Today, I have an important message to share. I have been writing these posts for 17 years, and I intend to continue to write each one myself. I will never use AI to do my writing. I often must wrestle with a topic, sometimes for weeks or months. Many never make it to publication. There is value in this process, and I will never give it up.
Marsha is my editor, not AI.
š
Itās getting harder to open a news feed without feeling like Iām drowning in a toxic pool of pride, arrogance, and self-inflated egos.
Everywhere I look, weāre living in an age that
- hungers for power where there is only weakness,
- claims intelligence where there is only ignorance, and
- boasts greatness where there is only smallness.
The louder the roar, the thinner the substance; the brighter the spotlight, the dimmer the soul behind it.
- CEOs wax on about disrupting the universe.
- Politicians play deadly games of “Iām master of the universe.”
- “Influencers” pretend to know things they donāt.
They have the ring of drunken sailors at bar closing time ā loud, certain, and utterly unaware of how foolish they look.
Trust me, Iāve been there.
As a recovering alcoholic, I know well the look of a self-inflated ego.
When I was a young man I thought my willpower and cleverness would be enough to change the world.
Back then I had only big deals, and with big deals came a big head, and with a big head came a big fall.
I kinda know how this age will end.
Donāt get me wrong — in my day I loved working on my big deals, with good people for good causes.
It was exhilarating, even addictive. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I would — in a flash.
With one very big caveat:
I’d harness my prideful ego to a very slow and humble horse, because I discovered
- all too cruelly
- all to frequently
- falling off my horse can be a very painful experience.
But the Creator seems to have set things up where the somebodies are rendered into nobodies — where all that is will pass away.
So how about we feast on some humble pie and learn a lesson from one of historyās great nobodies:
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection
Brother Lawrence was born Nicholas Herman around 1611 in Lorraine, France. He lived a humble life as a soldier and footman before finding his calling as a lay brother who spent decades in the kitchen of a Parisian monastery.
He lived his life doing the exact things most people today try to avoid, look down on, or outsource:
- washing greasy pots,
- peeling vegetables, and
- fixing shoes.
But instead of looking at that work as beneath him, or treating it as a stepping stone to something ābetterā or more prestigious, he threw his whole heart into it.
He managed to find a quiet joy in the middle of a noisy kitchen.
He is remembered for his classic book, which teaches a simple but profound way of living, one focused.on continuous observance and deep awareness of the present moment.
How much of life we miss by daydreaming about a future that never comes. His life completely flips our modern idea of success on its head.
Somehow, I got into my young head that to matter, I needed to do grand things on a grand scale, played out on a big stage.
Brother Lawrence illustrates the opposite: a good life may be played out by casting small shadows over many little stages.
Think of the the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings who were little people making a big impact.
I learned this lesson in countless AA meetings.
Iām no more or less important than the person sitting next to me.
- Inflate a balloon too much — it pops.
- Build a tower too high — it topples.
- Worship your own reflection — and watch your mirror shatter.
Power rots when it forgets the ordinary.
The message of Brother Lawrence is this: Greatness is found in how you treat the least powerful person. If you canāt do small things with steadiness and decency, you canāt do large things.
Leadership without humility is just ego in costume.
- Power is corrupted by selfāimportance.
- Real power is the quiet glory in being a self-conscious nobody.
If you canāt wash a dish with humility, you canāt run anything.
The world doesnāt need more fake somebodies — the world needs more real nobodies.
You don’t self-destruct when you never thought you were indestructible.
Just a thought…
Pat