The Resolve Not to Be Useless…

Among the most discouraging facts anyone faces is the feeling that he doesn’t have the promise, the possibilities for significant usefulness, or success, no real promise for the future. But most of those who are discouraged have reason to be more hopeful than they are, and have more blessings than they have counted, more possibilities than at first appear. Helen Keller had obstacles almost beyond what could be humanely calculated. “We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough,” she said. This is a courageous and remarkable comment from such a source. But it is true that there are limitations, and no one can accomplish everything he wants. But almost anyone can contribute something—something that gives real service and real satisfaction. Sometimes the gift, the talents, of some is to encourage others, to see the realization in others of what they themselves could not accomplish. This is often true of parents who take so much satisfaction in seeing their children exceed them. The true teacher receives success and satisfaction in seeing a student exceed him. The coach, the trainer receives his satisfaction in the athlete who succeeds. Behind every front-runner are many who have helped. There are many roles in life, and some are supporting roles, and there is virtually no one who cannot render some real service and, in doing so, feel that he is, in a real and solid sense, successful. Phillips Brooks said: “Blessed is the life which grows itself into the consciousness of how strong a man is who, with average powers of a man, keeps his integrity and purity, becomes ever more upright, and also encourages the lives of other men… He that had received two talents, he also gained other two… Blessed is [he] who, neither very rich nor very poor, neither very joyous nor very sad, neither very wise nor very ignorant, neither very strong nor very weak, has done his duty bravely and unselfishly…What soul could ask for better destiny or praise than that?” “You will find,” wrote John Ruskin, ” that the mere resolve not to be useless, and the honest desire to help other people, will [in many ways] improve yourself.”