‘In pursuit of Greatness’
Timothy Chalamet, whose career was launched by his performance in Call me by your name, recently won the SAG Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet, in his acceptance speech, stated outright that he ‘wants to be one of the greats’. He went on to say, ‘I know we are in a subjective business, but the truth is, I am really in pursuit of greatness…I want to be one of the greats, I’m inspired by the greats.’ He views this award as ‘fuel on the journey towards greatness’. Chalamet’s comments are at once refreshing and slightly unexpected from someone who is not yet thirty years of age. Of course there are lots of questions thrown up by a quest for “greatness”. Does it mean wealth, power or popularity? How do we know we are doing great things and how do we know when we have reached “greatness”?
One way of formulating a response to these questions is by reading Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Spe Salvi, where he writes: ‘Man was created for greatness – for God Himself; he was created to be filled by God, but his heart is too small. It must be stretched…’ Benedict almost seems to contradict himself by arguing that we were made for God but that God is almost too much for any person to comprehend. The way out of this quandary is being stretched, which demands a willingness to grow. Any change for the better requires an element of purgation – taming the lower passions that keep us infantilised – and magnanimity, which is another way of expressing humility. I don’t think Timothy Chalamet is seeking wealth, status and popularity when he references “greatness” but instead is signalling a wish to be the best version of himself, where he maximises his talent as an actor for the enjoyment of others and then the fulfilment of self.
Implicit in this understanding is a willingness to submit to God’s will, Who is our Hope. As in all relationships constancy remains key, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health and it must surely be of reassurance that God will always be faithful to us and it is He, the source and summit of Greatness, that has called each of us by our name to be partakers in His glory.
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