Communication is a marvelous thing. When we communicate honorably, lovingly, and openly we do a greater good than if we just lived a good life. As powerful as our deeds and our example may be by themselves, we still need to communicate.
In addition to praising our friends directly, what about the importance of praising them in the hearing of other people? If we’re going to talk behind their back, why can’t we focus on the good things that can truthfully be said about them?
Emerson compared our situation to agriculture: “As the gardener, by severe pruning, forces the sap of the tree into one or two vigorous limbs, so should you stop off your miscellaneous activity and concentrate your force on one or a few points.”
What are your goals, values, principles, priorities? You must choose your passion and pursue it effectively. But as you make your choice, understand this: whatever it means for others, effectiveness for you will mean serving where you can serve best.
When we give ourselves to others as more mindful persons, we honor them. So I urge you to practice a greater degree of mindfulness, especially with those you love. Give them the gift of your deliberate attention. Be present for them — mindfully.
It is dangerous to neglect any unfinished business, but if the unfinished business is our character, that’s the most dangerous deficiency of all. So how high are your character goals? Are you working on a character that is more completely perfect?
Without inner prosperity, the outward kind is relatively worthless. But we can go even further: it is spiritual well-being (resulting from a right relationship with God) that outranks every other prosperity, whether inward or outward.
Life does not stay the same for very long. So as our lives unfold, it is to be expected that our intensity will change. But passion and focus have no mandatory retirement age. These are things that must not be allowed to fade away.
I may not think of myself as being very influential, but I need to understand that every one of my actions contributes either to the common “weal” or the common “woe.” As a fellow human being, I owe it to you to act cooperatively.
Charm must be linked to character. But when a pleasing “exterior” is coupled with an honorable “interior,” what a combination that is! “When good character adds adornment to natural charms, whoever comes near is doubly captivated” (Menander).
