"...The Cross of my Calling..."
...with apologies to Bruce Springsteen.
I’ve been revisiting 9-11 🔥 not only in light of the recent anniversary, but also in quest of much more than that. One of the things that always pulls me back is the iconic song the “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street Band. I’m sure I’ve heard it a hundred times. It never gets old, and it never loses its powerful and poignant emotional pull for me. Every time I hear it, I detect a nuance that I hadn’t noticed before.
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Have a listen, from Barcelona 2002 (It’s really great rock-and-roll too!😎🎸🥁):
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This haunting song bristles with poetic sense and visionary imagery in every line. It’s worthy of Shakespeare. You must be an alert, attentive listener to get the full benefit. Ambiguity and ambivalence abound. There are twenty different lyrics worthy of a Subtack post. I’ve chosen this one from 1:12 in:
“…I was wearing the cross of my calling…” 🎵
The first time I heard that, I was drawn to it (I wish I could say that about everything in the song, but much of it went in one ear and out the other for a long time). What was happening here 🤔? The first obvious thing that occurred to me was a minister or a priest (?). We know there were many clergy of all faiths who served directly at Ground Zero during and after the tragedy. At least one rescuing priest in my memory was killed there on that day. There are evocative themes of afterlife throughout the song. That’s certainly one calling for sure.
That said, the context suggests an alternative: A doomed FDNY firefighter 🚒departing his comfortable home and his loving family to face what would be his final inferno (Was there perhaps a premonition?). The word “…calling…” can be read any number of ways for any number of people. It might be an element of duty or destiny. It can be interpreted in the sense of a gift. All of us carry our own crosses. We all have our callings. It’s our responsibility in the face of even danger and death (if it must come to that) to live up to them.
So maybe all of these possibilities can be true (?).
What we’ve learned for sure is the stark truth that there are things which must be done. When the stakes are high enough, we’re obligated to take our chances even when the odds are against us. There is no moral choice but to answer the bell (Yes, it tolls for thee). We can rise above our instinctive fear and confront as best we can whatever destructive forces are threatening us. We can rise above the normal human instinct for cautious self-preservation and accept that there are higher purposes to consider. We can trust that in the fullness of time and in the full reach of the rising, all will come right.
So I’ve found what I was really seeking 👀:
America today (all of it and every one of us) is trapped in yet another burning building🔥. This latest disaster is of our own making. Do we (all of us!) stand back in our comfortable homes and our easy lives and let others come to the rescue? Are there “…comfortable homes…” and “…easy lives…” anywhere these days? Are there “…others…” who can do that without our help? Can this urgent mission be a cross to bear and a calling to answer only for some, but not for everyone? Who’s going up the stairs this time?
I think I’ve answered that for myself. You can be your own judge.