optimisticWarning, you might not like what I say, because I'm not feeling defeated today. I'm feeling that, for better or worse, a bunch of people voted, and said what they wanted.
Now, that brings me to something else:
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
- People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway. - If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway. - If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway. - The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway. - Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway. - The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway. - People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway. - What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway. - People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway. - Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Today, I thought about these as I watched the presidential election go. I sat, sometimes happy, sometimes in abject terror. Today, these commandments really speak to me. They call out to me in a strange way that just seems wrong. It's amusing.
I've watched people's reactions. They're hurt and angry that the country chose Bush. They don't understand. I refer to commandment one above.
They worked hard, fought hard, and still lost. I refer them to commandment 2.
They were riding high, but feel betrayed by the Youth Vote, or the electoral college. I refer them to number 3.
They want to run away to Canada and forget about the past. I refer them to number four.
They are angry that they put their integrity on the line and were shot down. I refer them to commandment five.
They call their opponents "small minded". I refer them to 6.
They believe that the underdog should have won. I refer to number seven.
They believe everything is destroyed. I refer to number 8.
They have worked to help everything abd been bitten. I refer to number nine.
They have given it all, and now they have no teeth left to be kicked. I refer them to commandment 10.
===
Look, there's a lot left to do. Let's start today, alright? Not in three years.
Besides, you can't go to Canada, anyway.
