In Tom Robbins' Another Roadside Attraction there is an account of the passing conversation that Jesus had with Tarzan. I don't think that it is historically factual. But maybe some sort of truth can be found in it?
---
[Jesus]: I’m preparing myself for my mission.
[Tarzan]: Which is…?
[Jesus]: To change the world.
[Tarzan]: The world is perpetually changing. It doesn’t do much else but change. It changes from season to season, from night to day, from ice to tropics. It changed from a pocketful of cosmic dust into the complicated ball of goof and glory it is today. It’s changing every celestial second with no help whatsoever. Why do you want to stick your nose into it?
---
Facetious iconoclast though he is, Tarzan kind of deserves an answer. Or if not an answer than at least some thought in response to his rhetorical question.
At least that's how I feel. Because here I am, back in the classroom, preparing myself for my mission. It's good to be here. It feels natural for me. To what end? Or is it enough to be somewhere that feels right.
I can't decide if I want to change the world, or find my place in it. Maybe those two options aren't radically different?
If the world is perpetually changing and we're all part of that world, who is Tarzan to suggest that Jesus or you or me can't stick our nose into it? We're already here.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe he is just curious about Jesus's motivation. That's what determines who's change is worth joining, anyway. That's where the good starts or ends.