Summer Reading: Growth

[  To read the what and why of the Summer Reading series, click here. ]


The first chapter of "Soul of a Citizen" begins with a quote (as do all the chapters) from Trappist monk Thomas Merton:

"Souls are like athletes that need opponents worthy of them if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers."

The chapter revolves around the lives of three Americans who have affected or are currently affecting American and world history. Loeb also includes anecdotes from the Marian Wright Edelman and Martin Luther King, Jr. The three main characters are a middle-aged mother, a law professor, and a leader of the conservative evangelical community.


The three people all traveled the same journey from a place of content complacency to suddenly being rocketed into the spotlight after making a decision to believe something different and then speak up for it. The mother, living in a low-income minority neighborhood, questioned why one of her neighbors had to die from hypothermia because she didn't have heat. The professor refused to teach until the university hired a minority female professor and the evangelical brought the idea of climate control into the Religous Right, making it moral issue for Christians.

In each case the person's soul grew in the fashion of Thomas Merton's quote-- they faced challenges and opponents, but they persevered and learned more about themselves than they thought was possible. The mother ended up speaking before Congress and the evangelical leader today is changing the face of American politics by bringing "creation care" to the forefront of conservative politics. The law professor, however, didn't share such success.

"The school's resistance continued despite Bell's stand. After three years, the school forced him to resign. His conscience had cost him a tenured job at the most prestigious law school in America." 

The story continues with the professor's lesson from that experience and how it proves that "silence can be more costly than speaking out, because it requires the ultimate sacrifice-- the erosion of our spirit."

"Yet Bell didn't feel defeated. Quite the opposite. His public stance had preserved his core identity and integrity." (Page 29)

While the mother and evangelical were reacting to something that had taken place, an action, the professor was reacting to inaction, which can be just as harmful. 


The author covers several other related topics and then finished out the chapter with the personal benefits of serving the community and/or taking an active role in one's culture:

"... Like any true path of psychological or spiritual inquiry, social commitment invites us to confront issues and forces we'd just as soon leave undisturbed. It can bring us face to face with more cruelty and suffering than we ever thought possible... Yet here as elsewhere, the most challenging experiences may teach the most valuable lessons." (Page 40)

So what's the morale of the story? By becoming part of public life through speaking out or standing up for something, you can only grow yourself and your soul. You'll encounter personal development, but more importantly you'll find out why your soul is growing-- because you're doing what you were made to do. 

Source: "Soul of a Citizen." Paul Loeb, 2010.