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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of Thursday's essay, "There is So Much Pettiness in the World, " reads as follows:

As I looked at the political picture in the U.S. today, I thought of a quotation by Margaret J. Wheatley that so accurately captured the situation: “In our daily life,” she wrote, “we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together.”  It's embarrassing to admit that we harbor pettiness in our lives, but the fact is that most of us do.

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

“Those who occupy their minds with small matters,” said Francois de La Rochefoucauld, “generally become incapable of greatness.”  Although I am not seeking greatness, nor will I ever, such a quote offers some sanity in this world of pettiness.  I don’t get involved with it, I don’t try to change others, and I don’t lower myself to their level.  If you see pettiness of any kind, do as I do, smile, understand it, appreciate it for the pettiness that it is, and go on with your life.  It was Winston Churchill who said, “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”



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