318: With Great Power
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What story does Ira tell about power and responsibility?
Years ago, back when the movie Schindler's List came out, I was friends with these two missionaries. They worked with Chicago gang kids who they would meet in prison and try to bring to God. Anyway, one day I got a call from them and they just had seen Schindler's List and they wanted to talk about it because, you know, call your Jewish friend. They'd seen Schindler's List. I was their Jewish friend. Anyway, so we got together and what they said was, first of all, we think we understand you better now thanks to Schindler's List. And I think what that was about was They knew about the Holocaust, of course, before this. But it was more of a kind of historical fact. Like you read about in a book, the reality of what happened in the Holocaust I don't think ever had really hit them.
You know, the emotional reality of it. It just hadn't hit them in the gut, all those people dying. So we got together and we talked about it and – They said the scene that touched them most was at the end of the film. And maybe you've seen Schindler's List.
How does a woman unknowingly change two lives?
It's a scene after the war, and it's this rich guy, Schindler. who had been using his money during the war to save Jews from dying in the concentration camps. And he realizes that now that the war is over, he could have saved so many more people. You know, he still had money he hadn't used. He could have saved more people. And there's a scene where he goes from person to person saying stuff like, I could have sold this pin, you know, and saved two more Jews. It's gold. Or this car.
This car.
I'm good. What about this car? Why did I keep the car?
Ten people right there. So we're talking about this scene, and my friends Jane and Glenn, the missionaries, say this thing that totally surprised me. They said, that's us. That's our daily life, that scene. That's our life. This Saturday, for example, Glenn says, he wanted to stay home and watch the ballgame on TV, but he thought to himself, no, no, I've got to go out there and I've got to save another kid. I've got to try to save another kid. I've got to go to the jail. I've got to go to juvie. And they both said that, OK, at the end of their lives, it's going to be just like that scene in Schindler's List. They're going to go to heaven and they're going to be called to account. And it's going to be all, you know, you took this day off and you pretend to be doing paperwork and you could have been out there saving another kid.
Or, you know, you watch The Doubleheader with Cincinnati and there was a teenager who was ready to hear your message and come to God.
What shocking actions do the mother and daughter take against their neighbor?
And they were going to be held to account. I think before this conversation, my understanding of Jane and Glenn's life was pretty much exactly like their understanding of the Holocaust. You know, like I understood, like in my head, I understood intellectually that they had given their lives over to serving God. I understood that as a fact. But what it actually meant had not totally penetrated me. Jane and Glenn, my friends, they were like superheroes, you know. They had this incredible power. the power to save somebody, to bring them to God, to turn somebody's life around. And I got to say, I met kids whose lives were completely straightened out because of them. They did a really nice job. They did save kids.
And with their great power came great responsibility, a responsibility they tried really, really hard to live up to. Well, today on our radio show, we have other people who feel that same sense of power and responsibility in their daily lives. And I'm not just talking here about judges and doctors and four-star generals and people who you would expect and hope would feel the burden that comes with that amount of power. I'm talking about normal people, people you might not suspect.
How does Shalom Auslander reflect on powerlessness?
Well, from WBZ Chicago to This American Life, I'm Ira Glass. Our program today, With Great Power, our show in three acts. Act one, objects inside of your mirror are truer than they appear. Act two, unwelcome wagon. Act three, waiting for Joe. In that act, Shalom Auslander has a tale of the being with more power than any other and more responsibility.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What story does Ira tell about power and responsibility?
0:01–0:59
2
How does a woman unknowingly change two lives?
0:59–2:20
3
What shocking actions do the mother and daughter take against their neighbor?
2:20–3:34
4
How does Shalom Auslander reflect on powerlessness?
3:34–4:51
5
What lessons about power are shared through the stories?
4:51–6:07
6
How do the characters grapple with their newfound power?
6:07–7:20
7
What consequences arise from the choices made by the characters?
7:20–8:54
8
What final reflections do the guests share about power and responsibility?
8:54–59:39