The Inspiration of C. S. Lewis - The Inner Ring

 Speaking to college students in this address, Lewis provides advice and warning to young men concerning a temptation specific to the world, after a brief mention of the devil and the flesh. Although he does not refer to a specific scripture,1 John 2:15-17 aligns with his message.  He summarizes an exchange between two soldiers and their commanding officer from Tolstoy's War and Peace before launching into a discussion of the phenomenon of an "inner ring".  In that conversation, the two junior officers, instead of following the official system of conversation that would have respected the commanding general, followed their own system, and essentially ignored the general who had to wait for the junior officers to complete their conversation before he could speak. 

Have you ever noticed yourself being left out of conversations?  Do you know what it feels like to be excluded?  Who hasn't?  Lewis's address has a message for everyone because everyone has at one time or another, felt they've been left out of some inner ring.   He notes that these inner rings are constructed by "unwritten systems", and that the deep desire to be a part of an inner ring (and the terror of being excluded) can be a strong driver.  We hope to profit from inclusion in the inner ring "...power, money, liberty to break the rules, avoidance of routine duties, evasion of discipline."

His advice is brilliant and true:

1. Recognize that the desire and ambition to be part of an inner ring is a danger for two reasons:
• It can cause us to do some very bad things.
• Being governed by that urge for the inner ring is like attempting to fill a sieve with water - it is something that is impossible to do.    
2. Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider to the inner circle, you'll remain outside the inner circle.
3. You can break that desire by becoming a "sound craftsman" in the work you do, which is the longer lasting goal of any profession.
4. Finding other people who like one another and enjoy meeting to do things they like to do is something that no inner ringer can ever have - friendship. 

Lewis's wisdom on this subject seems so timeless, and so true to human nature, it can be helpful to all of us at many points in our lives.  As I wind down my "official" duties as a full-time employee, my influence and power in the company has diminished and I am no longer in the official or unofficial inner ring.  In these times, I am finding joy in continuing to grow as a skilled craftsman and finding friends who have similar desires to help others that I have.  

You can read the entire essay here: the-inner-ring-by-c-s-lewis.pdf (wordpress.com)