Was talking with a friend Sat night about success (material success as defined by the world today).
We were both in the same HP department in 2000, 2001 and comparing our team-mates today, 8-9 years later - people with qualities for success aren't high up the career ladder versus the ones everyone hated and disliked.
Which begs the questions, what parameters does success require?
Garin thinks it's because we're too nice - so the age old adage, do nice people really finish last?
There was an article in IHT today about IQ and success, and the conclusion they arrived at was, success depends less on intellectual endowment than on perseverance and drive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/07kristof.html?_r=1&em
What if you had perseverance & drive, but also a nice person? Why should your niceness work against you as it seems to, based on track records of so many...
And then today's gospel, Mt 5:1-12 had the answer. Eternal success over material world success.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
1 comment:
The best is of course to be successful in both eternal and material world... but you know that could hardly come by. Remember what you said of us being so "cheap" in regrads to our relationship with God.
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