"True character arises from a
deeper well than religion. It is the internalization of moral principles of a
society, augmented by those tenets personally chosen by the individual, strong
enough to endure through trials of solitude and adversity. The principles are
fitted together into what we call integrity, literally the integrated self,
wherein personal decisions feel good and true. Character is in turn the
enduring source of virtue. It stands by itself and excites admiration in
others." — Edward O. Wilson, Harvard Professor/Pulitzer Prize Winner
Author
If I was told there was a bomb in my building and I had five minutes to evacuate my apartment I’d grab a grocery bag and quickly toss these items into it: 1. A photo of my grandparents, Mom and Pop and me, when I was 15 years old. I learned what love is made of from them. I learned what it is to be kissed on and hugged in arms so tender they felt like God’s arms. I discovered self worth from those two angels in human flesh. Of all the people in my life, they were the ones who made me feel I counted. Honestly, whatever capacity I have to love others came from them. 2. A sentimental, dog-eared, stars in the margin copy of Pat Conroy’s, “The Prince of Tides.” It is a book I have read three times and often return to for its wisdom. It is a harsh, profoundly tragic novel, the story of a family so broken and tortured by such flawed and wounded people that it is sometimes difficult to turn the next page. And yet it is the story of such Herculean courage and endurance that you want...
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