To Compare is Human, Identify Divine

“I’m a high bottom drunk,” said the woman with an air of superiority. (For those unfamiliar with 12 step recovery expressions, "high bottom" refers not to a plastic surgical procedure, but to the fact that she came into the rooms before going to the absolute bottom of life.) While I was happy she was spared additional pain and suffering, her comment pointed to our propensity to find something to make us feel better about ourselves.

Like the poor man and Lazarus, we so often confess our sins while looking over at others and saying:, “I may be bad, but I’m not as bad as him or her!”  In other words, no matter what our situation, we can always find someone whose situation can make us feel better about ourselves. Like fast food, however, comparing may taste good at the time, but eventually we’ll see it for the poor nutrition it is.

I once held up an orange in theology class. The students were to respond with all of the wonderful things about oranges. Then, I held an apple beside the orange and students instantly compared and shared why one was better than another, instead of celebrating the wonder of fruit.

Recently, I read an account of a panel presentation where the two speakers, Fred Buechner and Maya Angelou, were introduced with an emphasis on the different stories that brought them to where they were that day. Angelou began her remarks by pointing out that the two may have grown up differently, but they shared the same story. Those in the audience remember little else of what was said that day. They’d heard the most important thing.

We can say all of this is true of others, and not us, but watch how many times we compare or identify in a typical day. The tilted scale may surprise and disappoint us, but it also may inspire us to shift the weight and find what we have in common with others. My hunch is such a shift will lighten our souls and transform our world.