Rabbi Harold Kushner tells a wonderful story about a bright young man, who was a sophomore Stanford pre-med student To reward him for having done so well in school, his parents gave him a trip to the Far East for the summer vacation before the start of his junior year. While there he met a guru who said to him, "Don't you see how you are poisoning your soul with this success oriented way of life? Your idea of happiness is to stay up all night studying for an exam so you can get a better grade than your best friend. Your idea of a good marriage is not to find the woman who will make you whole, but to win the girl that everyone else wants. That's not how people are supposed to live. Give it up; come join us in an atmosphere where we all share and love each other." The young man had completed four years at a competitive high school to get into Stanford, plus two years of pre-med courses at the university. He was ripe for this sort of approach. He called his parents from Tokyo and told them he would not be coming home. He was dropping out of school to live in an ashram (a spiritual retreat).
"Six months later, his parents got a letter from him: "Dear Mom and Dad, I know you weren't happy with the decision I made last summer, but I want to tell you how happy it has made me. For the first time in my life, I am at peace. Here there is no competing, no hustling, no trying to get ahead of anyone else. Here we are all equal, and we all share. This way of life is so much in harmony with the inner essence of my soul that in only six months I've become the number two disciple in the entire ashram, and I think I can be number one by June!"
They say that all good humor must have one crucial element: Truth. And how is this story. The young man's intentions are noble but he is not able to follow through. Before long he is competing in this "monastery" to be the star pupil.
Our leaders have been giving us good advice these past two weeks. They have been urging American to get back to work, to make this economy strong again, to invest in the market, to get back into the friendly skies, and get down in to the trenches of our jobs. I think all of us understand the implications if we do not return wholeheartedly to our daily task. We have all been wondering what we can do to help. We have been told our greatest contribution is returning to our normal routine.
As we have done so, I have noticed a renewed gratitude, an appreciation for the very jobs we hold. We see ourselves a little more clearly now. We are not people who have limitless rights. We are citizens who have a duty to serve. This is the lesson Jesus would have us learn. It is the meaning of this short parable and it is the standard for every Christian.
Note: Update and adapt the last two paragraphs as you see fit. We have left them in the present tense for historical record.