14


Thoughts of Others

A)    I was taken by the words in a talk given by a church general authority (official title: Elder) by the name of H. Burke Peterson (hence, Elder H. Burke Peterson) about what a man --  a real, powerful man -- should be like, so I arranged the following excerpt from his talk in a poem-like formant.

The Man of Power is one who uses:

Persuasion
He uses no demeaning words or behavior,
does not manipulate others,
appeals to the best in everyone,
and respects the dignity
and agency of all humankind --
men, women, boys, and girls.

Long-suffering
He waits when necessary
and listens
to the humblest or youngest person.
He is tolerant of the ideas of others
and avoids quick judgments
and anger.

Gentleness
He uses a smile
more often than a frown.
He is not gruff
or loud
or frightening;
he does not discipline in anger.

Meekness
He is not puffed up,
does not dominate conversations,
and is willing to conform his will
to the will of God.

Love Unfeigned
He does not pretend.
He is sincere,
giving honest love without reservation
even when others are unlovable.

Kindness
He practices courtesy
and thoughtfulness
in little things
as well as in the more obvious things.

Pure Knowledge
He avoids half-truths
and seeks to be empathetic.


B)    The following is a quote about teachers made by Lee Iacocca, former head of the Chrysler Corporation.  And I, having been a former teacher in the public school system,  thought this quote to be very rational (in my obviously biased way).  Lamentably though, the world doesn’t always view things rationally.  “The world” would rather exorbitantly reward (with money and fame) an individual who makes a living in a brief career pitching a ball in such a way that makes it hard for a similar individual to hit it with a bat, rather than, in many cases, even adequately reward the myriads of dedicated teachers who have taught and ameliorated the lives of millions in long and arduous pedagogical professions.  But of course “the world” in its baseless wisdom thinks “anyone can teach,” but not everyone can pitch a fast ball, and therefore I need to get my priorities straight.  Mmmm... go figure.  Here’s the quote:

“In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”  --  Lee Iacocca