As the drumbeat of this year’s political detritus pelts us, I felt this a good time to share with you, my reader, a piece I wrote several years ago:
Atul Gawande wrote: Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try….
...and, I might add, it takes courage. It is not the courage of the mighty warrior, or the one highly trained in battle. It is that moral compass that draws one to the high road. The road of persistence. Paige, my late wife, kept a placard on her desk. It read:
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
You and I both know of folks like that; at the end of every day, they go to bed tired, often empty, and/or weary of their circumstances–broken dreams, vocational concerns, dealing with health issues (their own, or those for whom they are caretakers)–yet they rise with the sun to take on the new day.
As Atul Gawande wrote, “Better is possible,” even though it seems impossible. All it takes to see that truth, is to look around, from the beautiful lily emerging from the messy mud of a pond, to the frail nest of twigs holding an eaglet, to a magnificent cathedral. Impossible? Looks that way, but my, what a result!! The words of the Frankie Lane song ring in my ears;
I believe for every drop of rain that falls
A flower grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night
A candle glows
I believe for everyone that goes astray
Someone will come to show the way
As poetic as it is, there sings a truth that surpasses the senses or intellect. What we often call the “real world” often cries in protest that better is not possible, saying “We’re going to Hell in a Handbasket!” An old political quote, that is funnier than it was helpful back then complained of the “Nattering Nabobs of Negativism.” We do, of course, often face the naysayers. But more from Frankie Lane, lifts our spirits:
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry
Or touch a leaf
Or see the sky
Then I know why
I believe
Although the words stop short of saying “…in God.” it is implicit. Of course many of us—I would hope—all of us know that belief in God does make “Better Possible.” Not long ago, Mayor Bottoms of Atlanta told the crowd, in the face of some horrors, “We are Better than this!” It was echoed often by other leaders, official and non official. Better is Possible.
©Copyright Willis H. Moore June 2020