The Quiet Life

In his classic "The Imitation of Christ,"
Thomas Kempis urges the reader to
"enjoy being unknown and regarded
as nothing."
What he means is the ability to persist
through tedium, to survive without the
oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking,
to do some good things every day that
are seen only by God.

Most of us start life as the center of the
universe, being stroked and attended to.
Baby's every smile and whimper is
responded to and noted.
It is an addictive experience, and
it is hard to get used to being just one of
a family, and later one of whole class or
school, barely noticed.

There are people, like some pop stars,
who never recover from the addiction
of being the center of attention, never
climb out of those infantile lowlands.
They find it impossible to survive
without notice and applause and spend
their energies, seeking it.
They never fit themselves for the higher
ground where the oxygen of appreciation
is thinner, and they have to survive,
as unknown and hardly noticed.

For all but his last three years, Jesus was
happy to live a hidden life.
That is where most of the good in this
world is accomplished, by parents,
caretakers, and all who keep going
through the daily offering of their
unacknowledged service.

.... from the book, "Sacred Space" by
       Jesuit Communication Center, Ireland