The Paradoxical Commandments
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Posted in The Simple Life
The Paradoxical Commandments is both a poem and a book by Kent M. Keith. He wrote the poem as an undergraduate. Two decades after writing the original poem, Dr. Keith wrote a book of the same title expanding on the themes of the poem: The Paradoxical Commandments: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World
Using the well-known ten-commandment format, he wrote:
- People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
- If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
- If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
- The good you do today, will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
- Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
- The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
- People favour underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
- What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
- People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
- Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Mother Teresa published a version, which Kent Keith titled “The Final Analysis,” from the wording of commandment nine.
- People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centred. 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.
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Very appropriate to today, September 11th.