BY FATHER THEOPHAN MACKEY
St Job of Pochaiv Orthodox
Los Alamos
As I scrolled through Facebook videos, as I am wont to do, late last night, I came across a venerable potter somewhere in England who was constructing a “bespoke chimney pot.” Although the title was arresting, it was the fact that he placed down on his wheel nearly 30 pounds of clay that enticed me to watch the entire video (and two subsequent videos in the series, if I’m honest).
Throwing 30 pounds of clay on the pottery wheel takes an immense effort and he handled it with an apparent ease that defied its difficulty. From a formless mound, within three minutes, he had opened it to a width of 18 inches and pulled it to a height nearly the same.
There are few things more humbling than watching a master work in a discipline that one imagines ones’ self adept at.
To put it in perspective, for a normal mug or bowl that I throw regularly, containing 16 ounces or 6 inches in diameter, I weigh out just over one pound of clay. I usually teach people to throw with about two pounds of clay, because it is a small amount, but is big enough to use two hands. More than that and it can get unruly when a beginner is attempting to center it early on.
I will admit, watching it stung a little. But it also spurred me to throw the biggest bowl I have ever attempted, and it was successful. We’ll see if the trimming, drying, and firing all work out, but it is nearly eighteen inches in diameter and started as twelve pounds of clay.
The recent Olympics (or the current Paralympics) might have a similar effect on some, as the video did on me. Someone who regularly runs competitively, or swims, or fences, etc. might be awed by the amazing things that the very best can accomplish.
And there are only a few ways to respond. One could dismiss the victors with a, “Phht! I could do that if I had their training/genetics/privilege/etc.” One could be despondent, “That is so far above me, they are gods, and I am a worm.”
The best response, however, is to be inspired. Not that achieving greatness is the only goal, but that there is worth in the striving. That their excellence can be our target and direction.
Saint Job Orthodox Church will be sponsoring a free showing of the movie Ostrov (The Island) at SALA. (Shameless plug: Everyone is welcome to attend!) It is based on a true story of an unlikely monk who comes to live at a monastery on the White Sea near the Arctic circle. He becomes a great mystic, a fool-for-Christ, and a clairvoyant; the epitome of sainthood.
Like the master potter or the Olympic champion, we could be shamed by the saint, or dismiss him, or we could be inspired in our own lives to be better; balancing incremental personal progress with a healthy awe of the great and proper humility at our own status.
Proper inspiration and modest humility are how any progress is made at all.
Keep your head down, keep working, the struggle is worth it.