2 The Hermit is beyond Imitation
Conformity is needed in certain areas of social life in order for there to be harmony in the body politic: we learn a certain language in conformity with our parents and the people around us otherwise we couldn’t communicate with them; we conform to certain codes of behaviour for there to be coherence and coordination in social life, and so on. Conformity in this sense is a natural and necessary part of living. But there is another sort of conformity which is seeking comfort and security, rather than cooperation, or truth and freedom. To conform oneself in spiritual matters, to act according to a pattern, is to deny the guidance of the Holy Spirit in favour of that of men. People accept the guidance of men when they themselves are unaware of God’s living presence in their lives. And people are unaware of God’s presence because they’ve never been taught to listen. This is why contemplation is so important in the spiritual life. Contemplation is about learning skills of sensitivity and attentiveness, and the hermit life is about leading a life that is conducive to developing these skills.
There is an art to listening, the foundation of which is to have a certain degree of inner stillness and detachment. To be detached means to be in a position to see clearly and therefore act coherently; it does not mean to be unconcerned, rather it is only someone who is unperturbed himself who can be totally engaged with another, something that is not possible when you are caught up in action and reaction, which is a kind of self-centred activity in which present action is governed by the past. The hermit’s call, and indeed, everybody’s call, is unique, and you therefore have to go beyond imitation and conformity to realise your true calling from God. To find true holiness you have to be who you are called to be, which obviously cannot be somebody else, there is no model or role which you can fit yourself into.
All imitation is a moving away from what God is calling you to be – it’s a becoming. We can make a distinction between being, which means being present, and becoming, which means being elsewhere. People want to become something when their lives are empty and meaningless – the most ambitious and perhaps even successful people are also often the most lonely. But I think if you’ve been touched by God, called by God – not a god of your own projections – then you don’t have that emptiness and you don’t want to be elsewhere.