The Ones We Leave Behind

I’ve been thinking about the relationship between contemplatives and others. What does it mean to pursue the mystical life, when so many people have no desire for, interest in, or aptitude for contemplative practice? Myers-Briggs personality type indicators suggest that only about 1% or so of the general population are “natural” mystics. Assume another 2 percent or so have enough of an interest in the contemplative life to pursue it, even without the inborn aptitude. Still, that leaves only 5% or so of the general population as contemplatives or aspiring mystics. What about the other 95%? Do we just dismiss that majority as lost to institutional religion (or consumerism or secularism or whatever)? Do we attempt to evangelize them? (“Have you made a decision for mysticism yet? Today is the day! John of the Cross and Meister Eckhart are calling you — yes, you — so don’t delay. Just come forward and give your life to contemplation. Do it now!”) or do we just give thanks that we live in a diverse universe and it’s really okay that not everyone wants to be a contemplative: after all, it would put a lot of DJs out of work if everyone eschewed house music for Gregorian chant.

That lost option is pretty much how I see things, but still, this relational question nags me.