God’s first teaching to us was to grow life. This is the first principle. Using this teaching, we can better understand God’s later teachings. We can understand “growing life” as having three parts: God, children, and work. Like the Four Methods, these also aren’t random.

Some people have thought that each person has three selves. These are: the rational self, the emotional self, and the instinctive self. Each part acts like a mini-person inside of the whole. Each has its own desires and goals. The rational self loves truth, understanding, and wisdom. The emotional self loves connection, respect, and belonging to a group. The instinctive self loves food, drinks, and sex. Or to put it more simply: your head, your heart, and your gut.

So then the question becomes: how can each of these mini-persons follow God’s teachings? Remember that life is the unity of things. Life is unity, death is fracture. When things are gathered together, there’s life. When things fall apart, that’s death. Life is joy, and death is suffering. God said to grow life. If you let each one of these parts of you grow life, then you end up with the three parts of life.

So how does the gut do this? The gut gathers the different elements of the earth, and unites them into a person. The world is vast, and with many resources. The different parts of the earth long to come together. This is where the instinctive self shines. Two of them come together and are united. Two of them come together and make love. When they make love, a person is born. When a person is born, the elements can finally be gathered inside of them. God taught us to grow life. The instinctive self grows the unity of the elements. This part of life is “kids”.

And how does the heart grow life? The heart gathers the different people of the Earth, and unites them into a society. Humanity is vast, and very resourceful. The people of the world long to come together. This is where the emotional self shines. They come together and are united. They come together and become a body. Each person doing what they were meant to do. One person the hands, and the other the foot. Each person loving their neighbor. God taught us to grow life. The emotional self grows the unity of people. This part of life is “work”.

The head gathers the different societies of the Earth, and unites them in God. God is the life of the world, and God is infinite. All of creation longs to be united in God. This is where the rational self shines. The rational self gathers everything together, and unites it to God. It takes everything it can find, and gives it to God. And how could a rational person do anything but unite this world to God? Don’t you know that God is the life of the world, and its maker? From God comes joy, and love, and life. God taught us to grow life. And how will you grow life when separated from the life of the world?

May God inspire us to grow life in all ways. May we be surrounded by life, and not death. Make peace with God, and make peace with God.