This polished metalic red Nissan Altima, with all the trimmings, zoomed passed yesterday. It seemed like some sort of modern chariot. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the comfortable leather seats. Immediately I imagined a cool young professional behind the wheel. But when I looked, it was a surprise to find an elderly man hunched over the steering wheel. Don't get me wrong, I don't hold prejudice against old people. It's just that it wasn't what I expected. Then I began to wonder. Is this old man driving the hot car to make up for the youth he no longer has?The next thing that flashed through my mind was the old cliche saying, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything at all." So if that's the case, and it's most likely the old guy in the flashy Nissan wasn't in the best of health, what exactly does he have? Is the car what he has? And he's gonna go out of this world in style?
Then I pictured myself walking through the the glacier cut valleys in the high mountain peaks of Utah last summer. It became painfully obvious to me after day 2 that no matter how much my pack, gear, and outdoor clothing had cost, it was my physical endurance and mind that was gonna get me up the trail. Most people away from the mountain would say I've got my life together. From the outside looking in, they might say something like, "Smart, financially sound, good job, stable, clean, polite, aware of his surroundings ... " Yet in that moment I knew there was something wrong with the way I was being judged. In the mountains, none of these criteria for having it together meant anything. The physical pain was teaching me what was really important. Physical conditioning is what nature demands and I was not prepared to learn this.
So we passed by a couple of Mexican sheep herders living in a make shift cabin protected by a home-made tent. It was filled with supplies, enough to last through the season. They were rounding up horses and walking up and down the steep terrain like it was a walk in the park. They were truly a picture of physical health. And yet, they have nothing as far as material goods is concerned. They may not have even had American citizenship, a social security number, health insurance, savings plan, or anything resembling the old man's metalic red object of desire. And yet, they had more than me or the old man did in that moment.
The next thought racing through my mind is gonna surprise you. Thoughts raced towards a fantasy of an alien spaceship landing in the middle of this crazy scene where middle aged, 401K rich, out of shape, weekend hikers passed by two young, physically fit, poor, minority sheep herders. So, in that moment, I knew that the aliens were gonna have to choose who it was that would be best to abduct. And it wasn't going to me and I was pretty disappointed about it. Most likely the aliens were going to choose a more physically fit specimen. I'd lost out.
To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure what criteria the space aliens would have used to choose their specimen. It seems, however, that these two vastly different experiences were bound to stir up my thinking as to all the crazy things our society uses to judge people. And it's a very confusing thing indeed.
May I list a few examples? And I hope that anyone who reads this will comment about a few more. Here they are.
If you are trying out for American Idol? What matters most is your voice, second is appearance. If you want to win, you need charisma.
If you are religious? You need to dress modestly, not smoke or drink, go to church on Sunday, and it helps if your vocabulary is full of seldom used biblical phrases. But these are only the outward things. To a Saint, physical attributes have very little meaning compared to unselfish acts of kindness and goodness that qualify one for a rich eternal life.
If you are in college? Only two things matter to be successful in getting good grades. Good study habits and/or a high IQ. These forces sometimes seem to oppose one another. But if grades are not important? How much can you drink or do you have a car or .... might be the most important criteria.
If you are rich? The amount of money you have is very imortant.
If you are smart? Intelligence means the most.
If you are dressed well? Clothes mean the most.
If you are healthy? Health means the most.
Is anyone getting the picture? It seems to me that the more I think about this, the more confusing it gets. A person who has it all would be healthy, beautiful, smart, dressed to the nines, rich, have a great singing voice, and ofcourse be charismatic. They would bless other people's lives by quiet unselfish acts of kindness. But if they are all of these things, and don't have health? They don't have much.
Note: Religious peeps have something to look forward to... Mansions in the sky.
