Running head: Vocation Reaction Paper

Vocation Reaction Paper
Lisa Orr
Ms. Capella – N501
October 10, 2012

Summary
In the book, “Let Your Life Speak,” Parker J. Palmer offers insight into the meaning of vocation, and through his personal stories and life experiences, offers lessons in listening to and following our inner voice. Palmer uses poetry to draw the reader into finding deeper understanding. The first four chapters of Palmer’s book, calls us deeper into a world of discovering the gift that we were given at birth. Palmer challenges us to listen to life, explore how to find our true self, examine the principle of opportunity: when a door closes behind us a window opens in front, and review the idea that we must hit bottom before one is able to progress in a spiritual way.
When Palmer was in his early thirties he felt his life should have more meaning. Palmer (2000) states, that he was inspired by the words, “Let your life speak,” which was an old Quaker phrase (p. 2). He thought the words meant to live a life guided by high principles, so he attempted to emulate his heroes. Palmer realizes after years of making mistakes that he was forcing a vocation upon himself instead of listening to his true voice. He explains from a young age we are taught by the parents, teachers, and other adults in our lives to listen to them, and not taught to listen to ourselves. Palmer (2000) states that “before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent (p.3).
Palmer continues the exploration with a poem which sheds light on the amount of time it takes to chisel away the defenses and find our true self. He learned from the church that to find his calling he must seek an outside source, yet later he learned that the source was inside of him since birth. He asserts that we are born with the gift of self, and there are clues from childhood that might lead us to our true calling. Palmer (2000) shares a Hasidic tale which exposes an individual’s drive to emulate a hero instead of being themself: Rabbi Zusya, as an old man said, “in the coming world, they will not ask me: ‘Why were you not Moses?’ They will ask me: ‘Why were you not Zusya’” (p.11)? Palmer mentions feeling “burned out” and goes to Pendle Hill, a Quaker community/retreat where he struggles with his ego. He ends up choosing to stay in the Quaker community and lives there for over ten years while discovering his calling in education.
Palmer examines one of the problems about vocation when a door closes, as in his job loss, and a window doesn’t open. He claims upon reflection that he was fired from his job, not because he performed badly, but because it was not his true calling. Palmer perceives when we stop dwelling on the past and learn to understand out boundaries then we are free to move forward. Palmer talks about depression which he states he experienced at least twice, and tells the reader that his experience is not a universal treatment plan. Palmer shares that depression is a personal and mysterious experience, and it is okay to not understand why some people recover and others do not. He shared the needed to reach the bottom which he equated with ground zero, a place of humility and meeting God, before rising and continuing on the spiritual journey. Palmer claims that he was able to affirm life and stay on the path of his vocation.

Evalution
In the book, “Let Your Life Speak,” Parker J. Palmer shares his personal journey of self-discovery, through the challenges faced in relationship to finding his inner self and vocation. He discusses his failures and successes, and the depth and time required to discover true self and calling. The concepts and methods that Palmer discusses are not new, as they are all found in one form or another in self-help type literature, including religious and spiritual messages, and wisdom passed on through the ages. Palmer reinterprets words and draws upon aged wisdom while he searches for selfhood that her believes necessary to understand vocation. Whether one believes in God, any other deity of religious or spiritual significance, or none, there are valid messages from Palmers stories, yet it is his life, his beliefs and his interpretation of his own experiences, that he writes about. The messages in Palmers words can be taken in many different ways as the stories are really an autobiographical testimonial.
Palmer shares his belief that God has given everyone a gift at birth: true self. Whether one believes in God or not, all are born with this gift which Palmer refers to as birthright gifts. His assertion is that a very young child knows their inner self, yet as the child grows up, society tells the child what to believe: parents may expect their child to go into the family business, or go to a university to become someone important: doctor, lawyer, etc.; church might impart the importance of the ministry; school may teach the child to listen and learn what is written in the book; society overwhelms youth with issues that may cause prejudice and fear. Palmer states that whether one is a child or adult the concept of being taught to listen to the inner self is neglected. Whether one agrees with Palmers assertions, or part of them, the idea that half one’s life is spent unlearning who one is, and the other half finding true self as he claims, is rather daunting. It seems that so much of life is wasted. His explanations are very persuasive, yet there are differing views among society. Some believe that a child needs to be molded while others believe a child comes into the world knowing itself, or that life is mapped out for us by some great and powerful force. Other’s believe as the saying goes, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” that we learn as we go, making decision along the way, and what one experiences creates who we are.
Palmer states that he reached a point in his early thirties, when he wanted to seek more meaning in his life. Palmer (2000) writes that he “ran across the old Quaker saying, ‘Let your life speak’” (p. 2). Initially he misunderstands the meaning, and thinking it meant to achieve his highest principles, similar to what his favorite hero’s attained, he set out to emulate them. Palmer shared many stories about his success in school, attaining a Ph.D. and working is a variety of research and educational positions where he also experienced some failures. About the age of 35 Palmer finds himself “burned out,” and takes a sabbatical from work in a Quaker community called, Pendle Hill. He ends up living there for at least 10 years and learns the Quaker way. Palmer reflects upon his life while living at Pendle Hill, realizing that the doors closing behind him was a way of being told that this is not where he belonged. And, doors will open and the opportunities arrive, or “way open” would occur when he stopped dwelling on the past. Palmer struggled with what he had learned while growing up regarding what he was supposed to be, and having attained that status was having a difficult time letting it go. In order to find his inner self and hear the calling, he would not learn his vocation.
Palmer wants the reader to believe that we become aware of our true self and vocation after going into darkness. He states that this darkness is what occurs whenever one gets bad grades, losses a job, or gives up. Yet, Palmer does admit that not everyone experiences the same methods. This is good to know as I don’t think everyone looks forward to experiencing depression before finding their vocation. Palmer uses reflective thinking and expresses this quite a lot which is another indication that the message he shares is his own experience. One can read the stories and learn from them by reflecting on their own experiences, or take bits and pieces, or disregard the message all together. These stories are Palmers and this is how he has figured out his life, and sharing with others may be a part of his therapy and/or he may feel that others might benefit from his experience.
Going into depression isn’t a prerequisite for finding ones inner self and vocation, yet in Palmers case depression happened to him twice. Palmer (2000) describes clinical depression as being in the “dark woods … a total eclipse of light and hope” (p. 56). His descriptions shared after his depression, are expressed with a knowing, but unless one has been there before, there are no words that can truly shed light on the deep darkness of despair. Palmer (2000) states that after his recovery from depression he was asked by a woman who had experienced depression during most of her adult life. She asks Palmer, why some people kill themselves while others get well? He answers “I have no idea. I really have no idea” (p. 59). This answer brings gratitude from the woman as it was likely the first time she heard an honest answer. Too often in society people try to give others answers. Throughout Palmers writing he clearly shows that his journey is a discovery of answers he learns from his own experiences, not from something someone tells him he should do.
Palmer (2000) claims that when he reached a point that he was able to ask God, “what do you want” (p. 69)? The answer Palmer understood was to accept the place that he found himself in when he was in the deepest depths and this would lead him to selfhood. Palmer uses the idea of being grounded to explain the place he believes is necessary to be, a place of complete humility, towards continuing his life and finding authenticity in self, relationships and vocation. He doesn’t say much about his family and how his experiences affected them. Yet, upon reading the “Gratitude” which is his substitution for “Preface,” Palmer (2000) states the “much of the personal journey I trace in this book was made in the company of … my family … I do not include them in my narrative simply because their stories belong to them alone” (p. ix). His story belong to himself, yet he choose to share them. He tells a story of his own personal life, his own personal growth, and uses beliefs from many different sources, new and old, likely with the idea of helping others to find their true self and true calling. Other people’s testimonies can be an inspiration to others, but it is the individual who ultimately makes decisions for their own life.

Reference

Palmer, P. J., (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass