Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose
Rabindranath Tagore
Having recently lost my full-time job, I have become free to pursue other options. I am writing this post from Rome, Italy, on my way to Macau, China where I will be teaching philosophy and website design for the next two months. I will let you know what the world looks like from there.
On the way here, a friend from India reminded me of this quote by Rabindranath Tagore which we had heard in a homily at church:
The song I came to sing remains unsung to this day. I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my guitar.
Loosing my job has been a real blessing, a chance to reassess God’s call to me. Though I loved my teaching position, I feel as if in some ways I have stood accused by Tagore’s words–always just about ready to sing, but never really doing so. I go to China to sing my song, probably off-key and lacking beauty, but mine nonetheless. This death has brought new life. Or perhaps, I have finally caught up with Kris Kristofferson’s immortal words, “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
Scott Steinkerchner in charge of the worldwide internet development efforts of his religious congregation, the Dominicans, and is an adjunct professor of interreligious theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. He has a Ph.D. in theology from Boston College with a specialization in inter-religious dialogue, and is a Catholic priest. 
Best of luck and safe travels! Looking forward to seeing your next posts from China.
Pack light, everything you need will meet you there.
Scott,
That’s a long way to go to sing a song. Are you sure you weren’t singing your song when you lost your job?
Seriously, Father, as a priest of God how can you possibly say that you have “lost your job”?
Your ‘job’ is to offer the Sacrifice of Christ on the altar for the living and the dead, to absolve sinners, and overall to participate in Our Lord’s ministry of sanctifying His Church.
Sounds like a pretty demanding ‘job description’ to me!
Everything else is ancillory entailments.
Besides, it’s November. The month of the Holy Souls. As a priest, don’t you realize just how much work of practical charity for these our departed brethren - the neediest of all the needy in existence - you are now free to be engaged in?
Indeed, we all have a lot of work to do.
Working to merit our treasure in Heaven is a full time ‘job’ for ALL the Faithful.
Congratulations on finding a new path so quickly. I think nothing is so pleasing to the Divine as when we begin to sing our own songs. I look forward to your posts from the exotic East.
Best wishes Scott on the adventures life has in store for you. 20 years ago Gul and I were living in Arizona, working in different cities (Phoenix and Tucson) spending a LOT of time commuting. Then her job moved to California! Then we both lost our jobs within a month of each other. Things looked bleak for a while but within a few months we were in St Louis, both had jobs and quite reasonable commutes. We needed that ‘kick’ to get into a better situation. Hope this is a wonderful opportunity for you and look forward to regular updates. Peace.
Thank you all who have wished me well. I did not write this post to get support (I don’t think) but to inform you all about what I was up to and to challenge us all to do the things we never get around to.
In any case, your comments are right on the mark. I was indeed singing before I left, I guess, though something has indeed has changed. I particularly appreciate “Another”’s advice. I will indeed find what I need there. I really don’t want to take my life here there. “New” seems to be where God is calling me.
Khalid, I will indeed give regular updates. But this idea of finding life in (or through) death is very common in Christianity since our God died in order to bring us new life. Does this theme have a counterpart in Islam?
Well there is a sufi story. Once there was a man who was going to visit Africa and he said to his pet parrot “I am going to Africa and will probably visit the jungle. Is there any message you want to send your fellow birds?” and the parrot said “give them my best wishes and tell them I am very happy here. I live in a cage but I have all the comforts and food provided for me.” When the man was in the jungle he saw some birds that looked like his parrot and he said to them “I have a parrot just like you and he sends his greetings and to tell you he is very happy in his cage and has all the comforts and food provided for him.” Upon hearing this all the birds fell over and died. The man was very shocked and left. When he got home and saw his parrot the parrot asked “Did you see my cousins and how are they in the jungle of Africa?” and the man told him that it was really very strange that when he saw them and told them about him all of them fell over and died. Upon hearing this the parrot fell from his perch and died. The man was really shocked and took him out and put him on the window ledge to later take him out to bury. Suddenly from the ledge the parrot flew away sat on a tree nearby. The man shouted “you are alive. How is that?” and the parrot replied ” my cousins sent me a message. To be free you must die before you die!” And with this he flew away.
Like all sufi stories there is the simple childrens story but below it are two layers of messages. One is probably quite obvious to all of us. But the second layer is about the ‘cage’ we build for ourselves within us. It is really the main obstacle for personal growth.
May God protect you in your travels.
Scott, this whole underplay about “song” is interesting to me. Perhaps you’ve seen the movie Australia that came out last year? The Aboriginal boy, at the end, says, “I sing you to me”.
Might I suggest a slim book called “songlines” about the Aboriginal Australian beliefs concerning the songlines that crisscross the outback. Interesting stuff.
Might I also suggest something I heard recently about missionary activity. Two things to remember: First, every assumption you have about what you will find there, what you will do there, will be proven wrong. Second, YOU will be changed by your encounters with these other people, so different from you. In fact, you will change more than they will.
I just love the way Janis Joplin sung it in “Me and Bobby McGee ”
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose….. Nessa