Paradox

   People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

by Mother Theresa

Commentary:

I feel this poem details the trails and troubles of any Christian attempting to live out his/her faith in an authentic way. So often the world will twist once-good intentions into dark demeanor-ed plans. Too easily virtue can be misinterpreted for vice, tables flip and things turn for the worst. If everything turned out perfectly every time, we might pride ourselves on our great achievements. But God's ways are not our ways.

"Then why did I do it?" Mother Theresa answers "it is between you and God."

#33

Absolute Power Corrupts... Gradually

Passage from the text:
"'I wish you'd take his Ring. you'd put things to rights...' [Said Sam.]

'I would,' she said. 'That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas! We will not speak more of it. Let us go!' [Said the Lady Galadriel.]''

Pg#: 357

Commentary: [Reflection]
I find it interesting that all that are wise in the land of Gondor have little interest in taking the ring for themselves. Further musing will lead to a piercing truth; that wisdom is found in acknowledging one's weakness- not in self-reassured strength.
As I continue to lead ConQuest I realize the limits of my capabilities as a leader. I'm not one of those thrown-into-chaos and thrive kinda persons- I'm one of those thrown-into-chaos and panic kinda persons [though this is my perspective, having never been thrown-into-chaos :)]. I know that, as of yet, I'm not a great improvisor, so I have to carefully plan out each meeting. In a similar way, the Lady Galadriel knows her limits as a wielder of power- the above conversation proves her wise enough to know that she would succumb to the temptation to utilize the ring in a pernicious way.

#32

Clever Empathy

#31
Passage from the text:
"'Come!' said Aragorn. 'If I am still to lead this Company, you must do as I bid. It is hard upon the Dwarf to be thus singled out. We will all be blindfold, even Legolas. That will be best, thought it will make the journey slow and dull.'
        Gimli laughed suddenly. 'A merry troop of fools we shall look! Will Haldir lead us all on a string, like many blind beggars with one dog? But I will be content, if only Legolas here shares my blindness"

Pg #s: 337-338

Commentary: [Character comment]
I feel like Aragorn's smarts come to the fore here. No one wants to humble themselves to the status of a blindfolded follower- but Aragorn has a innovative solution. It kinda hit me a page after this encounter how intelligent that decision actually was. Neither Legolas nor Gimli wanted to be blindfolded and if everyone is equally blindfolded everyone at least feels equal to everyone else- if that makes sense. In that same grain- I think it's interesting how the different-type-of-creature dynamics are working out here; elfs are obviously opposed to dwarfs and man is peacemaker.

The group may be grieving over their beloved Gandalf, though they are surely not wanting for a leader.

Beautitudes of the Sunflowers

Reader's Blog #30
Passage from the text:

These sealed sunflowers
stand to the sermon of the sun,
attentive the lean,
silent as seed.
How blessed
are the poor,
the meek,
the pure.
This earth will be theirs;
their eyes will see.
How blessed
and tall,
their heads still green.
They wait
for the sun
on faces unseen.

-Rita A. Simmonds

 

Commentary: [Reflection]

 

I think this poem emits an attitude of humility. The sunflowers are acting like seeds, though they are seeds no longer, "silent"- dead. These sunflowers are unassuming, "green", patient, accepting of what comes to them. Their "faces" have yet to be seen- and when they open according to the Sun's good time they will be fruitful with a head replete with more seeds.  And if they didn't follow the sun, or if they opened before the time was right, those sunflowers would whither.