Burn It Down

 

            The young boy paused at the edge of the parking lot, having just emerged from his mother’s car. He came to realize that his physical proximity to the rest of the students was a remarkable parallel to his psychological distance from them. He listened as the tires of his mother’s car slowly ground over the gravel as it transferred from parking lot to the road. With a deep sigh and a feeling of dread, Jeffrey knew that immersing himself with the other students was unavoidable.

              Though larger, stronger, and smarter than most, he silently drifted through the mass of students in the main hallway, on his way to the gymnasium for registration. He received his class schedule and his locker number and did his best to avoid eye contact or social interaction. His massive size and dour demeanor both worked in his favor, allowing him to move from room to room with the sounding of each bell, signaling the end of each class.

              After third period, he waited in the hallway until most of the students had moved on, giving him seconds to steal a drink from the water fountain and slip into the next class. He sat alone near the back of class and easily identified the groups of students. The popular kids sat together near the back on the opposite side of the room, the jocks sat together, the cheerleaders were easy enough to spot, and the troublemakers were scattered throughout the classroom, looking surly and depressed.

              Jeffrey kept his attention on his grades, his use of time, and his efforts to avoid interacting with those who didn’t understand him, who didn’t care about the things he cared about, and helping other students who also were trying to avoid being harassed by the cool kids. He grumbled within himself as he was forced to attend pep rallies and sporting events, wishing he could use his time for something of actual value.

              Each lunch period was the same, he sat with the other disconnected students and listened to the inane, foolish, and childish conversations that carried on at the other tables. Fortunately, he and those with him managed to keep their food, avoid conflict with the cliques, and console one another with educated and beneficial conversations. It seemed that each day someone in his group of friends would bring up a new challenge for them, seeking new and exciting ways of making someone else’s life practically better.

              As the week drew to a close, Jeffrey sat at his parents’ dining room table on a Friday night, describing and complaining about the situation at school. He could see the pride and slight confusion in his parents’ eyes as he talked about how dull most of the other students seemed. How distracted most of them were with the world of fashion, with social media, and with the emptiness and vacuousness of the world of entertainment.

              He and his parents finished dinner that evening and Jeffrey cleaned the kitchen while his parents went for a walk. He retired to the family library and began reading “The Lord of the Rings” for at least the eighth time, as far as he could remember. When ten o’clock sounded on the grandfather clock in the hallway, he slipped a bookmark into place, took a shower and went to bed.

              Lying in the semi-darkness, he looked around at all of the things in his room, wondering why he had so much when there were so many people with so little. As he ruminated on his concept, he recalled a comment a friend made at lunch that day about monks that owned nothing and simply followed the instruction and direction of the monastery head, doing nothing from their own desire or will.

              “That sounds like a really good, easy life,” he thought. “Oh, to have someone wise and experienced to follow and learn from would be so good.” He dreamt that night of living alone in a cave, eating only what he could forage from the forest around him and the occasional fish caught from a nearby stream. He woke up feeling refreshed, jotted down the details of his dream, ate breakfast with his mother, as his father had already left for the morning.

              Halfway through the school day, as he and his friends ate lunch together, he relayed the details of his dream and could see looks of wonder and excitement in their eyes. Dozens of ideas were cast around and discussed, each of them wondering just how minimalistic they could live, making life as stripped down and simple as possible. The idea of living with only what was actually needed to thrive and make the best of themselves became their new foundational approach to life.

              As each week passed, Jeffrey and each of his friends continued to challenge one another with reducing their comfort level lower than the next.  Weeks and months passed, and Jeffrey found himself in an emptier and emptier bedroom, making life simpler, easier, and more fulfilling, knowing that he was aiming for something greater than being distracted and comfortable.

              Word began to travel around the school about this group of students who were living like monks, giving away or selling whatever they didn’t need, and rejecting the emptiness and shallowness of typical American life. Jeffrey had reduced his wardrobe down to seven outfits, one for each day of the week. He convinced his mother to pack him only natural, unprocessed foods that contained actual nutrition, free of sugar, fats, and excess salt.

              In an effort to be even more challenging, Jeffrey and his friends began to collect food from fellow classmates that they intended to throw away. He and they began eating more apples, carrot sticks, celery, and boxed milk than he could count. He could see and feel his health improving with his new diet, his simpler life, and a less distracted mind that was now free of social media and pointless entertainment.

              Much to his and their surprise, more and more students joined them in their efforts to simplify and focus on what was truly important. Eventually, a few of the staff members joined in the effort too. A new fund was created to raise money for those in need, clothing was collected to donate to families that were struggling. Lunch leftovers were gathered instead of being disposed of, bringing about a new approach to helping others.

              The principal of the school invited Jeffrey and his closest friends into the office for a discussion and explanation of how all of this came about. When they arrived in the office, they were greeted by the local news channel as well as the principal. In his usual, articulate, and thoughtful manner, Jeffrey explained the first dream that he had, and how he and his friends had been troubled for so long about the waste of time, energy, and money on so many things that offered nothing of value to their lives.

              He and his friends continued their efforts through the end of the school year and through the summer. As the start of the new school year approached, they began to see their movement become the new approach to life for students, not just in their school but in other schools around the county.

              As the school year continued on, Jeffrey was invited to multiple other schools around the county to speak about how it all started, and what motivated him to continue with this difficult path. “Personal sacrifice is never easy,” he said. “We really need to ask ourselves and be honest about what is actually needed to be good, honest, and overall healthy people. How can we call ourselves truly human if we only seek after our own comfort, when so many other people are going without basic needs?”

              Jeffrey’s fourth year of high school ended, and he was offered a position as motivational leader for a major manufacturing company on the other side of the state. By this time in his life, he had developed an articulate and well-formed approach to life that was genuinely motivating others to imitate him and learn to be generous with others rather than aiming for personal comfort. He accepted the role, began earning a remarkable wage, which he generously shared with those in need, maintaining his simple, open, and healthy life. The stress of maintaining an elevated life of comfort and ease was nowhere in sight and he could feel himself becoming more and more at peace as he grew older.