As a fourth generation Englishmen, I called my father to wish him a Mazal Tov on the occasion of the birth of a new royal baby. “There’s just one thing that’s bothering me” I said, “who on earth dresses up like that seven hours after having a baby, with high heels and all!?” (I was referring to the now famous picture of Duchess Kate standing on the front steps of the Hospital shortly after giving birth)
“Well, she’s not just any mother” my father responded “She’s royalty, she represents the crown and the British people! She can’t exactly walk out in pajamas!”
Which got me thinking.
We all have a profound need deep inside of us to feel significant and will do whatever it takes to feel important. Often to our own detriment.
Everyone has their way of feeling significant. Some people work harder, others run for political office, while others turn to crime.
What makes you feel significant in the world? What do you do to feel important?
The problem is that no matter how much we achieve, deep down we still feel insignificant. At the end of the day, we sense that we are nothing more than a speck of dust in this vast universe, and the fact that we have one more zero on our bank statement or 100 or even 100,000 more friends on Facebook does nothing to change that reality.
No matter how much we try it’s never enough, and as a result we are driven to earn even more money, reach higher office, wield more power, or act even more outlandish (think Hollywood J) all in the hopes of finally feeling significant! It’s never ending.
But Kate Middleton is different. Her significance doesn’t come from herself and her personal achievements, but from what she represents.
As long as we live only for ourselves, we are limited to ourselves, and will never feel significant. It is only once we rise above ourselves by representing something beyond ourselves that we begin to feel truly significant.
The picture of Kate on the hospital steps reminds us that our true significance comes from what we represent not what we accomplish.
The 2004 movie Miracle tells the story of the amazing victory of the US Men’s Hockey team. During one crucial scene, the coach yells at the players “When you pull on that jersey you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front (USA) is far more important than the one on the back (their individual names)”
As long as you are solely focused on the name on the back of the jersey you can never attain true greatness.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Benjy Silverman