The Paradoxical Commandments was an inspiring poem written by Kent M. Keith back in 1968 when he was still an undergraduate. Interestingly, a similar poem was found hanging on the wall of Mother Teresa‘s children’s home in Calcutta, India. Dr. Kent had brilliantly brought a reality in the real world that we live in and challenge us to still choose to love, to do good, to succeed, to be honest and frank, to help and to give the world the best anyway.
As the saying goes, “Do unto others what we want others to do unto us.” I am a strong believer in the simple words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” The change in the world must first come through the change in myself and it will go on to inspire others to change.
Some may remark that we would be in the losing ends as there are people who would take advantage of us when we are kind to them, which I totally agree. We cannot always control how others will treat us, yet we have control in how we choose to treat others and that is all that mattered; self mastery is a bigger challenge in most people and if we can master ourselves, we can be of better service to others and to the world. I hope that you will be inspired by the poem and can join me in this challenge to “live the Paradoxical Life and face the worst in the world with the best in yourself“, quoting the words from The Commandments Website.
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 will 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.
This is the month of Christmas. If you have read a post I did on Christmas last year, you would know that I grew up listening to the Christmas songs of Alvin and the Chipmunks. I bought the cassette tape version of A Chipmunk Christmas and I listened to the storyline every night while I dozed off to my dreamland.
The story told of Alvin whom unselfishly gave his golden harmonica to a very ill boy, Tommy, in the hope that he would get better. Isn’t this the true spirit of Christmas? A time of giving to our family and friends and especially to strangers we have never met. And yes, I do agree that the spirit of giving should be all year long and not only during Christmas.
Last year what my friend and I had done are to pool some money to buy presents for the poor children in her community. We did not have a lot of money but she and her cousins managed to buy a lot of presents. They had a great time shopping and wrapping the presents. She told me that the children were really happy to receive all those presents. And that made me very happy too. However, sad to say I would not be able to do much of that this year. How about you, what would you be doing this Christmas?
If you have no idea, maybe you would like to be involved with this great ecookbook idea from Patricia Wisdom; her creative way of helping to spread word on UNICEF. Do hop over to take a look.
Many years ago, through a training, someone told me, “children don’t do things you told them to do, they do what they saw you doing.” It certainly was one of those ‘aha’ moments.
If you have kids of your own or have spent time with kids, then I’m sure you can recall how they have always tried to imitate you; whether it is the thing you are saying or things you are doing. Most of the time we would find their imitations funny and adorable to us.
What if they imitate our violent acts or our rude cursing and swearing at each other? That wouldn’t be very funny and adorable right?
If we ever hope to build a world where people love and care for each other, where people show loving kindness, compassion and respect toward each other, then we have to do it from young. We have to inculcate in the young to love and care for each other, to show loving kindness, compassion and respect toward each other. But how can we hope to influence them with such positive values if we act otherwise?
In other words, we must start first with ourselves.
“I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘honest man.’” – George Washington
When I think of honesty, very often the fable about George Washington chopping down his father’s cherry tree comes into my mind. When asked about it, he cried, “I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.”
The anger died out of his father’s face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said, “My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a thousand trees!…”
However, there is no evidence that this ever occurred. This was part of a book of mythic stories authored by Mason Weems that made Washington a legendary figure beyond his wartime and presidential achievements.
I believe that most of us have lied in one way or another. In fact according to Dr. Gail Saltz, she believes that everybody lies. It may only be “white” lies, but everyone tells lies or “omits the truth” sometimes. Why do people lie? Dr. Gail said, “They lie to protect themselves, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid punishment.” Of course these are not the only reasons.
Whatever the reasons behind the lie, could one ever justify a lie that he/she made? Maybe it would be more acceptable when it was a “white” lie. Then again, “how can we make sure that people don’t abuse the uses of “white” lie?”
University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman said, “Anything that is not accurate is a lie. You can argue that a lie done to make someone else feel better is relatively minor. But they have an effect. The bottom line is that a lie is a lie.”
Although he did mention that it is socially useful to tell lies, I believe that in the end we always have the power to choose to tell the truth. As what Mark Twain said, “I can lie, but I won’t.” I hope that I will be strong to choose the truth at all time.
I have always reminded myself that lie is like a thrown boomerang, it will fly back to you … eventually. However, if I choose to speak the truth always, I don’t have to remember anything; I don’t have to worry about the snowballing effect that comes with continuous lying.
Randy Pausch author of The Last Lecture said, “Most people who have told a lie think they got away with it … when in fact, they didn’t.” One could have lied and fooled the whole world, but when one faced the mirror, one couldn’t lie or fool the one within. So I believe that Honesty is the best policy. Do you?
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The Paradoxical Commandments was an inspiring poem written by Kent M. Keith back in 1968 when he was still an undergraduate. Interestingly, a similar poem was found hanging on the wall of Mother Teresa‘s children’s home in Calcutta, India. Dr. Kent had brilliantly brought a reality in the real world that we live in and challenge us to still choose to love, to do good, to succeed, to be honest and frank, to help and to give the world the best anyway.
“I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an ‘honest man.’” – George Washington