The New Commandment
My children, I am to be with you but a little while longer. I give you a new commandment—Love one another; love one another just as I have loved you. It is by this that every one will recognize you as my disciples —by the love you bear one another.
—Jesus.
Ruskin’s Idea Of A Satisfactory Life
It may be proved, with much certainty, that God intends no man to live in the world without working; but it seems to me not less evident that He intends every man to be happy in his work. It is written, ” In the sweat of thy brow “—but it was never written ” in the breaking of thine heart “—” thou shalt eat bread.” And I find that as, on the one hand, infinite misery is caused by idle people who both fail in doing what was appointed for them to do and set in motion various springs of mischief in matters in which they should have had no concern, so, on the other hand, no small misery is caused by overworked and unhappy people, in the dark views which they necessarily take upon themselves and force upon others of work itself. Were it not so, I believe the fact of their being unhappy is in itself a violation of the divine law and a sign of some kind of folly or sin in their way of life. Now, in order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it—not a doubtful sense, such as needs some testimony of other people for its confirmation, but a sure sense, or, rather, knowledge, that so much work has been done well, and fruitfully done, whatever the world may say or think about it.
—John Ruskin.
A Purblind Race
O purblind race of miserable men,
How many among us even at this hour
Do forge a lifelong trouble for ourselves
By taking true for false, or false for true?
—Alfred Tennyson.
Alternate Reading: Matthew 17:1-13.