A sacred calling is a person’s sense of being drawn into the life activity that best fulfills the person’s commitment to the most meaningful thing(s) in the person’s life. It expands on commitment fidelity in that it relates to whatever the person holds as divine, or of highest importance and value. Here is a video in which Neil de Grasse Tyson describes his calling as an astrophysicist.
Real
True Narratives
- Here is a video in which Neil de Grasse Tyson describes his calling as an astrophysicist.
Imaginary
Film and Stage
- Field of Dreams: “Ray wants to build his field because he is afraid he is turning into his father, whom he has never forgiven for growing old, or, it seems, for dying. So he risks bankruptcy - idealism is pitted against commerce to the end -and crazily plows under part of his crop to build the field.” This is a film about finding a sacred purpose in life – a calling – and pursuing it.
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
These four piano concerti are among the standard repertoire works for great pianists who have made the art their life’s calling. The music evokes the same idea:
- Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 (1830) (performances by Argerich, Rubinstein and Zimerman)
- Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 (1830) (performances by Argerich, Rubinstein and Zimerman)
- Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 (1858) (performances by Rubinstein, Grimaud and Zimerman)
- Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat major, Op. 83 (1881) (performances by Zimerman, Pollini, Richter and Gilels)
Poetry
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
[from Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”]