Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
This is from a speech that Martin Luther King Jr. made... maybe you will find it inspiring or clarifying as you think toward the new year:
This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words:
And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
...
But I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"
But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared."
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness.
This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. It's the only way in.
…
Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.
I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question.
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.
Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968.
This morning I would like to use as a subject from which to preach: "The Drum Major Instinct." "The Drum Major Instinct." And our text for the morning is taken from a very familiar passage in the tenth chapter as recorded by Saint Mark. Beginning with the thirty-fifth verse of that chapter, we read these words:
"And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came unto him saying, ‘Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.’ And he said unto them, ‘What would ye that I should do for you?’ And they said unto him, ‘Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.’ But Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye know not what ye ask: Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ And they said unto him, ‘We can.’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.’"Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish. Why would they make such a selfish request? But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first. Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities. And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.
...
And so before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.
...
But I want you to see what Jesus was really saying. What was the answer that Jesus gave these men? It's very interesting. One would have thought that Jesus would have condemned them. One would have thought that Jesus would have said, "You are out of your place. You are selfish. Why would you raise such a question?"
But that isn't what Jesus did; he did something altogether different. He said in substance, "Oh, I see, you want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be. If you're going to be my disciple, you must be." But he reordered priorities. And he said, "Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it right. It's a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to do."
And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared."
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness.
This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. It's the only way in.
…
Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.
I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.
I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question.
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say.
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,
Then my living will not be in vain.
If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,
If I can spread the message as the master taught,
Then my living will not be in vain.
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.
Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Cher James Franco,
I'm in Paris!
I'm staying in a very nice apartment in the 3rd that belongs to some family friends. The first time I stayed here, I was 10, in 5th grade, and with my parents.
Anyways, here in Paris I have had many small adventures so far. First of all, I have gone grocery shopping. I discovered a chocolate bar that supposedly helps with PMS! I don't have PMS, but I thought I would try it anyway. I bought a bunch of prepared vegetable dishes in the kind of plastic packages that lunch meat comes in. I've already tried a few brands of yogurt. Oh, and I also bought a mohair beret at Monoprix.
Another new adventure is my French class. Today was my first day!
The morning was boring: we were talking about the parts of a house. There was one other American in the class, and during the break he told me he's a retiree from Michigan who lives on a sailboat with his wife. In two years, they're sailing back to North America to stay in the Caribbean. He and the other people in the class weren't that good, with the exception of one Filipina nun, who was proficient but bossy. She told me she'd lived in the U.S. briefly, but she said she had lived in "Wyoming, Michigan," so I didn't know what to do. After the class, the teacher asked me if the class was too easy for me, and I said no even though it sort of was... I guess I wanted to be encouraging?
The afternoon was a different group and less boring. We were doing a writing project that involved creating an imaginary charity, writing a letter to our local prefecture asking for an incorporation license, and then creating a web page. I was in a group with a Serbian aesthetician named Biljana, an Italian accountant named Massimo, and a Spanish guy whose name I forget. It was weird to realize that the four of us could only communicate in French, especially after my experience with the nun and sailor in the morning. Anyway, our charity was about donating clothes to children in Africa. It was called "Habiller les enfants." I didn't make that up. Our slogan, which I also did not make up, was "Couvrons notre future." It's a jeu of mots!
The Serbian told me that there was another American in the class, and pointed at him. He was young and looked kind of like the kid who plays Derek on Degrassi TNG. During the break, I heard him talking to the two African ladies in the class about how much he didn't like it when his American friends were too lazy to practice their French, and insisted on speaking English instead. This made me dislike him mildly, but I guess it might just be the kind of thing you'd say if you were trying to make conversation using your limited vocabulary and when talking to older women from a foreign culture. Right?
So, after class, I ended up talking to the American and this Kuwaiti guy who'd been sitting next to the American (their charities involved helping blind people and helping children who've been exposed to radioactivity, respectively). Obviously, the American insisted on speaking French, which annoyed me, and resulted in me saying, "I graduated from college three hours ago" and the Kuwaiti guy telling me that there are approximately 25 arrondissements in Paris when I asked him which one he lived in. Actually, I think the second thing was the Kuwaiti guy's fault, not mine.
Long story short, the American invited me to see a movie with him and his friends tonight, but I didn't go because I was afraid that I'd have to speak French all evening with a bunch of Americans in front of normal French people. That is where I draw the line!
More things have happened, but I don't have time to describe them right now. Would you visit me if I lived here? If you're not sure I'd invite you, you can comment anonymously.
I'm staying in a very nice apartment in the 3rd that belongs to some family friends. The first time I stayed here, I was 10, in 5th grade, and with my parents.
Anyways, here in Paris I have had many small adventures so far. First of all, I have gone grocery shopping. I discovered a chocolate bar that supposedly helps with PMS! I don't have PMS, but I thought I would try it anyway. I bought a bunch of prepared vegetable dishes in the kind of plastic packages that lunch meat comes in. I've already tried a few brands of yogurt. Oh, and I also bought a mohair beret at Monoprix.
Another new adventure is my French class. Today was my first day!
The morning was boring: we were talking about the parts of a house. There was one other American in the class, and during the break he told me he's a retiree from Michigan who lives on a sailboat with his wife. In two years, they're sailing back to North America to stay in the Caribbean. He and the other people in the class weren't that good, with the exception of one Filipina nun, who was proficient but bossy. She told me she'd lived in the U.S. briefly, but she said she had lived in "Wyoming, Michigan," so I didn't know what to do. After the class, the teacher asked me if the class was too easy for me, and I said no even though it sort of was... I guess I wanted to be encouraging?
The afternoon was a different group and less boring. We were doing a writing project that involved creating an imaginary charity, writing a letter to our local prefecture asking for an incorporation license, and then creating a web page. I was in a group with a Serbian aesthetician named Biljana, an Italian accountant named Massimo, and a Spanish guy whose name I forget. It was weird to realize that the four of us could only communicate in French, especially after my experience with the nun and sailor in the morning. Anyway, our charity was about donating clothes to children in Africa. It was called "Habiller les enfants." I didn't make that up. Our slogan, which I also did not make up, was "Couvrons notre future." It's a jeu of mots!
The Serbian told me that there was another American in the class, and pointed at him. He was young and looked kind of like the kid who plays Derek on Degrassi TNG. During the break, I heard him talking to the two African ladies in the class about how much he didn't like it when his American friends were too lazy to practice their French, and insisted on speaking English instead. This made me dislike him mildly, but I guess it might just be the kind of thing you'd say if you were trying to make conversation using your limited vocabulary and when talking to older women from a foreign culture. Right?
So, after class, I ended up talking to the American and this Kuwaiti guy who'd been sitting next to the American (their charities involved helping blind people and helping children who've been exposed to radioactivity, respectively). Obviously, the American insisted on speaking French, which annoyed me, and resulted in me saying, "I graduated from college three hours ago" and the Kuwaiti guy telling me that there are approximately 25 arrondissements in Paris when I asked him which one he lived in. Actually, I think the second thing was the Kuwaiti guy's fault, not mine.
Long story short, the American invited me to see a movie with him and his friends tonight, but I didn't go because I was afraid that I'd have to speak French all evening with a bunch of Americans in front of normal French people. That is where I draw the line!
More things have happened, but I don't have time to describe them right now. Would you visit me if I lived here? If you're not sure I'd invite you, you can comment anonymously.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)