Author Dr. Robert Saul

Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine

Aphorisms to live by

By

As I rapidly approach three-quarters of a century on this earth, I am enjoying the opportunity to continue to make a difference in the lives of children and my fellow citizens, mostly through the power of the pen at this time.  I started writing op-ed articles after the Columbine shootings in 1999, continued intermittent blog postings after that and now weekly blog postings for over close to the last three years.  All of those writings have led me to encounter multiple sayings or aphorisms that say so much with so few words.  And these aphorisms tend to ring true, provoking reflection and hopefully inspiring beneficial actions.

Below I offer a potpourri of aphorisms that I hope will have similar effects on the readers and spark efforts toward positive change.  I might have taken some editorial license in the quotes, and I hope my attributions are correct.  My apologies to Benjamin Franklin.  They are not in any particular order of importance.  Here goes –

  • I am the problem, I am the solution, I am the resource (Leland Kaiser)1 – These twelve words ignited my over 30-year journey to be a better citizen and spread the word about the need to take ownership in the activities that will improve our communities. The message was powerful for me.  I have to take personal ownership in the issues in my community  (I am the problem), I have to work with my fellow citizens (I am the solution), and I need to be willing to devote my continuing energies to the community (I am the resource).
  • Better is good, and better is actually a lot harder than worse (Barack Obama)2 – This quote is highlighted in a book by Samantha Power3 and reminds us that better is often the best result at certain times and can be a lot harder than no action which is often worse. Better is not accepting mediocrity but striving for incremental changes that will make a difference.
  • Freedom is not an absence of evil but a presence of good (Timothy Snyder)4 – Professor Snyder eloquently notes that freedom is not just the absence of evil, oppression, artificial restrictions and other factors.  For people to be truly free there must the presence of good also.  We need structures, both moral and political, that are good. These same ideas are key to providing for our children by not just avoiding negative factors but ensuring that positive factors abound.5
  • With malice toward none, with charity for all (Abraham Lincoln)6 – Despite all the bloodshed and the hatred from the Civil War, Lincoln knew the only way to rebuild and move forward, was to accept the common responsibility for the problems of the day (“with malice toward none”) and work together to improve from this time forward (“with charity for all”).  These words and thoughts still ring true today.
  • Mercy is a willingness to enter into the chaos of another (James F. Keenan)7 – The chaos of others can be quite discomforting. It is difficult to accept our roles at times to treat the less fortunate as we would our own family. Yet that is the measure of our ability to exhibit mercy and provide the nurturing care that is necessary to improve our lives, the lives of our fellow citizens, and the life of our community.8
  • Trust is the currency of social interactions (Robert Saul)9 – Trust is the basis of how we can make our words and deeds worthy of the privilege of serving others or the privilege of telling others of what we think they should be doing.  But the currency of social interaction needs to be developed and nurtured continually.
  • Those who care about childhood should care about freedom, and those who care about freedom should care about children (Timothy Snyder)4 – Professor Snyder’s treatise on freedom poignantly reminds us that the principles of freedom are intrinsically tied to a society’s commitment to their children. And without that commitment, our children lose their importance and we lose our moral imperative to provide for all of our children.
  • Silence in the face of evil is itself evil (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)10 – Bonhoeffer wrote about cheap grace being “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Inaction in the face of gross inequities is cheap grace.  It is ignoring the plight of our fellow citizens.  It is turning a blind eye to what happened and saying it doesn’t matter because I didn’t do it.
  • Lies have a cost because they multiply; because they tear at our social fabric; because they can become unrecognizable (Craig Mazin)11 – When these things occur, we lose our moral compass and can be unfaithful to ourselves, our loved ones, our fellow citizens, and others that need us. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies then we no longer recognize the truth at all.
  • Without civility, what really matters essentially goes unsaid and unheard (Robert Saul) – Maintaining civility in our relationships is equally important to maintaining trust in our interactions. Social interactions are a back-and-forth, give-and-take proposition during which we exchange information and hopefully seek some common solution to a given question or situation. Our ability to maintain civility will often define our ability to be understood, to be trusted and to be effective.
  • Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has (Margaret Mead)12 – The power of this aphorism has been repeated countless times since the mid-20th It has likely been modified over the years but that does not negate its message and reminder that everyone can be impactful, even when they assume that their contribution does not matter.
  • Touched… by the better angels of our nature (Abraham Lincoln)14 – Lincoln’s first inaugural address spoke to the need for reconciliation going forward. The same holds today as we fight for the needs of our children.  I will continue to fight for our children, constantly endeavoring to invoke our better angels and working with others to keep our better angels at the forefront of our actions and interactions.

Aphorisms or sayings are often handy ways to remember things that can help us help others.  I find them helpful personally as I need to remind myself ways to continue to improve the lives of others and the life of our communities.  My hope is that these aphorisms present some similar messages to my readers and give some pause as to how we can do better for each and every one of us.

 

  1. https://mychildrenschildren.com/my-childrens-children-name/
  2. https://mychildrenschildren.com/better-is-good-incremental-steps-forward/
  3. Power S. The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir. Dey St. 2019; 580 pp. (p. 282)
  4. Snyder T. On Freedom. Crown, New York; 2024. 345 pp.
  1. https://mychildrenschildren.com/infant-mental-health-part-i/
  2. https://mychildrenschildren.com/with-malice-toward-none-with-charity-for-all-2/
  3. Keenan JF. The Works of Mercy. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield; 2007.
  4. Saul R. Mercy. GHS Proc May 2016; 1(1):70
  5. https://mychildrenschildren.com/trust-is-the-currency-of-social-interaction-2/
  6. https://mychildrenschildren.com/caste-inaction-is-action-part-ii/
  7. https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-cost-of-lies-2/
  8. https://mychildrenschildren.com/areas-of-moral-clarity/
  9. https://mychildrenschildren.com/our-better-angels/