I
grew up viewing myself as rather independent; in general, something of a loner.
Our culture highly values this politic of rugged, frontier individualism. We
admire self-made individuals who stand on the peak of success, and we press to
the front of the line to purchase their best-selling autobiographies. The very
idea of playing Lone Ranger makes our blood pump with ecstasy as we romanticize
wild-west living notion of being fortified by a sturdy don’t-need-anybody
individualism.
Ayn
Rand, the Russian-born atheist, stands at the altar as today’s High Priestess
of this cult of individualism. Her philosophy suggests she has little good to
say about religion. Her 1964 Playboy interview,
posted on the Ayn Rand
Center for Individual Rights website, quotes her conclusion that
religious faith is “a negation of human reason” and charity lacks virtue. If
any civilization is to survive, Rand insisted, “it is the morality of
altruism that men have to reject” (italics addded/
Like
you, I admire the achievements of singularly achieving individuals. Both in the
church and out, we lift their examples from everyday life and exalt them for
their stellar achievements. Especially inspiring is the story of Edmund
Hillary, but his achievement reveals a truth we seldom hear, and most never
hear the true story.
“Truth
in Advertising” should demand that we tell the truth of the matter; for the
great truth is that Hillary’s conquest of Everest was not the conquest of a
single man. As one author described it, the conquest of Mount Everest was a
feat of modern management. It became the cooperative effort of a team of
committed participants that conquered via their community.
It
all began with Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Nergay. It became their story as
they mobilized and coordinated a dozen climbers, 35 Sherpa guides, 350 partners, and 3,600 pounds of
equipment and supplies.
Whether
you are Mormon politician Mitt Romney, U. S. President Barack Obama, CEO Pandit
of Citibank Corporation, or the much-admired Edmund Hillary, successful living
remains primarily a community event. President Obama can do little without the
cooperation of the Congress. Chairman Pandit of Citibank Corporation can do
little without his faithful core of managers, administrators, and employees.
Even Sir Edmund could not stand on Mount Everest without the coordinated
efforts of his dozens of guides, his numerous and varied partners, and tons of
equipment and supplies.
Think
what you will, but the conclusion of the matter is that without our
time-consuming social networks, the rugged individualism that we so fervently
worship, however self-made we may believe we are, we remain merely mythic
gods suffering from delusional self-adulation. John Donne said it best in
the classic summary for which we most remember him, which I have freely
paraphrased: no man is an island unto himself; rather, we are all fragments
of a piece of that continent called humanity.
Donne was only saying in his unique way what Jesus had
already said when he instructed his disciples to love their neighbors as
themselves Truth is; you can’t keep company with Jesus for long without
developing better relationships with your neighbors, or even your enemies.
From Warner’s World, I am walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment