Christmas with A Kempis

Chapter 25: Earnestness in Amending Our Lives or From Allah to Zarathustra, There is Nothing Better

“[One] has no need to go beyond Jesus, for [one] will discover nothing better.”

Allah, Buddha, Christ, Dao, Elohim…I was thinking about going through the whole alphabet naming more Ultimate Realities, but I got stuck on “F”.

I thought of St. Francis mostly because I’ve been soaking in the city[1] which bears his name, but he’s generally not considered an Ultimate Reality.

I borrow that term from the pluralist theologian John Hick, who sees all religions/philosophies as attempts to reach the “Ultimate Reality.” Just as we moved away from a Ptolemaic/geo-centric view of the universe to a Copernican/helio-centric view of the universe, Hick calls Christians to move away from a Christo-centric view to a theocentric view. In other words, just as we no longer see the earth as the center of the universe, we ought to learn to no longer see our faith as the absolute truth. Christianity is not the Truth that all the other faith traditions revolve around and fail to reach. Rather, Christianity is one faith tradition (“earth”) among many (“other planets”), revolving around an ineffable Ultimate Reality (“the sun”), to which no particular tradition can claim full and complete access.

Hick’s view makes a lot of sense to me. By seeing our own faith as one among many invites dialogue and mutual respect across religious borders. Hick’s pluralism invites us to expand our idea of God, to see God as One who transcends all cultures and metaphors while also expressing God through different cultures and metaphors. A Christian can encounter an entirely new understanding of the divine through an encounter with a Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim. This new understanding does not have to replace or falsify an older understanding but rather complement it and enhance it. Hick’s theology of religions excites me and inspires me to learn more about other faith traditions and understandings of the divine and Ultimate Reality so that my own limited perspective of God might be enhanced.

I am also attracted to Hick’s model because I realize that if I were born in Sri Lanka or Saudi Arabia I probably would not be a Christian, but rather a Buddhist or a Muslim. So, therefore, how do I evangelize to a Muslim in the Middle East if I know that I would have been a Muslim myself if I were born there?

Counterpoint: Just because someone is born racist (or born into a racist environment) that does not automatically make racism tolerable. No, racism must still be resisted. Touché.

Although it has some serious weaknesses and problems, pluralism makes a lot of sense to me. We’re all blind monks touching different parts of the elephant. Some of us feel the tail and call the elephant (the divine) a snake while others feel the tusk and describe the elephant as a horn. Still others crawl on the elephant’s back, insisting the elephant is actually a wall. We’re all touching different parts of the same thing. Although we seem to be contradicting each other, we are all describing the same elephant. From Allah to Zarathustra, are we not all describing different aspects of the same Ultimate Reality?

Perhaps.

But after exploring other faiths, I have learned that I have no need to go beyond Jesus, for I will discover nothing better.

I went out searching for someone or something better than Jesus and then came to realize that he’s my Lord and I want none other than him. Maybe Jesus is just the tail of the elephant. Or maybe the Triune God is just the trunk and the tusks. If so, I am okay with my decision to devote my life to these aspects of the Ultimate Reality: to Christ and the Paschal Mystery.

“[One] has no need to go beyond Jesus, for [one] will discover nothing better.”

In the fourth century, Pope Julius replaced the birthday of the Sun God with the birthday of the Son of God when he made December 25^th the official date to commemorate Christ’s birth. The date had previously been the date of the Feast of Saturnalia, when longer days of sunlight resumed.

An unknown theologian of the fourth century said, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it.”

In light of Hick’s heliocentric model of theocentric pluralism, I also hold this day holy not because I believe all other faiths are false, but because I am so in love with Christ who I believe both made the sun and humbly became a son. And, for me, there is no need to go beyond him for I know I will discover nothing better.

And the Bishop of Myra, also known as St. Nicholas, feels the same way.

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[1] “soaking in” as in enjoying and taking in, but also as in “soaking in” since it has been a rainy day in the city today.

Advent with A Kempis XXIV

Chapter 24: Judgment and Punishment for Sins or The 5 P’s

“The [one] who habitually exercises patience goes through a wholesome purgatory while still alive”

I have a weakness for alliterations, especially when the letter “P” is involved. Inspired by the above quote from today’s chapter, I have gleaned 5 ‘Advent with A Kempis’ Lessons that begin with the letter “P” from the last 23 blog entries. I know it’s cheesy, but I happened to have a “P” lying around and since it’s Christmas Eve, I thought I’d have some fun with it.

Purgation

“The [one] who habitually exercises patience goes through a wholesome purgatory while still alive”

Avoiding procrastination, practicing patience, praying in tongues and cleansing the soul with the priceless pearl all contribute to what Kempis calls a “wholesome purgation.” This inward purification prepares us for the coming presence of our Lord. Does this mean I should spend Christmas Eve weeping and speaking in tongues? Maybe, but probably not. Rather, these lessons encourage me to practice patience and avoid procrastination while incorporating the spiritual disciplines of glossolalia and holy tears into my prayer practice, knowing that these disciplines are working on me in ways I can only begin to fathom. These disciplines are purging and purifying my soul and preparing me to fully embrace the wonderful Mystery of the Incarnation.

Procrastination

“Someone once said: Take a stand at the very beginning; it is much too late to apply medicines after the illness has grown worse because of long delays.” (Kempis, XIII)

The temptation to procrastinate is worth paying attention to. It might be saying something to us that we need to hear, but if we continue to blithely give into its power, we fail to learn from it. This is why Kempis says, “Confront him at his first knock.” In some cases, we might learn that we need to crush the temptation to procrastinate as Our Lady of Guadalupe crushes the serpent. In other cases, we might need to learn that we really do have what it takes to get our work done, even though it sometimes feels like we have only the time, energy and resources to complete a fraction of our work. We can learn from the Hanukkah miracle and believe that our energy and resources can multiply through the power of Ha Shem. Just as the lamp oil lasted seven extra days, so can our limited energy empower us to complete far more work than we thought possible.

Patience

“Be patient in bearing the imperfections and weaknesses of others, no matter what they may be, just as others have to put up with your faults.” (Kempis, XVI)

In Herman Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha is asked, “What is it that you’ve learned?” He answers, “I can think. I can wait. I can fast.”

“Patience,” for St. Augustine, “is the companion of wisdom.” And if patience is a lamp, Tertullian sees “hope” as one that’s lit.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience,” said the transcendentalist.

The patron saint of writers advised,  “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.”

The Priceless Pearl

“Humbly pray to the Lord for the spirit of repentance, and say with the Prophet: Feed me with the bread of tears and give me tears to drink in full measure.” (XXI)

In the Midrash, after the Fall, God gave Adam and Eve a “priceless pearl” from heaven that would help alleviate the sorrow that they felt and were bound to feel again in their broken world. With it, they watered the earth for the first time. And they passed it on to their descendants as a precious inheritance. This “priceless pearl” from heaven is ours for the asking. So, in order to cleanse my soul and alleviate my sorrow, I join Kempis in his prayer to be fed with the bread of tears.

Pray in Tongues

“While enduring these afflictions he takes himself to prayer with sighs and groans.” (XII)

During times of trial and waiting, Kempis maintains, God is inviting us into deeper intimacy with the One “without whom we can do nothing.” I believe there are many spiritual tools at our disposal that help us plumb the depths of God’s love for us. Though it may make me and others uncomfortable (and I do not recommend practicing it in public), the gift of glossolalia has served as an effective tool in my own spiritual growth and in enduring afflictions.

So purgation through avoiding procrastination, practicing patience, praying in tongues and praying for the priceless pearl? These seem a little forced, like I was trying to think of lessons that began with “P” so that I could justify taking silly pictures of myself with a golden letter I found.

Maybe.

Maybe.

But you know what? I’ve done a pretty damn good job being consistent with these blogs this Advent season and there’s no fault in keeping it fun and enjoyable for myself, right?

Well, Kempis would probably disagree. But he’s kind of a party pooper anyway.

…

Even so, these are five disciplines that Kempis has reminded me to focus on during this season, along with apatheia.

And I wonder if apatheia is inviting me to soon detach from these daily blog reflections on Kempis’ Imitation…

XXIII Post Script

I just learned that death interrupted Brittany Murphy’s life on December 20^th. My friends, whose apartment I’m house-sitting, have a DVD of one of her films: Girl, Interrupted. So I watched it.

Ironically, Brittany plays a character whose tragic death acts as the catalyst for the protagonist’s transformation. The transformation was a movement out of an “already dead” life (personified by Angelina Jolie’s character) into a more authentic and full life.

I don’t know if someone has to die in order for the rest of us to value life more, as Virginia Woolf claims, but death certainly does have a way of shaking and waking us up to relish every moment of our fragile lives.

“The present time is invaluable; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Kempis

Advent with A Kempis XXIII

Chapter 23: Meditation on Death or Invitation to Deeper Life

“Listen!…Always think of death!”

As Christmas Day approaches, the chapters in Imitation of Christ seem to grow more and more dark and negative. Yesterday’s chapter was Reflections on Human Wretchedness, tomorrow’s chapter is Judgment and Punishment for Sins, and the last line of Chapter 25 (to be read on Christmas Day) reads, “Your progress in the spiritual life is in direct proportion to the punishment you choose to inflict upon yourself.” And today’s chapter is especially morbid as the title and epigraph indicate.

I thought I was really onto something when I noticed that the first book (of four books total) in Imitation contained 25 chapters and the second book contained 12, coinciding with the 25 days of Advent[1] and the 12 days of Christmas. However, the content of these chapters encourage the reader to focus more on death than on the coming Incarnation and the birth of our Savior.

I glanced through Imitation years ago and found its negative anthropology off-putting so I put it down. A friend of mine from Fuller Theological Seminary gave me his copy, which I gladly accepted; aware of its ubiquity on lists of Christian spiritual classics, I thought it would fit nicely on my bookshelf.

As I was considering an Advent practice for this year, the Kempis classic called for my attention after enduring my neglect for almost five years. I thought I was ready to give it another try. And honestly, I’ve really enjoyed it, but I’ve had to do some serious appropriation of the text to make myself like it. I’ve been inspired by authors like Joan Chittister, William Meninger and Anthony De Mello, whose accessible and contemporary reflections unlock the ancient wisdom of St. Benedict, the Cloud author and Ignatius (respectively).

However, reading Meninger’s The Loving Search for God alongside The Cloud of Unknowing is like drinking a Slurpee alongside three shots of pure espresso (no milk and no sugar). In the same way, my reflections on Imitation have been attempts to make many of the dark and bitter words of Kempis into tasty and bite-size spiritual treats, that go down easy. And it ain’t easy. And I’m sure Thomas would be infuriated by some of my reflections on his words. But when it comes to spiritual classics that withstand the test of time, one must know that future generations will interpret the words through very different lenses than those of the original audience or author. That’s what semantic autonomy is all about.[2]

All that to say, today’s chapter is about memento mori, which literally means, “Remember, you must die.” Kempis says, “Always think of death!” But I prefer the words of Siggy from What About Bob?: “You…are going…to die. I…am going…to die. We are all going…to die.”

Ancient, medieval and even renaissance philosophers often kept skulls on their desks to remind them of their mortality. In Rome, I walked through several ancient rooms attached to a church that were decorated completely with human skeletons and bones: interior decoration inspired by memento mori.

Although these morbid thoughts are not as en vogue today as they once were, I still think Kempis has some wisdom for us (for me), even on this Christmas Eve Eve.

I’ve never been all that close to death, but I’ve been close to those who have and have seen profound transformation take place in their lives as a result. Closeness to death seems to push people into a deeper, richer, more intentional and more thankful life. I’ve known jerks who have become kind souls and workaholics who have become family men as a result of their close encounter with mortality.

Many of the saints that I have recently studied were not born saintly, but became saintly after a near-death experience. Julian of Norwich actually prayed for a near-death experience, probably aware of its life-enhancing power.

By telling his readers to “Always think of death,” Kempis is not promoting morbidity but rather challenging us to live more intentionally and more fully, as if today might be our last. That full and intentional living obviously looks different for different people.

But there’s an urgency in this chapter that cannot be dismissed. If there’s something I need to say to somebody, Kempis urges me to say it now. If there’s a prayer I need to pray, Kempis implores me to pray it now. If there’s money I need to give to someone (perhaps the homeless man outside the apartment), Kempis says, “Give it now.”

A friend of a friend of mine just died in a freak car accident after taking a final. I remember reading his last wall post on facebook and was surprised by how uplifting and life-affirming it was. (It made me wonder about some of the posts I leave.) I just tried to check it right now. I couldn’t find it but instead, I found his profile quote, which reads, “Now is the time to give your life to the kingdom…it is so easy to say…tomorrow! i have so much going on now! When you are old and dying and finally decide to throw yourself out for God, what do you have to offer? Not much. The time is now!!!!” (For religious views he wrote, “Living a life all out for Christ.”)[3] This is what Kempis is saying when he says, “Listen! Always think of death!” He’s saying, “Live fully now because death is always a real possibility.”

“Somebody should tell us,” Pope Paul VI proposed, “right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”

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[1] Although the number of Advent days varies from year to year, 25 is a relatively average number for Advent days.

[2] This is a reference to French Linguist Paul Ricoeur

[3] His name is David Powell and I don’t think I’m breaking confidence in sharing that

Advent with A Kempis XXII

Chapter 22: Reflection on Human Wretchedness

“If you have eyes for heavenly things you will perceive that all temporal goods are mere trifles. They are unpredictable and highly troublesome because you can never possess them without some anxiety and apprehension.”

I went shopping today, mostly to replace my housemates’ Wheat Thins that I scarfed down during Finals Week. I decided to go to Target, where I could also buy some last-minute Christmas gifts and check out the new CD and DVD releases. Even though these megastores threaten the livelihood of local mom-and-pop businesses, I admit that I find Target extremely convenient for my shopping needs. Of course, more than a hundred million other people also find Target extremely convenient and it felt like it was about that many who decided to shop at Target today. It took me about fifteen minutes to find a place to park and it would have taken me twice as long if I didn’t finally settle for spot a half mile away from the entrance.

Inside the store, the stress and anxiety were palpable. A seething cauldron of humanity and red shopping carts, the store sucked me into its exciting and tantalizing chaos until I found myself caught up in the holiday rat race. Now that I was drugged with the consumer’s holiday spirit, I remembered a particular DVD that came out today and knew there would only be a few copies. I wanted to buy it for my brother, but I also wanted to see it myself. As I headed towards the multi-media section, I began to rush, worried that they might sell out before I got there. The slower people in the store, that seemed to purposely walk right in front of me, made me frustrated and antsy. And then I imagined seeing the store’s final copy of the DVD. I imagined reaching it for it at the same time that another customer reached for it and wondered, “Would I let the other customer have it?” When I started seriously thinking about flipping coins and playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” in this scenario, I finally caught myself and gave myself the invitation to just let go.

All the mystics I studied this semester wrote about detachment. Kempis writes about it in this chapter and speaks of the “anxiety and apprehension” that we connect to these “trifles.” One of my Jesuit friends is traveling to South India in January to the Bodhi Zendo Zen Center to meditate for eight hours a day for several weeks. He invited me to join him, but I couldn’t afford the airfare. Instead, I said I would practice a milder form of meditation while here in California. (Yeah, right).

The purpose of this meditation is detachment from what Kempis calls “all temporal goods.” I started practicing this detachment today in Target and it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. However, the flashy advertisements and sales persistently placed that weight back upon me. I had to consciously ‘let go’ several times in the store. It’s one thing to talk about detachment as I did last semester while studying the Christian mystics (and as I did while reflecting on Chapter VI), but it is quite another thing to practice it. I find Kempis’ call to detachment wonderfully pertinent to this hectic time of the holiday season when I so easily get caught up in the consumer chaos and overdose on attachment. Most of my frustration and stress, I have realized, stem from hyper-attachment. Buddha’s Second Noble Truth (“The origin of suffering is attachment”) definitely has some…truth. When frustrated and stressed out, I hear Kempis and, I think, Christ gently saying to me, “Just let go.”

It turned out that Target didn’t sell the DVD. I checked Rasputin music and Borders bookstore as well, but it was sold out.

“Just let go.”

Advent with A Kempis XXI

Chapter 21: Repentance of Heart

“Humbly pray to the Lord for the spirit of repentance, and say with the Prophet: Feed me with the bread of tears and give me tears to drink in full measure.”

I love how these pre-modern religious authors exegete Scripture. In the above quote, Kempis is referencing Psalm 80:5, in which the Psalmist actually asks God to take away shame, sorrow and tears. But Kempis spins it into a prayer that asks God to bring shame, sorrow and tears in order to enter into the experience of repentance.

Personally, I hesitate to ask God for shame and sorrow, but I feel I can do tears. “What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul,” as a Jewish proverb goes. And I feel my soul could use a nice shower after a pretty stress-filled semester. I’ve never been really afraid to cry, but then again, I can’t remember the last time I really “bathed my soul” with tears.

Many Christian saints have been venerated for their holy tears, including Ignatius of Loyola. Perhaps it was partly their tears that helped them achieve sainthood, making their souls sparkly clean.

Scientific research has shown the health benefits of crying, as toxins and stress hormones have been found in tears.

Although we can only assume that the Jesus of the Gospels laughed, we can be certain that he cried.

Kempis’ spin on Psalm 80 might make modern exegetes uncomfortable, but he shows only respect to the traditions of Christianity and Judaism as he upholds the cleansing power of tears.

In the Midrash, after the Fall, God gave Adam and Eve a “priceless pearl” from heaven that would help alleviate the sorrow that they felt and were bound to feel again in their broken world. With it, they watered the earth for the first time. And they passed it on to their descendants as a precious inheritance. This “priceless pearl” from heaven is ours for the asking. So, in order to cleanse my soul and alleviate my sorrow, I join Kempis in his prayer to be fed with the bread of tears.

Advent with A Kempis XX

“All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”

Blaise Pascal

St. Romuald’s Brief Rule For Camaldolese Monks

Sit in your cell as in paradise.
Put the whole world behind you and forget it.
Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish,
The path you must follow is in the Psalms — never leave it.

If you have just come to the monastery,
and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want,
take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart
and to understand them with your mind.

And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up;
hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.

Realize above all that you are in God’s presence,
and stand there with the attitude of one who stands
before the emperor.

Empty yourself completely and sit waiting,
content with the grace of God,
like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing
but what his mother brings him.

“If you keep to your room you will find delight in it”

Thomas A Kempis

Advent with A Kempis XIX

Chapter 19: The Exercises of a Good Religious

“The life of a good religious must abound with every virtue so that he can inwardly be what he outwardly professes to be”

“Religious” here refers to the vocationally religious, mostly monks and nuns, but it leads me to ask…

What do I profess to be as a student of Christian Spirituality?

And what do I profess to be as someone discerning the priesthood?

“If a prescribed exercise is omitted because of a brother in need, or because we must perform some other charitable deed, the exercise may be fulfilled at a later time”

…or because we must complete final papers

“In the morning make your resolution, and in the evening examine your performance, checking how you conducted yourself during the day. Scrutinize your speech, your actions, and your thoughts, because by these means you may have offended God and your neighbor”

Ignatius of Loyola, who read a chapter from Imitation each day, offers an insight in one of his letters that provides a helpful balance to Kempis, especially for those how have a “delicate” conscience…

“When [the enemy] encounters a person who has a delicate conscience (no fault in itself) and sees that the person not only repulses mortal sins, and venial sins so far as he can (for they are not all in our power), but even tries to repel every semblance of slight sin, imperfection, or defect, then the enemy attempts to throw this excellent conscience into turmoil by charging sin where there is none and defect where there is perfection, so that he can confound and distress us. Often, when he cannot get a person to sin and has no prospect of doing so, he will at least try to torment the person.”[1]

“We should live from one feast to another, and make our resolutions as if on the following feast we were to leave this world for the eternal feast. Therefore, during these festival seasons we ought to prepare ourselves to live more devoutly, and to observe our rules more faithfully, as if we were soon to receive from God the reward of our labor.”

Gracious God, make our hearts and minds ready for the Christmas feast so that we may also be ready for the eternal feast….

“If that reward be deferred, then know that we are not sufficiently prepared and are still unworthy of that great glory which is to be revealed in us at the appointed time, and let us use what time we have to make better preparation for our departure.”

…and make us sufficiently prepared for that great glory which is to be revealed in us at the appointed time. Amen.

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[1] George E. Ganss, S.J. Ignatius of Loyola Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works, (Mahwah, 1991), 336.

Advent with A Kempis XVIII

Chapter 18: The Examples of the Holy Fathers

“Study the worthy examples of the holy Fathers, those illustrious models of true perfection and devotion, and you will conclude that you are doing very little or almost nothing.”

Townes Van Zandt and Them Crooked Vultures play through my friends’ speakers in a colorful apartment on Nob Hill in San Francisco, where I relax on the floor after a week of little and irregular sleep. My body and brain are not as tired as they are confused. Because my head seems to be in the best place for writing research papers around 3 am, I forced myself to stay up pretty late (or early) this last week. Now I’m tired all day and awake all night. Rufus Wainwright is now singing Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece.  I will be house sitting (or apartment sitting) in the city for a few weeks while my friend spends his holidays in Idaho in order to enjoy their famous potatoes. I’m about a block away from Grace Cathedral, where my car got towed a few days ago (see Advent with A Kempis XI). Now Nick Cave is singing about San Francisco in “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!”

When I reflect on the ascetic practices of the holy Fathers, my self-discipline certainly pales in comparison, even though I feel like I really buffeted my body these last few days. Yet instead of making me feel like my efforts are pathetic attempts to be an ascetic, I feel inspired by the “worthy examples of the holy Fathers.” When I stay up until 4:30 am reading and writing about Julian of Norwich and the Gospel of John, I feel like I’m taking part in a great tradition of Christian self-discipline. The holy Fathers definitely enjoyed sleep, but they enjoyed prayer and study and communion with God even more. So sometimes sleep (and food) would have to take a back seat.

Antony communed with God and battled demons in the dry heat of the Egyptian desert. Julian locked herself in a cell for the rest of her life in order to devote herself more fully to prayer. Ignatius wandered around as a beggar, fasting all day and praying all night. And one of my favorite ascetic saints, Simeon Stylites, spent 37 years, living on top of a pillar!  These saints are just scratching the surface of Christian ascetic practice and of course, other faith traditions boast their extreme ascetics as well.

Self-mutilation and flagellation for the sake of Christ are fortunately no longer in vogue, at least in the West. However, we can still see these extremists as sources of hope and encouragement as we sacrifice some of our basic bodily needs and desires for something we consider higher. When I get bored or lonely or both in my room, I think of Antony, Julian, Iggy and Simeon and how they intentionally entered into situations that were lonely and boring in order to confront their demons and encounter their God. I also think of Zen monks who spend hours upon hours, meditating on koans. And I think of the Camaldolese hermits of Big Sur who wake up every morning at 5:30 am to begin their day of prayer with vigils. The asceticism that I have chosen at this season in my life is that of a student. Although it can be overwhelming, depressing, lonely and boring at times, I really do love it. Like Antony, I wrestle with demons of boredom and distraction. Like Julian, I relegate myself to my room to write for hours on end. Like Iggy, I pull all-nighters and often feel like a beggar due to my negative income as a student. Like the Zen monks, I have the opportunity to spend days and weeks and months meditating on the koans I encounter in the Gospels: Why did Jesus weep in response to Mary’s tears? Why did Jesus get angry before raising Lazarus? What did Jesus mean when he said half the things he said?

I don’t feel called to be a monk (at least not yet), but as a student I feel like I’m part of a similar tradition, a tradition of the holy Fathers, whose “true perfection and devotion” compel me to greater discipline and self-sacrifice. Now, in the spirit of Simeon Stylites, I will climb to the top of this building and make the roof my home for the next 37 years.

Advent with A Kempis XVII

Chapter 17: The Monastic Life

“It is no small matter to live in a monastery…”

Blessed is the pilgrim

With monk’s habit and tonsured head

Blessed is the fool who seeks

To suffer and not to spend

To be tried and to be gold

Blessed are the exiled

For no one can remain here

And there is no peace apart from striving

To be the least of all

(Thomas A Kempis)