I joke about a former teacher who is a communist, but wore the same pair of Nikes to class every week. It came up in a discussion on something similar. The class was a wide range on the social consciousness spectrum, with many people in the middle — they want the world to be better, but don’t have the time to make it one. We talked about sacrifice versus comfort and the difficulty of living up to that threshold 100% of the time. It’s a difficult thing. We thought about the simplest things we might use, wear, or eat and how someone on the other end of that light bulb or banana might not have the smallest of comfort.

There was a Jesuit priest, who before becoming a priest, had a successful career in business. He had a nice house in the suburbs, fancy car, etc. One day he got in a car accident that killed one of his friends. Afterwards, he had a spiritual awakening and disowned the material life that he believed was taking him down the wrong road. He got rid of everything and decided to study to become a priest. He went from his former life to sharing a small house with other priests and receiving a stipend that is just enough for food and bills. He sheepishly pointed out the old computer and car that they all share as stretching the oath of a more humble life.

What are we left to conclude? Perfection is just a word. It never happens. What’s more important is the action someone takes despite the challenges. As easy it sounds on paper, it is a tough thing to chug along to day after day. Everyone besides Shirley MacLaine has one life in this world; some are long, while others aren’t. Either way, the best thing any of us can do is try. It’s not hard. It’s not perfect. It’s not glamorous. Hell, a lot of times it can be boring, but something is better nothing…I hope. This guy sums it up pretty good:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/680204.000_Drum_Major_Instinct.html