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Buenos Aires, Sunday, January 21, 2007

Father Oscar Pezzarini

Balance is out of fashion

Some time ago while watching attitudes of many people I wondered wherein balance lies, that is to say, being “balanced” at the time of acting, thinking, talking. I realized how hard it is to live this way. It seems that excesses, extravagant gestures and somewhat violent converstarions stand out, as they should, and that these are the things which attract attention. It suffices to have a look at the “idols” followed by young people, where we notice that many of them “act” this way, there being no doubt that in their private lives they will be much more “laid-back and balanced”, and all this flashy performing is just that: a “performance”. Which is the true personality, the true maturity? It looks like as if we were forced to live with anguish, tense, always as if we were “going off”, thinking that being “vital” is a synonym of excess, of a certain “neurosis” as if people like that were the truly “great” ones. Those really Great to me are those who love the silence, those who work without quailing, those who are patient and know how to wait, not living in permanent “commotion”.

Some time ago while watching attitudes of many people I wondered wherein balance lies, that is to say, being “balanced” at the time of acting, thinking, talking. I realized how hard it is to live this way. It seems that excesses, extravagant gestures and somewhat violent converstarions stand out, as they should, and that these are the things which attract attention.

Even more so, these are the role models which many times are displayed to us. Else it would suffice to have a look around and ask ourselves: How are the “heroes” which are shown to us? Let's have a look at modern literature, at the movies, at soap operas, at music, where so-called “heroes” appear and turn into idols, almost all of them showing a common feature: they all act in a rowdyish, violent, exalted manner, even with an excess of vitality; and only in very few instances the “respective hero” shows himself as a balanced, mature, psychologically solid human being.

It suffices to have a look at the “idols” followed by young people, where we notice that many of them “act” this way, there being no doubt that in their private lives they will be much more “laid-back and balanced”, and all this flashy performing is just that: a “performance”.

I wonder why it is so hard to us to follow and admire someone who is, let's say “moderate”, balanced, who talks instead of shouting and who doesn't gesticulate.

Great and an idol is the one who is able of having an open heart available to others, who doesn't feel the need of living “stunned”, the one who works steadfastly and silently, the one who from his own position is taking pains in order to build a better World.

In short, being truly Great is just the opposite from what we are often shown by those who want to “role models” for today's Human Being.

Father Oscar Pezzarini
Provincial Superior of the Work of Don Orione in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Mexico

Father Oscar Pezzarini together with Fr. Leonardo Abregú makes us reflect on Saturdays from 8 to 12 AM (GMT-03:00)with "VENTANA A LA VIDA", the Don Orione radio program he conducts on FM PROVIDENCIA, 90.3 MHz together with some residents of the Claypole Cottolengo (Raúl Romero, María Laura Andrada, Alberto Zoroch, Américo Torres), with the production of Roberto Beluzzo and Ignacio Cavalli as technical operator. You can also listen to FM PROVIDENCIA by clicking here.

Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione 0800-333-6746 in Argentina, or +54 (11) 4268-7722 from abroad.

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