The older I get,
The more I understand that
The greatest aspiration
A person could possibly have
Is not any of the things
So many of us might think it is
At various times in our lives.
It is not the aspiration to
Fame or fortune,
Power or popularity,
Leadership or success,
Or to be
Unique or unpredictable.
It is neither to be admired,
Nor loved,
Nor feared,
Nor respected,
Nor owed,
Nor needed,
Nor sought after,
Nor missed when we are gone.
It’s not to be heard,
Nor understood,
Nor pitied,
Nor emulated,
Nor celebrated,
Nor congratulated.
It is not to be the best
Or to be the winner.
It is not to be the teacher,
Parent,
Boss,
Expert,
Champion,
Discoverer,
Inventor,
Founder,
Or conqueror.
It is neither to be entertained,
Nor to be at leisure,
Nor at peace,
Nor in good health.
It’s not even—
If you can accept this—
To be in love
Or to be happy.
No, the way I see it now,
The greatest aspiration is—
Most simply put—
To be righteous,
Through and through,
As we were made to be.
Just plain
Old-fashioned
Regular
Everyday
Vanilla
Righteousness
Will do.
No need for anything special.
This was,
After all,
The humble aspiration
Of the most accomplished human
Ever—
God himself,
Come as a man—
Flawless example that
We had not yet
Seen up close.
And let us not miss the fact
That his righteousness
Was not the vain sort
That people sometimes put on
Because it is expected of them.
It was not just
Something he did
For our good and all.
It was who he was
In his heart of hearts,
Where do and be
Are ever the same.
It was—
O wonder of wonders!—
What he actually
Wanted
To be.
