“Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong – these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.” – Winston Churchill.
Should we suffer fools? Should we suffer them gladly?
We know we’re going to run into them, and run into them daily. Maybe they’re a bit more visible in the internet age, but this isn’t a new problem. People have written about the issue since language was invented.
No one would likely be able to confirm, but with human nature being what it is, the first hieroglyphic was probably some guy drawing about his “stupid” neighbor.
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Winston Churchill , in the quote above, pointed out the repetition of Man not taking action until it’s too late, when the answer had always been in front of their face. It’s what needs done, but not to them. WE are ALL “them” sometimes.
However, how often do we do that? How often are we the fools making the same mistakes, over and over.
- The drug addict knowing he needs to get clean.
- The girl knowing she’s wasting yet another day making herself feel miserable while scrolling through her list of social media sites.
- The parents coddling their child for their own emotional self-worth, knowing they’ll leave them crippled in adulthood.
- The Government and it’s people knowing that if it keeps spending so much money, one day, it won’t be able to pay the debt.
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Mother Teresa, took care of what she believed were God’s People. She knew that humans weren’t always great.
“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.”
Here, one of the kindest people in recorded history, acknowledges our not-so-great natural tendencies. She also offers a brilliant and simple antidote.
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Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, also had wise words about the subject.
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly.
They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own — not of the same blood or birth, but of the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine.”
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Finally, in a more modern example, Comedian Tom Segura (*NSFW) destroys people who bring babies into a movie theater. Tom complains to the manager of the theater, only to be offered a nonchalant reality: “Some people suck.”
Andrew L Hamilton 