Maybe it’s just a question of balance. According to Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are inundated by stories of avid outdoorsmen, community activists, and people who “give back” after a long journey of finding themselves. As an avid indoorsman and inactivist I realize that my accomplishments are largely unnoticed and certainly not celebrated. There were no up close and personal segments during the recent Olympics of grainy videos of future gold medalists sitting around the house quietly reading. If anything, they looked like stealth advertisements for Ritalin as children bounced off the walls and exhausted parents tried to find safe activities that didn’t involve jumping off the roof or falling out of trees. Apparently, the kids that survived stood a good chance for an Olympic medal down the road.
The implication that people who are involved will “do good’ has been debunked time and again. We all know someone who would benefit the community by being less involved. Successful giving back requires that someone is taking. It’s the natural order of things and there is no shame in grateful and appreciative acceptance. But giving back also implies that someone is taking and not giving back. It is uncomfortable because it borders on being selfish, which of course everyone is to some extent but no one will admit to it. Again, we need to keep things in balance. Is it selfish or self-centered? Hard to know. Is it psychopath or sociopath?Easier to know. One often ends up as a murderer and the other has a chance of getting elected president. Instead of selfishness let’s call it constructive self-centeredness. Sort of like the “constructive criticism” from your boss that you are forced to listen to during the annual review.
The life of the inactivist is not glamorous. It is thankless and sometimes embarrassing. And some are just not cut out for it. Unlike the avid outdoorsman, the avid indoorsman does not spend years building endurance and lung capacity. There is no journey to the couch or easy chair. You bury your nose in a book under the glare of an LED, not the national spotlight.
Most of us do not grow up to be Olympians performing on a world stage or community activists basking in the glow of local celebrity. Our modest contributions and subtle rewards stem from leading ordinary and unassuming lives.
I’m sure it’s disappointing when some children don’t pursue the dreams their parents have and resist joining travel teams and professional coaching. They aren’t excited about passing out campaign leaflets or glued to the TV watching election night returns in preparation for a future run for public office.
With apologies to Sir Isaac Newton, sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree.
But it’s still an apple.
M.A. Duca is a resident of Twin Lakes, narrowly focused on everyday life.
