A Faustian bargain is one in which the receiver gets something today that seems pretty good but comes with a cost that will be felt down the road that will hurt much more than today’s “win.” The origination of the term came from a German story written by an anonymous writer about a scholar by the name of Johann Faust in the sixteenth century.
Faust had raised his hands to the dark, starry night and said he would give anything to understand the mysteries of the Universe. To which, Faust was then visited by an agent of the devil, Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles offered that he could answer Faust’s wish should he be willing to give up his soul. Mephistopheles offers to share his secret knowledge of the Universe and be Faust’s slave for twenty-four years after which, Faust would become obliged to give his soul to Mephistopheles for eternity. Mephistopheles warns Faust of the consequences of a decision to trade his soul for a little knowledge today. He encourages Faust to not make this trade.
Faust can’t help himself. Faust is focused on what he will get today and for his near-term future. The win seems obvious to him. He will get what he’s dreamed of, insights into the ways of the world. The cost of the choice is so far into the future it doesn’t seem real. He eagerly accepts the trade and Mephistopheles shows Faust the world.
Faust enjoys a couple of decades of amazing experiences while Mephistopheles glumly observes that as remarkable as these times may be, they will pale in comparison to the perpetual pain that is coming. The legend of Faust evolved into stories written by other famous writers over the centuries.
The misery of Mephistopheles follows from facing a Faustian bargain where we’re willing to trade tomorrow for today. A Faustian bargain is where we accept something today that makes our tomorrows worse. This is the path to personal ruin and a life of disappointment. It doesn’t apply only to our souls and eternity but to any decision where we indulge an immediate impulse at a cost to our future. The goal is not to sell our soul for any old lump of coal. It should be, instead, to seek impulse control. Delayed gratification that flows from self-discipline is the best way to ensure over-time we win.
We should work to trade the short-term for the long-term. Hopefully, we all have more tomorrows to which to look toward. We should care about these more than what we can enjoy and take out of today. Today isn’t a present that we should enjoy like a child. Instead, we should be using today to make tomorrow better. The present is a gift we can give our future self through our efforts today.
Short-term thinking is, well, short-sighted. It leads to all sorts of problems. The biggest of which is that discomfort is to be avoided. Quick fixes, hacks, and short cuts are anything but what we want to depend on. Short-term thinking leads to transactional thinking. The answer to the question what’s in this for me right now becomes the compass. Remember, the fruits of a Faustian bargain inevitably fade.
A long-term perspective leads to persistence, dedication, commitment. It accepts that things won’t be easy. Effort is implied. This may seem like work but it’s the best way to improve the odds of your tomorrows being better than your todays.
In relationships, it’s the difference between marriage and a hook-up.
In friendships, it’s the difference between a BFF and a Facebook friend.
In business, it’s about the next decade over this quarter.
In health, it’s about the next twenty-five years over what’s fun right now.
In finances, it’s about contributing to my RSP over what internet ad is tempting me right now.
In each of these examples, the former implies an investment today for a better tomorrow whereas the latter is about taking what you can get right now. Avoid trading tomorrow for taking something today. Instead focus on giving of yourself today to invest in better tomorrows.
The future is coming towards you. You can’t stop it. But you can contribute to making it a more pleasant place to be by making constructive choices today. Avoid misery and run away from negotiating with Mephistopheles.
