Article April 25, 1988 Issue

Efforts bring rewards

Obviously we need to exert ourselves, no matter what worthwhile goals we hope to achieve. Yet real success comes only when we start with God.

Marguerite E. Buttner

We watch television to extend our experience, to learn about other places, other people and their achievements. Yet one danger of too much television is that viewing sometimes substitutes for doing. It's possible to become so content with relating to TV personalities and situations that we may feel no need for real accomplishments of our own. We join in the laughter and tears, the victories and defeats we see on television. But there we are still in the same chair. Meanwhile opportunities to do things ourselves have been abandoned or allowed to pass by. When such contentment becomes attractive to us, activities can slip further out of experience until dominion over inertia virtually disappears.

Effort spent developing new skills, coping with challenging ideas, and exploring ways to solve current problems brings far more progress than resting in the illusion of vicarious achievement.

But what kind of efforts are we talking about—physical, mental, moral, spiritual? Actually all are important. Efforts to clean a cluttered house, to read a challenging book, to be honest (especially when the crowd cheats), or to become closer to God are all rewarding. Trying, even if we seem to fail, helps to break inertia. One step is all it takes to start. Beginning is sometimes the hardest part.

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