Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch, Fredericksburg, Iowa
Philippians 2:3-4
Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.
Douglas Korpi answered an ad that read, “male college students needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day…” Seemed like easy enough money for two weeks of work. He became prisoner 8612 in an ill-fated experiment. “Carried out August 15-21, 1971 in the basement of Jordan Hall, the Stanford Prison Experiment set out to examine the psychological effects of authority and powerlessness in a prison environment. The study, led by psychology professor Philip G. Zimbardo, recruited Stanford students using a local newspaper ad. Twenty-four students were carefully screened and randomly assigned into groups of prisoners and guards. The experiment, which was scheduled to last 1-2 weeks, ultimately had to be terminated on only the 6th day as the experiment escalated out of hand when the prisoners were forced to endure cruel and dehumanizing abuse at the hands of their peers. The experiment showed, in Dr. Zimbardo’s words, how ‘ordinary college students could do terrible things.’” (Stanford.edu)
The SPE as a scientific experiment was flawed from the start, but it does provide some interesting analysis about human nature. The guards indeed abused the prisoners and misused their authority, but the prisoners also started rebelling the brutal treatment from Day One in response. But surprisingly, instead of the prisoners seeking to be united and helping one another, they started to distance themselves from one another. Interesting. First evil is given free reign, then evil isolates. Wolves are by no means evil, but they are a good example of pack hunters. Wolves are not large enough or naturally equipped with the jaws and claws of other apex predators like bears or cougars. They rely on sticking together. The pack trails a herd watching for weakness and that creates a feeling of panic that turns into pandemonium. In the midst of the chaos, the wolves are able to isolate the small, weak, or the ill. Sometimes even a larger, healthier animal stumbles creating a moment of isolation, and falls prey to the pack.
That’s what makes Philippians 2: 3-4 so important! “Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.” When we look out for one another, we are united. In unity, there is no panic, there is no chaos, there is no isolation, and there is no success for evil. And by the way, the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians from prison. A real prison that couldn’t be terminated in 6 days. He knew what he was asking! And what did Dr. Zimbardo learn from his experiment? He said, “I argue that we all have the capacity for love and evil. It’s the situation that brings that out.” (apa.org) What is your situation? What will you bring out? I choose the pack with the capacity for love.
