Observe

My childhood was blessed by a paternal grandfather who had earned wisdom by suffering many losses in his life. His first wife had died young and left behind six small children. He had been denied advancement in a Boston company because of his Irish origins. He had been disabled by a serious automobile accident, which had nearly killed him in the prime of his life. He spent the last years of his life in very humble circumstances with his second wife, my grandmother. He was the sexton of his local Catholic church. His most memorable advice to me was repeated to me in a whisper over and over again in social situations. "Paul, don't just listen to what people say. Watch what they do." Those words have served me well. While I strive in my practice to be open to trusting the intentions of others, I am also very actively observing what people do. We live in times when the President of the United States proclaims loudly and repeatedly his devotion to freedom, but he spies on his own citizens illegally. He proclaims his devotion to peace, but he bombs and kills the innocent. He proclaims his devotion to reform, yet he supplies millions of dollars to corrupt contractors and corrupt regimes. With this kind of leadership, supported by half a huge and powerful population, it serves anyone interested in the truth to follow my grandfather's advice.