Editorial November 16, 1992 Issue

Saving ourselves

Nathan A. Talbot

We smile at the auto mechanic whose car is always breaking down, the accountant whose checkbook is constantly out of balance, and the landscape architect whose place looks a little dumpy! And yet every one of us could probably find areas in our lives where we've been able to help others but haven't done as well for ourselves.

In some cases the reason may be that we've been so preoccupied doing for others what we do best that we've simply neglected ourselves. This issue has significance when it comes to religious activities. Clergymen may sometimes give so much of themselves that on the question of saving themselves—well .... Perhaps their total commitment to unselfish efforts directed outward may have left their own inward problems uncared for. Those who pray for the well-being of their family or others may at times feel they're faced with a similar predicament. They can help others but feel they haven't been able to care effectively for themselves.

There is often a deeper question here than simply having the time to meet one's own needs. The lack of dealing effectively with personal challenges may be related to a very old but strongly rooted religious teaching. This teaching is symbolized in the attitude expressed by some of the priests at the time Christ Jesus was placed on the cross. According to the Gospel of Matthew, their derisive words, during these moments of agony for Jesus, were "He saved others; himself he cannot save."

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