Magnificent

There's a song by Bon Iver called Holocene, and it's gained a lot of meaning in my life over the last few months.  As I've taken steps toward joining the Peace Corps, I frequently stop and ponder what it really means.

I think about the sheer size of the Corps, the expanse of the world, and of my role in both. One of the lyrics from Holocene sticks out above the others. In the music video, there's a young boy of maybe 10 or 12 years who's embarking on a journey through the rugged terrain of a remote region in Iceland, armed with nothing more than a sweater and a walking stick.  As he steps out of the small cottage of a home, he looks up at the sun, and Bon Iver sings the memorable line: 

"And at once I knew I was not magnificent."

I'm not going to save the world. My decision to join the Peace Corps is not a product of some grandiose vision to solve the world's problems. I'm simply joining in the effort to improve the lives of the least of these, one step at a time. 

If ever there was an adventure to be on, this surely tops the list. Despite my incessant research into the coming months and years, the fact remains that I have absolutely no clue what I will face.  The challenges, the struggles, the lessons, the rewards - I can't begin to fathom what lies ahead.

What I do know, however, is tied up in the lyrics of this particular song.  I am not magnificent.

I'm just taking steps to help others - to help the least of these.  As much as my selfish pride may want to build up inside of me a soapbox on which I can stand and shout "look at what I'm doing!", I'm always reminded at once that it's simply not about me. 

It's about reaching out to the least of these in love. I am not magnificent.