Mar 5, 2006

On Failure to Act

A parable about safe, tidy living:

He saw people love each other, and he saw that love made strenuous demands on the lovers. He saw that love required sacrifice and self-denial. He saw that love produced arguments, jealousy, and sorrow. He decided that love cost too much. He decided not to diminish his life with love.

He saw people strive for distant and hazy goals. He saw men strive for success and women strive for high ideals. He saw that the striving was often mixed with disappointment. He saw strong and committed men fail, and he saw weak, undeserving men succeed. He saw that striving sometimes forced people into pettiness and greed. He decided that it cost too much. He decided not to mar his life with striving.

He saw people serving others. He saw men give money to the poor and helpless. He saw that the more they served, the faster the need grew. He saw ungrateful receivers turn on their serving friends. He decided not to soil his life with serving.

When he died, he walked up to God and presented his life to Him - undiminished, unmarred, unsoiled. The man was clean and untouched by the filth of the world, and he presented himself to God proudly saying, "Here is my life!"

And God said, "Life? What life?"

This resembles my life. I guess it comes from reading too much Tao Te Ching.

I told someone that I avoid failure by failing to act. He said it was failure too, except when done by others:> As part of 'others' for him, I felt relieved I was not failing:D

Well, as Winston Churchill said: "Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts'. But of course, this is the same person who, as myth has it, gave the shortest speech ever:
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never give in".
After which he sat down.

In fact he gave a full speech. Here it is.


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