Lamb of Jesus
“I see myself as a lamb of Jesus,” she said.
“But what else?” I asked. “We’re all far more than one thing. And, perhaps, focusing on the one good thing excludes much consideration of all the other things we’re not very good at.”
“I’d rather be good at one thing than bad at a dozen,” she said.
“Okay,” I said.
Then I turned to him, asking, “What are you?”
“I’m a devotee of the just side of social causes,” he said. “I am a soldier of justice and fairness and responsibility and all the rest.”
“But we’re all far more than just one thing,” I said again.
“So what would you have me be?” he asked. “I cannot be all things. And if I am too many things, I become too difficult to understand. Understanding requires a degree of simplicity.”
“How about dividing yourself from a whole into smaller pieces. From one overarching thing to smaller things? Like the pieces of citizen. Co-worker. Neighbor. Father. Uncle. Brother. Friend.”
“Smaller pieces? Me? Small?” he asked. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Your’e probably right,” I said.
So I gave up, knowing it’s easier to understand, then try to own, the narrative of yourself when you’re a simple character versus ones as complex as the ones we all really are.
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