SPIRITUAL INSIGHT
The lesson of Shutruk-Nahunte Aspiring Emperors In the Hollywood motion picture, The Emperor’s Club,1 actor Kevin Kline plays the role of William Hundert, a professor of history at an elite boarding school. The students in his class bear the marks of those raised in “successful families.” They have enjoyed privileges and comforts for most or all of their lives. They feel the pressure to keep up the standards, and rack up the kinds of victories their parents did. Some are anxious about this; some assume it is in their DNA or destinies. All sense the summons to be ambitious, to achieve great things— in short, “to be a success.” At one point, professor Hundert strolls pensively before a row of desks, and then stops before one of the boys in his class. “You, sir,” he says, “would you do me a favor and walk to the back of this classroom, and read for us the plaque which you see hanging over that door.” The boy rises nervously, proceeds to the back of the room, and squints up through his glasses at the plaque that hangs there. He reads the inscription carved into the wood: I am Shutruk-Nahunte, king of Anshand and Susa, sovereign of the land of Elam. By the command of Inshushinak, I destroyed Sippar and took the stele of Niran-Sin and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god. --Shuktruk-Nahunte, 1158 B.C. “Well done, Mr. Blythe,” the professor exclaimed. “Thank you; you may be seated.” As the lad shuffles off, Hundert continued, “ShutrukNahunte—is anyone familiar with this fellow? Texts are permissible…” The students dutifully reach for their history books, but as pages start to turn, the professor cries, “You won’t find him there! “Shutruk-Nahunte—king, sovereign of the land of Elam.” Rolling down a map, the teacher points to the kingdom in question, just to the east of Israel above the Red Sea. “Destroyer of Sippar! Behold, his accomplishments cannot be found in any history book. Why? Because great ambition and conquest, without contribution, is without significance.”
And then, pausing for a moment to let these words sink in, the professor concludes, “What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?” Re-thinking Our Ambition This world is always trying to shape us and our children into Shutruk-Nahunte’s. We are perpetually pushed to think of our lives as all about asserting our sovereign will and rights. From the “bling” and “cribs” of celebrities, to Madison Ave.’s continuous calls to buy and upgrade, we are exposed to a constant barrage of messages aimed at picturing success as a matter of extending our own personal kingdoms. Life is about being the “Survivor” that outwits his opponents, or the “Apprentice” that climbs over others at any cost to get to the top of the pack. We should, of course, teach our kids to use their wits, to work hard, to aspire towards greater resource and influence. If we are not careful, however, our coaching can leave them with the impression that the primary goal of existence is to climb the next ladder, to exceed the competition, to accrue a better position or set of privileges for themselves alone. They may never learn the lesson that great ambition and conquest, without contribution, is without significance. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett seem to get this—Condoleeza Rice and Oprah Winfrey, too: “Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded or how much power you have.” Some years ago, while I was visiting him in Hong Kong, a Chinese pastor shared with me that the major difference he saw between religious communities in the West and those with whom he worked in the East is that the former often emphasizes “coming and sitting,” while the emphasis in the other is upon “going and serving.” “I’ve noticed that,” he said, “in your country you say quite often, ‘Bless me, God.’ I wonder what would happen if you said more often, ‘Use me, God.’ ” The Beggar’s Request The story is told of a monk that once found a very precious gem. He carried the jewel with him everywhere, hung in a
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DAN MEYER Contributing Writer Dr. Dan Meyer is the senior pastor at Christ Church of Oak Brook.
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The Emperor’s Club (Universal, 2002), rated PG-13, directed by Michael Hoffman, written by Neil Tolkin.