Monday; June 17

Irony can be so … ironic. Take for instance a poem that is often attributed to Mother Theresa that is often called, “Do Good Anyway”. Most of us have heard this poem that advocates that we probably aren’t going to get credit for the good we do, but do good anyway. One of the last lines of the poem sums up the heart of the thought, “Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.”. That’s a pretty cool thought isn’t it? Well, that’s what Kent M. Keith thought when he penned the poem as a 19-year-old college student in the 1960s. It is purported that the nun had this poster on her wall, but the “Paradoxical Commandments” originated with Kent Keith. As I thought about this, I wondered if Mr. Keith would have known that his work would have be more often associated with another person if he would have published it anyway? I would like to believe that he would have.

It is human nature to want to get the credit for what we do, but isn’t the most important thing for the good to be done? As the old adage goes, “There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit?” (By the way who gets the credit for coming up with that gem? Come to think of it, does it really matter?)

Think About It!

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