“Achieving is not a bad thing — when it’s done in the right way and for the right reasons. But it’s no substitute for connecting. In fact, if it is done right, it must honor community. The only really significant are those who enrich the life of community.”- John Ortberg
“We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.”- Albert Schweitzer
In Chapter 2 (“The Wonder of Oneness”) of Everybody’s Normal . . . John Ortberg notes that for centuries some of the smartest minds who ever lived devoted themselves to the problem of loneliness. Because we possess a God-given desire for community.
Most significantly, social scientist Jean Eishstein underscores this thought about the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Eishstein observes that King captured the conscience of society. Because his speech articulated not just King’s dream, but also the human dream. God’s dream. Certainly, Eishstein notes, dream served as a much more effective choice than preference.
However, states psychologist Jacqueline Olds, no one likes to admit they feel lonely. Because being lonely is something people associate with losers. Above all, in anonymous polls people readily admit they’re lonely. Yet, when asked to supply their names, they then identify as independent and self-sufficient.
Jean Vanier founded the world famous L’Arche community for mentally handicapped people and their helpers. Vanier once wrote:
“We all carry our own deep wound, which is the wound of loneliness. We find it hard to be alone, and we try to flee from this in hyperactivity, through television, and in a million other ways.”
Therefore, John finds it ironic that our culture worships the idol of achievement for its own sake. For no one who fails at relationships lives a meaningful and joy-filled life. But human beings who give themselves to relational greatness lead magnificent lives. God created us for oneness. Finally, no one ever regrets devoting themselves to friends, neighbors, children, and family.
Today’s question: Do you believe that achieving must honor community? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A place of resurrection”