A few weeks ago, I was at a family wedding, I was asked about what I thought of Dr. Laura. He asked,"Who is going to take her place?" he told me that *I* could be the next Dr. Laura.
For a moment, I saw myself in a broadcasting booth verbally abusing callers. Did people really need more of that? Of course, it's possibly just him saying I have a face for radio...
My immediate response was,"Why would I want that?"
"Why wouldn't you?" He was like Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate. "You could help a lot of people..."
I sighed. "I think it's more important to listen to people than to just talk. How can I assume that after a minute talking to someone, I know 'the answer' to their problem? How can I even really know what the problem is?"
He was unmoved by my argument. "But people need help. Isn't it better than nothing?"
That was a tougher one. I didn't want to say no, and I definitely didn't want to say yes. I went with my old standby: noncommittance.
"Maybe?" I said with a Gallic shrug. Plus I had another image in my head: a sea of people desperate and alone, trying to find help, willing to be harranged because it feels like strength. My heart went out to them.
He must have read my mind! "How many people are you helping right now? You could be helping thousands!" This seemed like two things to me: a classic ethics debate and a temptation of the ego (Wouldn't I be so much more important if I helped more people?)
Fortunately, I was stronger than Keanu Reeves. I held firm. "Well, I'm glad I don't have to make that choice."
I realized something (aside from the fact that I have no small talk skills whatsoever and am hopeless at parties), something that was missing from his worldview: trust.
I know I'm not the only one out there who can help people. There are so many people out there doing good things and making things better. And people can help and heal themselves. In every person there is a part that is healthy, a part that wants to move towards positive change. I don't have to change what I do, which is to spend time with a handful of people and witness their journey, helping a little on the way. I love that. I love what I do. I love my work. I don't have to go chasing after a phantom of self importance and success. (Someone else will do that!)
No, I'm kidding. People do get help from radio and tv, just like they get help from a stranger's smile or a flower in bloom. I can trust that, rest in that, and just continue to do what I do.
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