Dear Comrade,
Life can be a delicate balancing act. Some economists have convinced us that the mainstay of their profession is scarcity management. If it has not become apparent already, college (in particular) and life (in general) will show you that time is that principal scarce resource. Its management thus becomes definitive. One rises and falls or plateaus on the basis of one’s mastery of this essential element. Much as Okot p'Bitek’s ”Song of Lawino” protested our current enslavement to the clock, given the sway of Euromodernity, there’s no dialing it back (no pun intended). The allure of uni-dimensionality stems from this constraint.
One of the first characterizations of college in America I encountered was the pressure-cooker. The combined weight of the sheer demand of the academic environment, the pressure to conform to some Hollywood version of the college experience (bad decisions without consequence, alcoholism, sexual indiscipline, etc.), nurturing relationships, personal growth and health (physical, mental, spiritual), all the while making a contribution to society and coming to an understanding of self, all goes to show that this illustration was not without merit. I am uncertain about our right to complain given the persuasiveness of Billie Jean King’s assertion that “pressure is a privilege.”
But pressure, and lots of it, is dangerous. Faced with it, there’s often the temptation to take the easy way out: distractions, a knee-jerk spirited urge to plow through, or the utter neglect of certain aspects of one’s life — i.e. unidimensionality. Sometimes, we become infantilized at the enormity of the task which makes defeatism enemy number one. Escapism is its close cousin. As the pressure amps, it’s very easy to revert to the easy and familiar, throwing your new year’s resolutions and life goals out the window. It becomes easy to settle for comfort and a false identity since all actions start from our convictions and who we think we are. In modern times, an exit from the entire procession of life all together has also sadly gained currency. So how do we begin to approach the task? Men have dedicated their entire lives to answering this question. This column will settle for some perspective on the grand picture. For that, I look to Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK).
We recently concluded the awfully cold Walk the Walk week, a part of the University’s efforts to advance the cause of a more just and fair world. Hard to divorce from such proceedings is the portrait of political philosopher, man of God and civil rights icon, MLK. At the gateway in London, we reconsidered his legacy and impact on the civil rights movement in the UK. This column will not be the exception in continuing this conversation.
More than 50 years ago, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, MLK sermonized on the “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.” That sermon acknowledged the complexity of life and its multifaceted demands on the individual. There are so many moving pieces it can be raucous. To help his vivacious congregation arrest the situation, MLK distilled life into three dimensions. First, length or “the inward concern for one’s own welfare” which animates the realization of one’s goals and ambitions. He termed it “rational and healthy self-interest.” Next, breadth or “the outward concern for the welfare of others” that demands that one recognizes the needs of others before one’s own. Finally, height or “the upward reach for God” which places God at the center of every pursuit.
A previous column has commented on the second dimension, entreating that we start by viewing ourselves as vessels and “heirs of an unfinished revolution”, as a friend of mine would put it. It is the recognition that your education, life and privilege should serve more than you. It begs the questions: What use can I be to the world? What's my role in any concerted effort aimed at systemic change? “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here” — that is the highpoint of this logic.
The third dimension entails dealing with the reality that we are in fact creatures. That neither science nor philosophy however highfalutin affords salvation. This dimension says there are no atheists. Whatever guides your approach, accords you purpose and animates you in the entire procession of life, that is your God. Atheism, then, is a religion. This dimension is too important and decisive to be considered here and now.
The first dimension is also the discipline dimension. Whatever aspirations or illusions of change (revolutionary or otherwise) that you harbor in your mind will not materialize without you. It is an invitation to play the long game because — as the double giraffe view informs us — life catches up with those who cut corners. So many comrades in the limelight have been undone by unresolved tendencies with scandals left, right and center. None are immune.
That old discourse on intentionally working on yourself and becoming a better man everyday is not outdated. This demands that we are eternal believers in potentiality — of the self and others — with hope being the proverbial pi in the equation of life. It dictates that we are cultivating habits conducive to spiritual and physical well being. We can say it entails being able to live with yourself so you are not compensating elsewhere.
Indiscipline can be costly. There is unfortunately no substitute for discipline — depending of course on the distance and depth you are trying to go. There’s therefore wisdom in the biblical counsel that “It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke [of godly discipline] in his youth” [Lamentations 3:27 AMP]. The time has never been better to resolve those internal contradictions that only you know. It is no guarantee of perfection with failure being a part of life. Many through history can attest. Make peace thus with the fact you will fail yourself and others more times than you think. This feedback mechanism will demand that you both bear and give grace in infinitude.
With the fresh start to take on a new year and new semester, we can resolve to strategize around MLK’s “complete life.”
“If life itself is to be complete, it must be three dimensional.”
It is hard to keep up with all those to-do lists, but you will do it even as you take on the system to reform it for the better. You will be a better student and a better person. You will be a better sibling or child and a better man of God. You will be a better worker and a better member of the human community. You will not allow any part of your life to suffer. You will not give up. You will fight on. You will fight comrade, and you will win.
The view from the double giraffe concurs — that victory is always in sight.
Olemo Gordon Brian is a junior at Notre Dame studying political economy. He is deeply interested in Africa's development and the emancipation of man. He is currently studying abroad at SOAS University of London. You can contact Olemo at bolemo@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Olemo Gordon Brian is a senior at Notre Dame studying political economy. He is deeply interested in Africa's development and the emancipation of man. You can contact Olemo at bolemo@nd.edu.
