(no subject)
I was thinking today about Merton’s reasoning on how we like to make little tin gods of ourselves and work terribly hard to achieve things and be accomplished, in order to force other people admire us. This admiration then justifies and reinforces our reality of being little tin gods in our own universe.
How terribly exhausting all that effort is and how easy it would be to make a mistake and have one’s illusions snatched away. How terrifying it must be for those trying to prevent their reality crumbling. No wonder there are so many petty despots and tyrants in corporate land. No wonder control freaks are on the rise.
Well, it’s just a form of blasphemy, isn’t it? And doesn’t the Bible show God spending a good deal of energy and passion smashing false gods?
Hmmmmm….
I think I’ve spent most of my life trying to be something other people would admire (not that I succeeded) and getting royally smashed back down to size for my efforts.
I think if you work hard at something because you love it or because you have a real talent for it, that’s one thing. If you work hard in order to be admired and feted, that is another entirely.
It’s not always easy to know your own motivations.
How terribly exhausting all that effort is and how easy it would be to make a mistake and have one’s illusions snatched away. How terrifying it must be for those trying to prevent their reality crumbling. No wonder there are so many petty despots and tyrants in corporate land. No wonder control freaks are on the rise.
Well, it’s just a form of blasphemy, isn’t it? And doesn’t the Bible show God spending a good deal of energy and passion smashing false gods?
Hmmmmm….
I think I’ve spent most of my life trying to be something other people would admire (not that I succeeded) and getting royally smashed back down to size for my efforts.
I think if you work hard at something because you love it or because you have a real talent for it, that’s one thing. If you work hard in order to be admired and feted, that is another entirely.
It’s not always easy to know your own motivations.