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There are those among us who do great things for themselves and
society. The world has become a better place because of them. They
are the inventors, the explorers, the scientists, the social workers
and the honest government people who make a difference. These and
others are the great ones who do not know how to accept defeat.
Despite the odds against them, the setbacks they experience and the
pain that is theirs on a daily basis, they go right on doing great
things for themselves and their fellowmen.
Then there are those at the opposite end of the
spectrum. They only live for themselves. They are the takers who get
and get some more without ever giving back. They are the parasites,
the crooks and the thieves who feed upon society and cause it all
sorts of problems and pain. They do their best to undo what the
great ones have achieved.
Then there is the mass of people in between.
They do not give of themselves anywhere near their capacity to give.
But, neither are they the takers and termites that the second group
is. As I said, they stand in-between. They are mostly good people.
Good people who are not aware of their potentials. It isn’t that
they do not want to give, it’s just that they do not believe that
they have the capacity to do more, to give more of themselves.
Perhaps it is a lack of self-esteem and
self-confidence that get in the way. Maybe there is a lot of good
will and desire to do more for themselves and others, but they
don’t know how.
They are the ones someone wrote about when he
said something about evil men getting their way because good men
stand by and do nothing. He’s right. Most people are good. They
are mostly kind, compassionate and ready to help their fellowmen.
But there is something that prevents them from doing so.
Perhaps it is in their upbringing. Maybe they
cannot believe that they can make a difference in this world even if
they can. So many possible reasons for not springing into action and
making our world a better place.
Norman Vincent Peale likes to tell the story of
the black man who explained how he was able to overcome his
difficulties. “Well,” he said, “first I try to go around the
problem, and if I can’t go around it, I try to go under it, and if
I can’t get under it, I try to get over it, and if I can’t get
over it, I just plow through it. Then he added, “God and I plow
right through it.”
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If you have problems about drugs, alcohol and
behavior/attitude call my office at 8206107 or 8251771 or e-mail me
at gvcbuenca@vasia.com or write me at P.O. Box 2099 MCPO, Makati
City.
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