All my heroes are outliers. The Cambridge definition of outlier
is “a person, thing, or fact that is very different from other people…” That
could mean a whole hell of a lot of things. To help clarify here’s a shallow
skim-of-a surface list of mine. They are: A poet to the Yukon, a photographer
of the Sierra, a martyred missionary to the Waorani, a writer of a nonfiction
narrative about the fields near Roanoke, and a Parkinsons afflicted writer
grappling the problem of pain. Prophets pointing us to a ‘better country,’ while
showing us present beauty. Writers whom, in the words of Annie Dillard, wrestle
with this question, “Why would an
omnipotent, omniscient and merciful God allow natural evil to happen?”
Perhaps I am mistaken in my choice of heroes. My failures
are not a result. Nor my triumphs. My decisions may have cost me what the
Jones’ have and I don’t. In a world of tangibles it’s hard to see the value of
intangibles. To quote Madeleine L’Engle, “What would have happened to Mary (and
all the rest of us) if she had said no to the angel?”
To anyone choosing a hero I would give this advice; wait.
Wait until you are in your forties or fifties so as not to choose the wrong
one. What if you were to choose as your hero one who enjoys freedom? Then one
day sitting at breakfast in Dallas with a specialized accountant for the rich,
and an executive for BHP among others you realize your choices, fate and living
quarters don’t compare well to others. Those insecurities rush in. Perhaps you
should have chosen that money-making, fitting-in archetype instead.
Having heroes is like the back surgery I just had done. The
world pushes hard against our spine. We are unaligned. Realignment is sometimes
as easy as a crack from a chiro. Picking up an essay from a role-model keeps us
on track. Other times gotta hideaway with that Spofity playlist, some journals
and tattered tomes.
Choosing a hero is easier than becoming one. Maybe we
choose them according to our souls wiring. Do the chords resonate because you’re
attuned to them? It’s not always comfortable being an outlier. If that’s who I am
then that’s who I should be shaped to be. Heaven and heroes honing me to be my
best.
