Article May 28, 2012 Issue

Meekness and the "elephant walk"

George Zucker

First appeared as a web original on August 22, 2011

When I was a boy, the Bible’s promise about the meek inheriting the earth (see Matt. 5:5) seemed dumb. The way I saw it, the strong and bold had all the power.

Turn the other cheek? In the world I knew, meekness wouldn’t help you survive, much less succeed. Nice guys finish last. The good die young. That was what the world was saying.

The schoolyard bullies who tried to take my bike or lunch money certainly weren’t meek. So I began lifting weights in the garage, determined that no one would kick sand in my face.