A secure investment. November 24, 2012
Posted by ourfriendben in wit and wisdom.Tags: character, fiscal cliff, Henry David Thoreau, kindness, thanksgiving, the greatest virtues, Thoreau quotes
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As we stare over the precipice of the so-called fiscal cliff, our friend Ben is reminded of a marvelous quote from Henry David Thoreau: “Goodness is the only investment which never fails.” (Okay, it should have been “that never fails,” but let’s give Thoreau a break.)
Goodness is a rare and underappreciated quality. My beloved Grandaddy was a good man, and my adored Mama, his daughter, who was incredibly bright, made a point of telling the youthful Ben that my intelligence rated a very low second compared to character and moral principle. “Lots of people are bright, but very few are good or kind,” she told me repeatedly. The lesson sank in.
I can’t say that I grew up to be a good person, but I did grow up to revere goodness above all other qualities. As my Mama pointed out, anybody can be intelligent, even brilliant. But it takes a truly special person to be good. This Thanksgiving weekend, let’s all make a point of celebrating the good people in our lives.
Amen Sister
Thanks William!
Your mama was right!
Indeed.
I agree with h.ibrahim…you had a wise mother indeed…my own mother taught me young that if you poked someone in the eye you suffered the consequences (and the sore backside)…I taught my own children the very same lesson…today they know the value of being kind and if that is the ONLY thing that I taught them I have done my job
Ha! My ex-father-in-law had such a great way of putting this: “If a dog barks at you in the street, would you get down on all fours and bark back?” ‘Nuff said.