Downward Mobility

". . I woke up one day with the realization that I was living in a very dark place and that the term burnout was a convenient psychological translation for a spiritual death.

Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989), 10-11.

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Henri Nouwen is widely recognized as one of the greatest spiritual writers of our time. A gifted professor and Roman Catholic priest, Henri made an amazing life journey through appointments at the top academic institutions in the country, leadership in the parish, and, finally, as a caregiver at a retreat for the mentally-handicapped. Nouwen's insights along the way form a substantial body of teaching...and most of it centers around several major themes. One of these themes is the thought of "downward mobility."

Sinmply put, Nouwen argues that spiritual satisfaction coms from turning away from ambition, and focusing on spiritual connection. Henri believed strongly that his moments of greatest spiritual crisis were when he was the most dependent upon outside validation (most notably, as a Professor at Harvard) and his moments of greatest spiritual connection were as a friend and servant for his community at L'Arche Daybreak (the community for the mentally-handicapped).

Henri found his greatest level of satisfaction came from centering himself, spiritually, and then connecting with people; his great enemy was desire for temporal reward and a perceived need to "get things done." To do this, of course, you have to fight against low self esteem and dependence on others compliments/acceptance. A worthy challenge...and certainly one that Henri never felt he got perfectly correct. He does teach that the first step is creating a personal space (a lonely space) in your life where you give yourself the opportunity to listen to God and center yourself (prayer, meditation, etc...).

Of course, Henri says it much better than I do:

from: Out of Solitude

by Henri Nouwen

To live a Christian life is to live in the world without being of it. It is in solitude that this inner freedom can grow. Jesus went to a lonely place to pray, that is, to grow in the awareness that all the power he had was given to him; that all the words he spoke came from his Father; and that all the works he did were not really his but the works of the One who had sent him. In the lonely place Jesus was made free to fail.

In solitude we can listen to the voice of him who spoke to us before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture to help, who set us free long before we could free others, and who loved us long before we could give love to anyone.... In solitude we discover that life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.

When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures can slowly lose some of their power over you. For then your love for this world can merge with a compassionate understanding of its illusions. Then your serious engagement can merge with an unmasking smile. Then your concern for others can be more motivated by their needs than your own. In short: then you can care. Let us therefore live our lives to the fullest but let us not forget to once in a while get up long before dawn to leave the house and go to a lonely place.

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I don't think Christians are required to leave the active life, that Christians can't be successful professionals, or that they need to become monastic. That said, I think there is an important perspective shift in "downward mobility" that certainly is backed by Christ's teachings. If we focus more on our connection to others and to God, then we build a stronger community around ourselves and rest on a firmer foundation than our "reputations" can provide.