One thing I've learned about life is that if you take the time to get to know people, it isn't long before you realize that there's a surface level at which we can exist, speaking pleasantries to one another, and being nice in general, or we can choose to allow ourselves to be known by the other at a level below the initial assessment.
For many people, even the most hardened of characters, once we crack the protective shell and allow ourselves to be known by another, it isn't long before we discover that in truth we're not so different one from another. Despite the fact that we might appear to have it all together at least as far as the outside world is concerned, inside many people are actually filled with questions about our effectiveness at communicating a message, about the true meaning of what we do and the influence we have on others, about whether anyone else out there truly cares about what we do and about who we are, beyond the fact that we appear to be occupying temporal space.
Those who rail on about the ineffectiveness or the inappropriateness of faith and of the Church would probably change their tune if they realized that there is a wealth of wisdom to be gained from the simple lessons about life that were taught by the One Saint Benedict refers to as the Master. Jesus' message was not about being grandiose in the eyes of the world. Instead, it was about justice for the oppressed, about love for the unloved, about acceptance for the castoffs of society, about the dignity of every human being, solely on the merits of the fact that they have been created, and live as reflections of the face of the Master.
In the end, regardless of whether or not we live with a faith element in our lives or not, true wisdom is found when we are able to find comfort in reflecting the inner self through the person we show to others. To this end, many of us could probably learn some valuable lessons from those who appear on the surface to be the anawim of society: the physically and mentally challenged who just don't seem to measure up to the modern-day vision of productivity, but who often know instinctively how to share the important gifts of love, acceptance and true purpose. People like Jean Vanier, the founder of L'Arche continue to challenge us to be human. If we accept the challenge and do our part to struggle with the true wisdom that brings us meaning, we're well on the way to learning some of the most valuable lessons in life.
1 comment:
People who work with the mentally challenged find out very quickly that they are some of the happiest people, probably due to the fact that they aren't getting uptight about their appearances or impressions they leave. We could learn a number of valuable lessons from them. They know how to "live, love and laugh" well.
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