Going Places
Stories
Lightly Goes the Good News
Scripture Stories For Reflection
"Do you want to climb the ladder of success?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Do you want to be at the top?"
"Certainly!"
"Do you want to move in high places?"
"Without a doubt!"
"Then look sharp! Watch your step! Play the game! Follow the rules! Then you'll get ahead!"
As far back as he could remember, Abe had gotten advice for advancing himself socially and professionally. Since he had been so intent on moving up, he paid attention to what friends, relatives, and associates told him. "Abe, when you are with your elders, smile a lot and listen carefully. Don't interrupt when they are speaking and don't be disagreeable with them. You don't want them upset," Abe's father admonished him.
Abe smiled, listened carefully, didn't interrupt him nor disagree with him.
"You see? You see?" his dad chortled. "You are going places, believe me!"
"You want the girls should like you, Abe?" his mother asked, rocking in her rocker.
"Yeah, Ma," Abe answered eagerly.
"Then be strong, smile a lot, tell them you're crazy about the bagels they bake, but don't talk with food in your mouth! Understand?"
"Yeah, I...."
"And wear clean pants and underwear! Cover up the zits on your face, chew peppermint before kissing a girl, and -- oh, yes! Don't talk with your mouth full! Understand?"
"Sure, Mom," Abe said as he looked in the mirror for telltale pimples, checked his pants and underwear, put peppermint on his must have list, returned to the mirror and practiced smiling boldly saying, "I love your bagels! I bet your little hands have been busy baking bagels for hours! I love your bagels! I bet your little hands...."
"You see? You see?" his mother beamed. "You're going places! You're going places! Wait and see!"
"You want that God should help you? That his face shine on you?"
"Oh, by all means, rabbi!" Abe said.
"Well, then, say your prayers, go to synagogue, hang around with the right kind of people, don't get smart with the elders, eat clean, be clean, check your underwear and above all, watch your mouth with you-know-who if you know what is good for you," the rabbi concluded, pointing heavenwards. "Understand?"
"Sure, sure," Abe said as he checked his underwear, muttered prayers, reviewing whether he knew enough or needed to know more.
"Should you do all I have told you, you will most certainly go places," the rabbi nodded gravely.
Abe got even more advice from comedy writers, natural food nuts, haberdashery clerks, and poise perfectionists: from comedy writers on jokes that sailed and jokes that flopped; from the food nuts on the brans he ought to eat to give nature a little help; from clothiers on the cut and color of suits calculated to advance his career; and from poise perfectionists on how to pose and be composed as he positioned himself to move to the top.
"Sure, sure," he said over and over. And over and over, the words echoed, "You've got a future. You're going places!"
Primed with so much advice and decked out in designer clothes, he ought to have successfully launched his career the day he was invited to attend a banquet at which Jesus of Nazareth was to be present. Big shot politicians and religious leaders were to be in attendance. So, too, the directors from the local community theaters! They were always looking for new talent and Abe was excited about them being present. After all, he had been acting for so many years he felt he had a good shot at getting a part in a play.
When he arrived at the home where the party was being given, he began to panic. Was he ready for all of this? Perspiring, he momentarily excused himself, went to the restroom, checked out his smile in front of the mirror, rehearsed a few prayers he had learned to impress the religious folk, checked his underwear, popped a peppermint in his mouth, rechecked his underwear, and assuming an air of nonchalance he reentered the room.
Smiling at anyone who looked in his direction, he seated himself next to an elderly gentleman. Still smiling, he cocked an ear towards the old gentleman who appeared to be whispering something to him. "What was that?" Abe asked. "Could you please speak a little louder?" The old man leaned closer to Abe but he still couldn't understand him. Straining both to keep smiling and understand the old man, Abe said, "I still can't hear you; please speak louder."
"I said," the old man yelled as everybody turned and listened, "You are sitting in the guest of honor's place. You'll have to go somewhere else! Need I say more?"
Abe was stunned, his smile froze as his face turned crimson. "I ... I ... I...." he stammered, rising to his feet and accidentally tripping on the back of the old man's robe. Quickly retreating to an open place far, far away from where he had been sitting, Abe fell into a little heap, eyes downcast, wishing with all his heart he were invisible. Mortified, he contemplated his future. Once the word had gotten around about what had happened, he couldn't possibly get to the top. He was going nowhere!
No sooner had this thought taken possession of him than someone cheerily advised, "If you really want to get to the top, why don't you sit in the kind of place you are now with the nobodies, about as far from the head table as possible? You'd be surprised what can happen. You might get invited to sit next to the somebodies. Then everybody will say, 'Somebody likes him; look where he's being seated! He must be somebody. He's really going places!' "
Abe turned his head toward a young man sitting next to him. He was nibbling a Ritz cracker. Grinning, the man continued, "Anyway the important thing to remember is if you're always trying to make it big and go to the top, you've got to play too many games. Then you're bound to feel tied up in knots, and that leads nowhere but down, down! But if you stop playing games, you can really have fun just playing at being you and not someone you're not. Sounds great, doesn't it? A line I like that sums it up nicely is, 'Those who exalt themselves shall be humbled and those who humble themselves shall be exalted!' Sounds more Chinese than Jewish, but it's true nonetheless."
The man laughed and it was so infectious that Abe laughed too! He hadn't laughed this freely in years. In fact, he hadn't been on this kind of a high ever. He realized he probably was never going to the top after today, but now that didn't seem to matter so much.
"Jesus! Jesus!" The old man who had told Abe to move was waving his hand. "Come up here! This seat is for you!"
"No, I'm just fine where I am! I'm having a great time with my friend," the man next to Abe said as he placed his arm around Abe's shoulder. Abe's mouth dropped open. This man talking to him was Jesus of Nazareth.
"Well, I'll be...." Abe cried, tears coming down his cheeks. "This fellow Jesus obviously enjoys himself wherever he's at and he has no need to get to the top!" Abe thought. He laughed. "I guess he's already there!" Then Abe sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the view from the top with Jesus.
Reflection
Great performers are called stars; and as we know, stars shine. But the star's light is derived from a good performance, and not necessarily from the performer's personality. We can marvel at a brilliant performance by Vanessa Redgrave in Orpheus Descending but her performance doesn't give us a clue regarding her personal incandescence. Likewise a hack performer may radiate a personal light of which only a few close friends are aware. While the difference between a brilliant stage performance and personal brilliance may be of minor interest to most of us, the difference between the performances we deliver in our daily lives and our true stellar qualities ought to be of primary interest to all of us. Why?
Because mistaking our performances for our selves hides our light under the basket of pretense even if the performance is a good one. And many of us are performing without knowing it. Like Abe, we have been prompted from an early age on how to talk, listen, feel, and react in a variety of situations. We have been coached into acting in certain ways in public to win what we or someone else wants for us. Our scripts come from parents, friends, relatives, schools, synagogues, churches, government, etc. Often without realizing it, we are reading the lines and going through the motions determined by the script.
At some point in the life cycle it is important to consider whether the words we speak, the choices we make, and the actions we perform are our own or those of someone in performance. For however brilliant the performance, if we get lost in someone else's script, then our light will remain hidden under the basket as we live lives of inauthenticity.
The question comes down to this: Who's the shining star? The person or the performer?
"Oh, yes!"
"Do you want to be at the top?"
"Certainly!"
"Do you want to move in high places?"
"Without a doubt!"
"Then look sharp! Watch your step! Play the game! Follow the rules! Then you'll get ahead!"
As far back as he could remember, Abe had gotten advice for advancing himself socially and professionally. Since he had been so intent on moving up, he paid attention to what friends, relatives, and associates told him. "Abe, when you are with your elders, smile a lot and listen carefully. Don't interrupt when they are speaking and don't be disagreeable with them. You don't want them upset," Abe's father admonished him.
Abe smiled, listened carefully, didn't interrupt him nor disagree with him.
"You see? You see?" his dad chortled. "You are going places, believe me!"
"You want the girls should like you, Abe?" his mother asked, rocking in her rocker.
"Yeah, Ma," Abe answered eagerly.
"Then be strong, smile a lot, tell them you're crazy about the bagels they bake, but don't talk with food in your mouth! Understand?"
"Yeah, I...."
"And wear clean pants and underwear! Cover up the zits on your face, chew peppermint before kissing a girl, and -- oh, yes! Don't talk with your mouth full! Understand?"
"Sure, Mom," Abe said as he looked in the mirror for telltale pimples, checked his pants and underwear, put peppermint on his must have list, returned to the mirror and practiced smiling boldly saying, "I love your bagels! I bet your little hands have been busy baking bagels for hours! I love your bagels! I bet your little hands...."
"You see? You see?" his mother beamed. "You're going places! You're going places! Wait and see!"
"You want that God should help you? That his face shine on you?"
"Oh, by all means, rabbi!" Abe said.
"Well, then, say your prayers, go to synagogue, hang around with the right kind of people, don't get smart with the elders, eat clean, be clean, check your underwear and above all, watch your mouth with you-know-who if you know what is good for you," the rabbi concluded, pointing heavenwards. "Understand?"
"Sure, sure," Abe said as he checked his underwear, muttered prayers, reviewing whether he knew enough or needed to know more.
"Should you do all I have told you, you will most certainly go places," the rabbi nodded gravely.
Abe got even more advice from comedy writers, natural food nuts, haberdashery clerks, and poise perfectionists: from comedy writers on jokes that sailed and jokes that flopped; from the food nuts on the brans he ought to eat to give nature a little help; from clothiers on the cut and color of suits calculated to advance his career; and from poise perfectionists on how to pose and be composed as he positioned himself to move to the top.
"Sure, sure," he said over and over. And over and over, the words echoed, "You've got a future. You're going places!"
Primed with so much advice and decked out in designer clothes, he ought to have successfully launched his career the day he was invited to attend a banquet at which Jesus of Nazareth was to be present. Big shot politicians and religious leaders were to be in attendance. So, too, the directors from the local community theaters! They were always looking for new talent and Abe was excited about them being present. After all, he had been acting for so many years he felt he had a good shot at getting a part in a play.
When he arrived at the home where the party was being given, he began to panic. Was he ready for all of this? Perspiring, he momentarily excused himself, went to the restroom, checked out his smile in front of the mirror, rehearsed a few prayers he had learned to impress the religious folk, checked his underwear, popped a peppermint in his mouth, rechecked his underwear, and assuming an air of nonchalance he reentered the room.
Smiling at anyone who looked in his direction, he seated himself next to an elderly gentleman. Still smiling, he cocked an ear towards the old gentleman who appeared to be whispering something to him. "What was that?" Abe asked. "Could you please speak a little louder?" The old man leaned closer to Abe but he still couldn't understand him. Straining both to keep smiling and understand the old man, Abe said, "I still can't hear you; please speak louder."
"I said," the old man yelled as everybody turned and listened, "You are sitting in the guest of honor's place. You'll have to go somewhere else! Need I say more?"
Abe was stunned, his smile froze as his face turned crimson. "I ... I ... I...." he stammered, rising to his feet and accidentally tripping on the back of the old man's robe. Quickly retreating to an open place far, far away from where he had been sitting, Abe fell into a little heap, eyes downcast, wishing with all his heart he were invisible. Mortified, he contemplated his future. Once the word had gotten around about what had happened, he couldn't possibly get to the top. He was going nowhere!
No sooner had this thought taken possession of him than someone cheerily advised, "If you really want to get to the top, why don't you sit in the kind of place you are now with the nobodies, about as far from the head table as possible? You'd be surprised what can happen. You might get invited to sit next to the somebodies. Then everybody will say, 'Somebody likes him; look where he's being seated! He must be somebody. He's really going places!' "
Abe turned his head toward a young man sitting next to him. He was nibbling a Ritz cracker. Grinning, the man continued, "Anyway the important thing to remember is if you're always trying to make it big and go to the top, you've got to play too many games. Then you're bound to feel tied up in knots, and that leads nowhere but down, down! But if you stop playing games, you can really have fun just playing at being you and not someone you're not. Sounds great, doesn't it? A line I like that sums it up nicely is, 'Those who exalt themselves shall be humbled and those who humble themselves shall be exalted!' Sounds more Chinese than Jewish, but it's true nonetheless."
The man laughed and it was so infectious that Abe laughed too! He hadn't laughed this freely in years. In fact, he hadn't been on this kind of a high ever. He realized he probably was never going to the top after today, but now that didn't seem to matter so much.
"Jesus! Jesus!" The old man who had told Abe to move was waving his hand. "Come up here! This seat is for you!"
"No, I'm just fine where I am! I'm having a great time with my friend," the man next to Abe said as he placed his arm around Abe's shoulder. Abe's mouth dropped open. This man talking to him was Jesus of Nazareth.
"Well, I'll be...." Abe cried, tears coming down his cheeks. "This fellow Jesus obviously enjoys himself wherever he's at and he has no need to get to the top!" Abe thought. He laughed. "I guess he's already there!" Then Abe sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the view from the top with Jesus.
Reflection
Great performers are called stars; and as we know, stars shine. But the star's light is derived from a good performance, and not necessarily from the performer's personality. We can marvel at a brilliant performance by Vanessa Redgrave in Orpheus Descending but her performance doesn't give us a clue regarding her personal incandescence. Likewise a hack performer may radiate a personal light of which only a few close friends are aware. While the difference between a brilliant stage performance and personal brilliance may be of minor interest to most of us, the difference between the performances we deliver in our daily lives and our true stellar qualities ought to be of primary interest to all of us. Why?
Because mistaking our performances for our selves hides our light under the basket of pretense even if the performance is a good one. And many of us are performing without knowing it. Like Abe, we have been prompted from an early age on how to talk, listen, feel, and react in a variety of situations. We have been coached into acting in certain ways in public to win what we or someone else wants for us. Our scripts come from parents, friends, relatives, schools, synagogues, churches, government, etc. Often without realizing it, we are reading the lines and going through the motions determined by the script.
At some point in the life cycle it is important to consider whether the words we speak, the choices we make, and the actions we perform are our own or those of someone in performance. For however brilliant the performance, if we get lost in someone else's script, then our light will remain hidden under the basket as we live lives of inauthenticity.
The question comes down to this: Who's the shining star? The person or the performer?
