A PhD in Pajamas

I have been realizing for some time now that life is all about perspective. I think as well that everybody, deep down inside, wishes to be a celebrity of some kind, or maybe just that somebody will notice their accomplishments and praise them for it. But life, I am realizing, has a distressing way of going on; somehow few people seem to care when we hit major milestones.

For instance, take my life in the past three years. I have been working pretty much non-stop during this time on a PhD thesis, or as the Americans say, a doctoral dissertation. Did I attend some prestigious university here in the UK? No, nobody’s ever heard of my school outside of a fifty-mile radius of the city of Chester. I didn’t even have to attend classes, as most of my time was spent researching or writing. What have I been doing with my time? Sitting on the couch in my pajamas, reading a book or an article, or tapping away on the keyboard hoping that what I wrote made some sense.

Then, just the other day—Friday the 13th to be precise—everything was done, printed and bound, and I stopped by the Research School and submitted my finished thesis. Just like that. The lady there had me sign a form; after I handed it back she said, “Congratulations on submitting your thesis.” I said “Thank you,” and walked outside. No fireworks; no doves released; no balloons; nothing happened. People ignored me as they walked past on their way to the library or wherever, just like every other day. I went home and that night had pizza for dinner. Life goes on.

Someone told me several years ago that if you get your PhD, you can “write your own ticket, man!” I would love to do this, but the problem is, I can’t seem to find the ticket so I can write it! I need to find a job teaching, but the phone isn’t exactly ringing off the hook. In fact right now is a terrible time to be looking for work, as many Bible colleges and seminaries appear to have a hiring freeze on right now, what with the recession and all. So life goes on, it would appear.

Maybe what we’re after is this feeling inside that what we do makes a difference, that our lives have some kind of impact on others in a positive way. I wonder if this is what drives people to give money to create libraries, school gymnasiums, or hospitals with their names on the sign. I wonder as well about the celebrity culture we have, and why some people so desperately crave becoming one. We even have our Christian celebrities too, big-name authors, speakers, musicians, whatever.

But I think mostly for me, while I scoff at celebrities and the people who worship them, I sometimes wish it could be me up there. I wish that people would come ask what I think about this or that, and film me for the latest documentary about whatever subject in which I am a leading expert. I hope my articles get noticed; I want to write the latest best-seller; I want somebody to buy my photographs; I hope my stuff gets read and that people think it’s cool and relevant or whatever. So I suppose I’m not exempt from the celebrity thing either.

Therein lies the rub…the tension between the person wishing to become the next Christian celebrity and the guy sitting on the couch, doing a PhD in pajamas.