Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke
When weight lifting, power is not gained without a sacrifice. One does not get stronger unless one applies greater stress than the muscles can currently sustain, give those muscles time to heal, and then repeat the process yet again. And again. And again. No pain, no gain, as the old phrase goes, right?
In the TV fantasy drama "Once Upon a Time", the character Rumpelstiltskin was frequently bargaining with the other characters, the title of this post being a common phrase he cited frequently. The other major characters, seeking to change their fates, would often be tempted to use magic, and had to be reminded that such power always came at a price.
In the Japanese "Fullmetal Alchemist" stories, the principal "magic" is called "alchemy", and it works on the principle of "equivalent exchange". To "transmute" something that is into something it is not, a price must be paid, and so certain types of alchemy are forbidden because the costs are simply too great.
The prices we pay to make changes in the world are viewed as negatives by those who do not wish to pay them.
The prices we pay to make changes in the world are the foundation for perspective of those who do.
So many times in fictional stories do we see the characters try to have their cake and eat it too. To defeat the bad guys without violating their own principles. To win the heart of the fair maiden through acts of noble chivalry. To beat the other team through dedication and hard work.
Except that we have a lot of people who don't have perspective, who did not suffer the requisite pain, who did not pay the price, and they believe that because nobody has come to collect by now, that nobody is going to at all. Generations in on these arrogant bargains, whilst the devils we made them with watch the interest rise on such unpaid debts, they're in no rush to collect anytime soon.
These viewpoints are ultimately childish in nature, reflecting a severe immaturity and stagnation of understanding the reality we live in. A world which does not care for us, whether we live or die, whether we are happy or sad, there is but a cold indifference as entropy continues to undo all that is.
IVF has a price.
Contraception has a price.
Abortion has a price.
Divorce has a price.
Denial of genetics has a price.
Gluttony has a price.
Fornication has a price.
"Diversity" has a price.
Indoor plumbing has a price.
Each aspect of "advanced civilization" that materially separates us from the animals of the field comes at a price, and in our arrogance, we have made terrible deals and taunted fate to "do its worst". The only path forward is to pay the bill, or to make the debt disappear by eliminating the one who would seek to be repaid.
Any wonder why there is so much hatred for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? The one who judged the world, and then passed that role of judgment on to Jesus Christ? Ever wonder how atheists and agnostics are never triggered by any faith the way they are by Christianity?
They see the writing on the wall, the debt that they owe God for their rebellion, but believe that if they can eliminate their debts in this life, perhaps they can also find a way to do the same for the next. When Christians preach the Gospel and repentance, they remind everyone that there is only one way such debts can ever be repaid or eliminated. If such a thing is true, they are damned, and so they cling to the hope that Christians are wrong, and are driven passionately to show that there is nothing special, unique, or important about Christianity.
Jesus Christ paid the price so that sinners could be reconciled to God the Father, so that humanity could return to its place and purpose of bringing glory and honor to God through obedience and worship.
Unfortunately, many will arrogantly choose to bear their own burdens, even unto eternal damnation, rather then worship any but themselves and their own power, their own intellect, their own abilities and traits. Do not leave this life guilty of debts that cannot be repaid.
There are no innocents in hell.
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