A short Optimize Plus One conversation between Brian Johnson and Emerson exploring the meaning of the word “sin.” Brian emphasizes the etymology—sin as “to miss the mark”—uses an archer analogy, and draws a practical moral: when we miss our targets we should try again repeatedly while keeping high standards and striving to improve.
Hi, this is Brian.
Hi. This is Emerson.
Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. The other day, Emerson and I were doing some reading together, and he asked me what the word sin meant. I paused for a moment, decided to pass on, starting with the definition I learned in my Catholic upbringing and rather focus on the etymology of the word, then move on to the moral lesson. Side note, shouldn't moral ology be a word? So I told him that the word sin literally means to miss the mark. It's like an archer who aims at a target but misses. Yeah. When he misses the target, what does he do? I asked.
He tries again.
He tries again. Emerson said, Nice. Said it exactly. Well, I continued, in life, sometimes you want to do the right thing, but you miss the target, and that's called a sin. I paused and let him absorb that. Did you get that?
Yes.
Yeah, sometimes that happens. He got it. And then I said, what do you think we should do after that happens? What should we do after that happens?
After what?
We try and we don't quite get it right.
Try again.
We should try again. Emerson said. And I said, exactly. And that's today's plus one. Let's keep our standards high, do our best, and know that sometimes we're going to miss the targets we set. Perfect. We're human. Let's try again and again and again. Knowing we're never exonerated, and that our Daimon is always waiting for us to hit the target and give him or her a high five. So let's close the gap and not leave him hanging. Today, give me five. Boom. Hit the target, right?
Yeah.
What's it all about?
Hitting the target. Trying again.
Trying again. When?
Again and again.
And then maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Oh, good idea. And the day after that, too.
