Lights, camera...ACTION!
by Kazarian
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players…"
~Shakespeare
In the growth and
development of the grand production of life we have many opportunities
to improve our performance. We can better our interactions with each
other, communicate more clearly, and find the delicate balance of
self-confidence. Each of these improvements brings a higher form of
perfection to the production. In order to become better "actors," we
must practice acting.
I don't watch much television
or read many national newspapers. I find my news, like many these days,
on the Internet. The world-wide web has become the new standard of
communication in our young millennium. It is a virtual fount of
information available to most to be tapped and utilized. Likewise, many
people are able to use this comparatively new medium to promote their
products, communicate their thoughts, and voice their frustrations. In
the past ten years, the Internet has radically changed the way we
interact and the way we live our lives. Like so many things, the
greatest blessings can also become the greatest burdens.
I fear that our lives are
becoming more virtual and less actual. When I look for the
movers-and-shakers of the world today, I'm hard-pressed to find
demonstrators and activists. What I do find is a new breed of people
vying for change; cyberactivists, chat-room revolutionaries, and
ubiquitous opinionated bloggers. I have always agreed with the adage
that the pen is mightier than the sword, but if we don't act upon the
ideals we profess, we only end up with words on the screen.
A script is merely words on
pages of paper, but a script is not meant to be read like a book or a
poem. Playwrights know this. They pine for the day when their script
comes to life and becomes a play. How does this magical transformation
take place? When does an essentially literary work become a theatrical
experience? When the actors have learned the words and a director calls
out, "Action!"
The Universal Father is our
great director. He calls us to action at all times, whether it be to
lead a peaceful group of demonstrators or to quietly offer a smile to a
stranger. We are the actors in God's great dramatic production here on
Earth.
In The Little Flowers of
Saint Francis, a collection of stories about Francis of Assisi and
his religious order, there is a very theatrical monk by the name of
Brother Juniper. One day he was praying to God in church, vehemently
promising to do many noble and sacred acts. During this session of
passionate vows and solemn oaths a great hand appeared above the altar.
A booming voice shook the church walls, "O Brother Juniper, with this
hand thou canst do nothing." The monk shot to his feet and bolted
around the convent boldly proclaiming, "True indeed, most true indeed!"
Brother Juniper dramatically
came to the realization that his elder Brother Francis had come to.
They realized that we have been created to seek the will of God and be
the vessels through which He works. Francis expressed the need to be
active most eloquently in his most famous prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in serving that we are born into eternal life.