“No man can serve two masters: for
either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the
one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”(Matthew 6:24)
According to the Book of Matthew, it
is impossible to simultaneously serve two masters, yet I have been attempting to
serve numerous masters over the years, namely God, politics and literature, just to name a few.
One day I was going to be a rabbi,
the next I was going to be a politician/activist,
a third day I was going to be a
novelist, and on the last day I planned
to be a literary scholar. On some days, I envisioned being all of the above.
And guess what: with that attitude, I
got little if anything done. Indecisiveness and being spread too thin mentally,
have, in the end, lead to inertia and stagnation.
I’m not saying that one cannot be a
multi-faceted human being, but at some point, the majority of us have to concentrate
on doing and mastering just one thing.
So, my main thing, the only thing
which truly gets me moving in the morning is to be an activist. I have to put
all my heart, time and energy into being an activist.
Oh, I’ll continue to muddle through
my British novels, and write poetry, and read religious texts, and even go to synagogue or church, but when
push comes to shove, I have to be an activist.
I can be a political/religious/mental
health/cultural activist, but I must be an activist. I have to write activist articles,
organize people and events, and participate
in activist gatherings.
And I have to use my activist impulse
to get me through mundane tasks like cleaning my room, doing laundry, securing and
holding on to a wage job, and taking care of my health.
All of this has to come together in
one process, the process of being an activist.
I hope I’m right about all this,
because the time has come to get- and keep- moving...
Craig R. Bayer, 12/29/17
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