Our Deepest Calling
Is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find
the joy that every human being seeks — we will also find our path of authentic service in the world. True vocation joins self and service, as Frederick Buechner asserts
when he defines vocation as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” Buechner’s definition starts with the self and moves toward the
needs of the world: it begins, wisely, where vocation begins–not in what the world needs (which is every-thing), but in the nature of the human self, in what brings the
self-joy, the deep joy of knowing that we are here on earth to be the gifts that God created. Contrary to the conventions of our thinly moralistic culture,this emphasis
on gladness and self hood is not selfish. The Quaker teacher Douglas Steere was fond of saying that the ancient human question “Who am I?” leads inevitably to the
equally important question “Whose am I?” For there is no self hood outside of relationship. We must ask the question of self hood and answer it as honestly as we
can, no matter where it takes us. Only as we do so can we discover the community of our lives. As I learn more about the seed of true self that was planted when I
was born, I also learn more about the ecosystem in which I was planted — the network of communal relations in which I am called to live responsively, accountably,
and joyfully with beings of every sort. Only when I know both seed and system, self and community can I embody the great commandment to love both my
neighbour and myself.
A vision of Vocation
Parker Palmer