The Notebook
Megan McKenna tells the story of a man who decided to clean out his fish tank. The problem was where to put the fish while he did the cleaning. He decided on the bathtub. He transported the fish, dumped them in their luxurious temporary quarters, and went to work cleaning the tank.
It took hours, but finally there was fresh water, new algae, and stones along the bottom. When he went back to the bathtub for the fish, he was startled to find what they were doing in their large tub. They were not swimming its length and breadth. In fact they were occupying the exact amount of space they had left behind in the tank. He was fascinated. He tried to get them to move out of their self-imposed prison. He agitated the water, no response. He poured their food way down at the opposite end, no response. He finally gave up and returned them to the clean tank.
Anecdote
I really like that little anecdote because it brings me into a reflective space and causes me to ask a number of questions; Do I live like those fish? Do I limit myself by past experiences and knowledge, content to stay safe where I am? Have I been moved up to a huge bathtub but I still swim around like I’m in a small tank? Maybe there is also the possibility that other people try to keep me in a particular fish tank and don’t want me to break free of their own narrow view of me and my abilities.
I think of Jesus going to his home village of Nazareth and basically being rejected by his own people. Who does he think he is? The son of the carpenter who was not even married to that young girl when the boy was born! And here he is standing up in our synagogue preaching to us about how we should live our lives.
Yes they did an effective job of putting him in his place, of keeping him in the confines of his little fish tank. Because of their prejudice and narrow mindedness Jesus “could work no miracle there” and he associated their attitude with a lack of Faith.
One of the great challenges of life for all of us is to overcome the views of others about our ability to reach our full potential. This really becomes damaging when we begin to believe ‘fake news’ and put ourselves down.
The flip side of that is to critically assess our own views of other people. Do I also try to keep people trapped within my narrow fish tank view of them because of some prejudice. Maybe I’m just jealous of them or because of something they have said or done in the past I cannot see them through any other lens.
While living in the US some years ago I was struck by how politicians were judged by many people simply because of their stance on abortion. I worry about that here in Ireland in the aftermath of the referendum. I find myself reassessing politicians based on how they acted during that difficult campaign.
The challenge will be not to trap them and myself into some kind of fish tank of prejudice and resentment. I don’t want others to prevent me from reaching my full potential so I have an obligation to let others swim the full length of the bath as well!
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody
There was an important job to be done. Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
OUR DEEPEST FEAR
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.