Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Winning Words 8/12/09
“There are three constants in life…change, choice and principle.” (Stephen Covey) In grade school I learned the difference between principal and principle. The principal of the school is your pal…princi-pal. The other principle means something that is important in your life. One of my favorite college courses was American Ideals. It helped shape my system of values (principles). ;-) Jack

FROM MOLINER G.S.: I got to know my grade school principal, Miss Nyquist, real well because I was in her office a lot for misbehavior. I learned my math tables really well at Grant Grade School.

FROM MK IN MICHIGAN: I bet your system of values was already shaped by college? Just an observation. FROM JACK: I guess our value system is always in the process of being shaped, by the people we meet and by the circumstances that come upon us.

FROM S.H. IN MICHIGAN: One of the choices in life is to believe in those three constants for EVERYONE. I think sometimes people can see other people as more or less objects--especially the elderly, disabled, enemies, as being bereft of those three constants in life. Just sitting around, incapable of anything except waiting to die. It's one of my principles that I choose to see everyone capable of change up until our last
breath. It may be inner change but change it is and our privilege and honor to be together through it all.
FROM JACK: I thought of people as objects as I drove on Woodward through Detroit last evening and saw people huddled on the steps of churches and other buildings with "their earthly possessions" in bags.

FROM CJL IN OHIO: You wax eloquent....

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Yeah, you spent enough time in the principal's office to learn the difference real early.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: My principles were shaped when I was young by the actions and reactions of my parents, grandparents and Sunday school teachers, and the principles in the Bible. If anything, they have gotten stronger with each year. FROM JACK: We are who we were.

FROM EMT SINGS IN MICHIGAN: Thanks for that tip! I am going to give it to my grand daughter, Mariah. This year a junior, can you believe?


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

One of the choices in life is to believe in those three constants for EVERYONE. I think sometimes people can see other people as more or less objects--especially the elderly, disabled, enemies, as being bereft of those three constants in life. Just sitting around, incapable of anything except waiting to die. It's one of my principles that I choose to see everyone capable of change up until our last breath. It may be inner change but change it is and our privilege and honor to be together through it all.
S.H. in MI