My barber reminded me yesterday of a quotation I had told him many years ago that he says he has repeated to many customers over the years when they mention problems they are facing. The quotation came from Monsignor John Sheridan, Pastor Emeritus of Our Lady of Malibu Church, in Malibu, California.
Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf[1] von Moltke is credited with dividing the Prussian Army Officer Corp into four categories: the industrious and smart, the lazy and smart, the industrious and dumb and the lazy and dumb. His recommendations for how any officer should be used were: industrious and smart make good staff officers; industrious and lazy make good commanders; lazy and dumb make good field officers; industrious and dumb are dangerous, get rid of them. Think of persons you work with in your job, your club or your church. Do these categories help in figuring whether they are being well-used for their abilities?
There were two comedians who had a long running vaudeville routine. One called himself Bad Enough and the other went by the moniker Well Enough. Vaudeville audiences dwindled and the pair fell upon Hard Times (a street not far from “Times” Square). They started squabbling, about money — of course. One thing led to another, punches were thrown, and they finally ended up in court before Judge O. Noyoudont.
After they had finished telling their stories the judge laid a small fine on Well Enough, but he threw the proverbial book at Bad Enough: a $1000 fine, 5 nights in jail and probation for a year. Bad Enough couldn’t understand, so he asked the judge for an explanation of why he had received what he considered a harsh sentence. The judge was surprised by his question, shook his head a few times to clear his head, then looked down at him and explained, “I’m trying to get you to learn to leave Well Enough alone.”