the burden of experience

Senioritis.

once upon a time, i believed that seniors simply needed to be more involved, more visible, more acquainted with juniors, so as to pass on their experience, provide guidance in times of need, and keep CSS (or any ministry in Christ's name) faithful to her mission.

it seems i have underestimated the nuanced difficulties embedded within this seniors' call to continue serving.

once upon a time, i believed that the generation gap is a mere phantom menace created by burnt out seniors who can't be bothered to deal with younger people. unfortunately, it is also likely to be true that juniors themselves, embedded within a slightly different cultural milieu, with their own idiosyncratic judgement of the world's operational values, are indeed a distinct gap away from seniors.

it seems i have ignored one key issue in trying to bridge the senior-junior gap: that of cultural dissociation. and as my own less-than-gentle demeanor at times may have proven, it is still the senior's prerogative to modify his/her own demeanor and go to the junior's level. for how could we expect the young to mould themselves spontaneously and accomodate the old?

indeed, the burden of experience is such that an invaluable resource must be transferred onwards intact as far as possible - so that CSS (or others) maintain a form of consistent growth - in spite of resistance or reluctance on the part of either the senior or the junior. failing which, the growth of CSS is most guaranteed to be stunted; the aggregated progress of human wills thus faces stagnation.

in the case of advise on practical issues, seniors must vigilantly stand guard so that major pitfalls be avoided. it is possible that failure is needed to mother success; but catastrophic failure can obliterate any chance of future success being birthed. the burden is on the senior to be gentle, firm, assuring, and also custodian of practical progresses.

in the case of ministering spiritual growth, seniors must similarly stand vigilant guard: subtly mistaken ideas and the temptation to mediocrity are perpetual enemies. in gentle affirmation, we must not prostitute our Catholic values in false consolation to our fellow siblings' weak moments. we persevere as one Body, we help each other climb from our falls, we stand and continue marching forth.

in the case of crisis, of misunderstanding, of failure to communicate, once more seniors must stand guard with vigilance. we are called to be stalwarts of peaceful stability in a social world prone to (unnecessary) mutual judgement. in other words, we remain fiercely objective in our own judgement of events and history, always only admonishing the act and yet profoundly loving the actor. no malaise may afflict Christ's mystical body that it cannot heal herself with love.

and so, senioritis is not a mere symptom of slack leadership among the seniors; it is a wake up call to serve with greater intensity in especially the background departments. senioritis is a Weberian ideal type against which we measure our own actions; a modern pericope parallel to Christ's "plank in our own eyes" (Mt 7:4) which implores the sensitive soul to seek perfection in service.

we do not yet have senioritis; but we must be vigilant and Christ-like so we may yet give Him glory.