Don't Say It… Don't Do It…

This terse advice comes from newspaper parlance: “If you don’t want it printed in the paper, don’t do it.” To this might be added: If you don’t want it printed, don’t say it. If you don’t want to be quoted, if you don’t want it repeated, don’t say it. And we might add also: If you don’t want it on your conscience, don’t do it. If you don’t want it in your record, if you don’t want it in your life, don’t do it. We still live in a world of causes and consequences. Our record is with us. And a personal act, what we say or do is something from which we cannot be separated. There are perhaps some situations in which there can be substitutes and stand-ins, and some shifting of responsibility, but not before the law and not within ourselves. The whole intent of legal procedure is to determine who said what, who did what, what was intended, and the law has failed if it puts responsibility on the wrong person. And this is true constructively also. There is a credit within us for the good we do, for what we learn, for what we know, for what we have accomplished. And even though others may mistakenly receive credit for some things that we were entitled to, we know what we have done; the Lord God knows it; and in the great accounting for all men’s acts and utterances, there is no doubt the books will be balanced. Life’s record and total effect will be a simple adding up. This would surely suggest that we do not clutter up our lives with what would embarrass and destroy peace or needlessly cause problems. Even if there is seemingly a successful deception, even if the wrong person is given the credit or the blame, yet there is an inner record, and a Higher record, and it is simplest, smartest, wisest, most rewarding not to clutter life with what we should not say, what we should not do; but live so as to be at peace with ourselves, with others, and comfortable with conscience. If you don’t want it printed or repeated or to be written in your record, don’t say it, don’t’ do it.