Average, not quite?

I had a conversation with one of my mates a couple of weeks ago. That in itself is not surprising! Surprising was that this chap claimed to be average and was quite upset about it.

Another mate immediately stepped up and told him that he had an incredible family life and was a great dad. Someone to be respected and looked up to for just those qualities as sadly they are unusual in the world. I think he was a little taken aback by this comment.

This world is a funny place. For the most part respect is generated by a thick wallet, a fancy car, labelled clothes, and a palatial home. Society loves these people; they have made it big and deserve to be our hero’s.

Or do they?

We have just seen Tiger Woods fall from grace. A man blessed with extra ordinary talent, who mastered a difficult game, and made it work for him. But we have seen that linked to that great talent was also a great weakness. Then there are pop icons like Britney Spears, plenty of cash but trailing a set of life disasters. Suffice to say there is not enough blog space to discuss the celebrity world and their issues. Money seems to be a wonderful thing, but I imagine it must magnify any weaknesses we may have. For most us, we will never get to find out the hard way.

It seems that there are two main directions one can take in life. Focus your life on the art of making money, although whether one succeeds or not is a different story! The other avenue is a life of service to one’s family and or community. It is rare to find anyone who has successfully married the two, although there are many philanthropists who make tons of money, discover that money is not everything, and then turn to helping out the world.

Path number two has no glamour, does not seem to be fun, allows for zero recognition, and includes much personal sacrifice. It is no wonder that few aspire to be the best at it! We need more people to step up and be average at the affairs of the world and brilliant with their families.

My ‘average’ mate is indeed blessed with a rare gift and is one of the few that actually deserves hero status!

I recently read that Mother Theresa was a disillusioned old woman working to further her own self interest to instil her agenda on a place that scarcely needed it. You can imagine my shock at seeing this article on the net. Here was one of the heros of our time being slated for the role that she played in our world.

I thought she was an amazing force for good with her simple premise of helping the dying die with dignity. I also thought that everyone looked at her with the same kind of admiration and respect as I did as being one of the living role models of peace and charity in action.

The article was vehement and scathing, which is something that she probably would have enjoyed, i.e. being persecuted for her faith in God. It drove home the point that there are always other opinions and views in this world. No matter what path you choose, you are always going to find people who disagree and are totally opposed to your actions. Does this make your course wrong? I don’t think so if it is well considered and in line with your set of values. More than that it is important to do the stuff that feels inherently right!

So if you pick up dissenters along the way, consider their opinion. If it is twaddle, shrug it off, and if not, use it to improve your own course. Keep in mind that it is through deep consideration of other people's alternative opinions that we are able to hold up the mirror to ourselves and elminate our own blind spots. This has to make us better people or more determined in our course of action!

And as for Mother Theresa, in my world, she still rocks!