The importance of being...well...here!

On the 14^th of October most of the world watched in awe as Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped from the stratosphere, breaking the sound barrier on his way down. A once in a (our?) lifetime happening. So special, in fact, that Felix has now retired – having accomplished everything he has ever dreamt of doing. We were/are mesmerized – he jumped from almost space, for heaven’s sake! 

And yet, without realizing it, we have actually been masters of space travel for a very long time – for we are constantly jumping from past to future. When we are not busy reminiscing about our yesterdays, we are planning our tomorrows. We are always busy striving, moving, reaching – because our yesterday wasn’t exactly up to scratch and our tomorrow HAS to be more, has to be better (knowing that it can never really be). Together with our time-jump abilities, we are also VERY adept at displacement – we easily breeze from our own bodies and thoughts to those of the people around us (whether they be friend or stranger), enabling us to know their innermost thoughts and feelings…thoughts and feelings that, when it comes to us, are mostly negative and/or disappointed… At least we can say that we have become professionals – professionals at bashing ourselves. For if there is one thing we know for certain, it is that we are supposed to be more than who we are, better off than where we are etc., even if we can never seem to pinpoint the exact details.

Also, when peeking into the people around us’ lives, they always seem SO much more dynamic, interesting and worthwhile. In fact, we are shocked and angry when those people share their insecurities with us – how dare they, when it’s so obvious how awesome they are?! The funniest (and saddest) part is that we KNOW the worth of the people around us, without being able to accept that those very same “rules” apply to us as well. And also, where does all of this wonderful space travel get us? Not into the Guinness Book of World Records, that’s for sure! No, it shoves us into the small dark corners of our lives. It empties us of our joy and energy. It breaks our souls.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.” - Charles R Swindoll

What to do? Stop all our very futuristic travelling, which should make us feel all proud, but instead makes us become smaller. Start living where we are – and ENJOYING it for what it is – the preciousness that is life. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” - William James

Making waves

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” - Bruce Lee “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” - John Wooden

How often the words “making an impact” and “changing the world” have come up in conversations these past few weeks. Conversations about life’s meaning; about what living with purpose entails; about when you know that what you are doing is good enough. The funny thing about these conversations is the fact that “meaning”/”impact” is so often connected to (I want to go as far as say melded with?) numbers – my life can only mean something if it impacts lots and lots of people. So we are only good enough, we are only making an impact, if we are reaching the whole world. If every person with us in this world (well, at least the vast majority) doesn’t know who we are or what we do, we can consider ourselves meaningless. I myself have to admit to suffering from this Oprah/Mother Theresa complex every so often – even though I am told that what I do adds meaning, if the whole world isn’t saying it, it’s as if it never happened.

This has me thinking – when I’m not thinking how useless I am because I haven’t established world peace, of course – about what the value is I see in such a big life? What any of us see in such a big life? Lots of people know you then, yes, and lots of them will probably admire you. You might even be rich and be able to throw resources into all sorts of causes that fix many things. But how does that impact your life? What does it mean when you are on your own? What does it mean to all the many people that know of you when they are alone? Because, in the end, life and meaning is about those times – those times when there is only you. Of course, immediate tension arises in me, for I follow a God whose one desire is to impact hearts. And having such a big life/influence certainly touches people’s hearts.

But in what way? And how permanently? Is my helping reaching and changing their innermost thoughts? Am I strengthening them for the whole of the life they are living? Because isn’t that the change God is talking about? Well, never mind talking about, isn’t that the change God focused on when He walked among us? He was not a celebrity. He had no means. He had no grand schemes. And yet, He changed the world forever. How? By really investing His all into a handful of people and changing their hearts and minds.

It sounds much less exciting, yes. It frustrates every ounce of my (every one of us’) secret celebrity dream. But then, when it is late and I am alone, I am again reminded of the question – Is being well known the same as being known? The same as knowing? And, in the quiet, I know…  

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest men and women and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.” - Bessie Anderson Stanley