire awe, wonder. The uncommon things, the set-apart things. Sacred things are irreplaceable.
Profane is the opposite. Sure, it can refer to things actively opposed to the good. But it can also just mean the everyday, the mundane, the unimportant. Dollar store stuff.
Esau sacrificed the sacred - his birthright and all the benefits and responsibilities associated with it - on the altar of the mundane - a bowl of stew.
With thousands of years of hindsight, it’s easy to judge Esau, but how often do we do the same?
We trade our health for fast food. Our relationships at work for that next deliverable. Time with family for that next promotion.
LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS FROM ESAU
Define what’s sacred for you. What is irreplaceable in your life? What must you protect at all costs? Do you have a sense of mission or calling? Try repeating this exercise in different domains of your life - family, work, health, finances, spirituality. Step back and look for commonalities across those domains. Finally, prioritize. What are your one to three non-negotiables? Rank order them.
Reflect on the sacred. You won’t have to worry about the profane (the everyday) if you’ve got the sacred (the irreplaceable, non-negotiable things) front-and-center. This is not about goal-setting. It’s about knowing what the foundation for a good life is. It’s about having the right mindset to filter literally every decision through. Let’s say what’s sacred for you is your faith and your family. Great! Now, you can run any decision up against those two sacred “filters.” Will moving for the new role sacrifice what your family needs? Will taking that promotion put you at risk of violating your faith in any way? Will pursuing that new project take members of your team away from their families?
