The Call of a Lifetime

Suppose you could have a phone conversation with anyone. Just one conversation. The only stipulation is that you cannot call the past or the future but must call someone who has either lived at some point in history or is currently alive.

Would you make the call? Whom would you choose?

 

 

There are clearly categories of consideration – family members who have passed, major historical figures, the rich and famous. Old friends. The forgotten.

It is tempting to want to go straight to the source of experience and wisdom, to choose to speak with Jesus or the Buddha or Gandhi. Unfortunately, when I try to formulate my questions for such figures, my line of inquiry sounds trite, almost journalistic. When did you realize that you were God? What did it feel like to attain enlightenment? Can history’s course truly be changed through peaceful means?

A call to my mother or father would be wonderful, if only just to hear her or his voice. Again, however, any request for information I may have – what’s it like where you are? – seems, well, childish. Is it because I already know the answer? (It’s unlike anything that a human can understand.) Or is it because I know that they cannot answer questions in a way that I would understand.

Interestingly, my initial list of candidates for the call of a lifetime share one feature: they have died. Of equal interest, I assume that, were it not against the rules of human sensory perception, I should be able to reach these people on their celestial devices.

I have no proof of an afterlife; perhaps that explains my interest in having someone take my phone call from it. And yet I’m not so much interested in confirmation of the existence of an afterlife as curious regarding my progress to some day reaching it, to some day deserving to reach it. That’s why I feel sheepish about asking questions about what it’s like there. I’m not so much seeking certainty of a continuation after death as I am seeking certainty that I personally warrant that continuation. Am I fulfilling my life’s purpose? There’s the real question I’d like someone to answer.

From across time and spiritual dimensions, my mother’s response is quick and clear. She is smiling. Her smile envelops me in a reassuring and loving embrace. Inside that embrace, I understand that asking and answering the question of purpose is the whole point of my time here. It is the reason for my journey. The answer is something that I have to figure out.

Ah but that’s not answer I wanted! Some days – and today is one – I feel under-equipped at facing purpose. Is it one thing or many things? Is it consistency in kindness within my community or compassion through patient yet steady parenting? Is it enough to be an overall “good” person, even if I falter – with embarrassing frequency?

This call idea has turned out to be more challenging than I expected. Maybe I need to think about it differently and dial someone who, like me, hasn’t already completed the human journey. I should try someone who specializes in the life path problem from the path itself, someone with credentials that are impeccable and experience that is unparalleled.

You may think that I am referring to the Dalai Lama, or the Pope. I admit that those names do come to mind. First, a call with either one is physically possible. Also, each would probably have some helpful perspective and suggestions, although he would know nothing about me personally. They’ve no doubt given advice on this topic to countless people during their lifetimes. So I would certainly benefit from hearing it directly from them.

But I’m not thinking of the Dalai Lama or Pope as candidates for my call. Nor am I thinking about another internationally-recognized leader or public figure. The person I have in mind is someone who might hear my voice and sense its resonance, someone who is on a similar life journey of discovery, doesn’t necessarily know where we are going and yet is happy to share the experience with me. The person I have in mind is someone who is consistently ready to listen.

The person I have in mind is you.

I hope the timing of my call won’t be inconvenient. Because I could really use your advice.