Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016
Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
... there are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa, many real diamonds which go unvalued.
-- W. M. Thackeray
It's high praise to say that someone is "genuine - the real thing." We use the image of jewelry when we talk about character: "Pure gold - 14 karat - rings true - a diamond of the first water - a pearl." The qualities of beauty and rarity make gems precious to us, and by using the same language to describe people, we imply that real personal worth is equally beautiful, and equally rare.
Yet it's within everyone's grasp. We all agree on the valuable character traits: honesty, loyalty, openness, courage, humor, and the capacity for love. Imitations won't do.
I needn't worry about whether someone else's qualities are genuine. I know what I admire and I have plenty to do polishing my own.
... there are many sham diamonds in this life which pass for real, and vice versa, many real diamonds which go unvalued.
-- W. M. Thackeray
It's high praise to say that someone is "genuine - the real thing." We use the image of jewelry when we talk about character: "Pure gold - 14 karat - rings true - a diamond of the first water - a pearl." The qualities of beauty and rarity make gems precious to us, and by using the same language to describe people, we imply that real personal worth is equally beautiful, and equally rare.
Yet it's within everyone's grasp. We all agree on the valuable character traits: honesty, loyalty, openness, courage, humor, and the capacity for love. Imitations won't do.
I needn't worry about whether someone else's qualities are genuine. I know what I admire and I have plenty to do polishing my own.
You are reading from the book:
The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg
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