Post 2: On the Parable of Talents

Prompt: What is your interpretation of the Parable of the Talents? How does it apply to your life and your computing skills and talents?

The key to my understanding of the parable of talents is in the master's choice of distributing his wealth to his servants "according to [their] ability" (Matthew 25:14). The master gave his most gifted servant five talents, his middle servant two talents, and his least able servant only a single talent. As the parable continues, the first two servants who received five and two talents, respectively, make a return on the investment and are praised by the master. However, the final servant gives back only the investment to his master and is subsequently expelled from his master's service. Why was this servant expelled? It technically did not do the master any harm for the servant to only pay back what was invested in him. Why was the master, in this case, so angry? And, the answer to this, is that the master recognized the distinct abilities of his servants. He did not hoard his money, keeping it with him as he traveled. He dispersed it, although unequally, among his servants because he believed in them. He gave them no instructions. The first two servants performed as expected, and were praised. But, the final servant put forth no effort because he was afraid of the master, and of failing. 

What this is saying is that although not everyone is equal, everyone has ability. The worst thing one can do is squander that ability, being content to stagnate and not seek a return on our investments. This behavior is primarily caused by one of two things: fear or sloth. One that does not seek constant improvement is either afraid of finding out the limit of their abilities or just too lazy to make an attempt. This is a much greater sin than just trying and failing. I am sure that if the third servant came to the master and, after trying to seek a return on that one talent investment, admitted that he was not able to make a return (or even lost money) the master would not have been angry, or at least not expelled the servant. But, the servant was paralyzed by his own fear.

This parable is especially relevant to myself as a college student. I recognize that I am not the strongest programmer at Notre Dame. I am not the five talent servant. But, that does not stop me from seeking a return on the investment I have made in this University and in the investment that this University has made in me. I do not want to be afraid of failing, of seeking new experiences just because I am afraid of failing. I think the fear of failing is the biggest issue facing Notre Dame students. Because, let's face it, before coming to Notre Dame, many of us had never failed in anything. While impressive, the actual experience of failing is invaluable to learning about yourself and your abilities.