Reap what you sow

Falsehood cannot lead to sustained growth. Like the seeds among the thorns, there may seem to be a quick growth but sooner than expected the poison contained within the system will destroy the entire edifice. Like a house built on the sand, the first storm and rain will bring the entire building down. Falsehood can have many shades – lie, politics, pride, prejudice, scheming, groupism,  personal agendas, quick-fix solutions etc..The cancer that is contained within any of these falsehoods will manifest itself sooner or later.

Only goodness can lead to lasting growth. Goodness has no cancerous cells within. Its growth may be slow and painful. Though slow in the long run, it will be healthy growth. Fruits and crops that are speedily grown with the aid of pesticides and poison, their effects are revealed in those who eat them. Instead, crops that are grown without pesticides but with more sunshine and rain although it may take a little longer time will lead to better health and longer life. Goodness too has many shades – dialogue, discernment, gifts of the Spirit, transparency, openness, sincerity etc..

We reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of politics and prejudice into our systems, be prepared for rivalry and division. If we have injected poison and falsehood into our system don’t be surprised how the quick growth is followed by resentment and complaints.

Memories are short. We easily forget what we have sown. A year or two, five years or twenty is not a long period of time in the life of an association or organization.  Sometimes the results are soon, but oftener than not, those who reap the fruits are different from those who sow. After enforcing personal agendas and packaging lies as truth, we wait for good results. It cannot be. Those who did the packaging are often out of the scene and those who follow are left to bear the brunt of the storm and taste the poison.

Stephen R. Covey in his famous book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ says that one can try out many strategies and tacticsto get other people to do what one wants, to make people work better, to make people love them and one another – but if one’s character is fundamentally flawed, marked by duplicity and insincerity - then in the long run one cannotbe successful.  He says, “Eventually if there isn’t deep integrity and fundamental character strength, the challenges of life will cause true motives to surface and human relationship failure will replace short-term success. It is character that communicates most eloquently… Only basic goodness gives life to techniques.”

I would like to repeat the last phrase, “Only basic goodness gives life to techniques.” We can have any number of party games, conferences, motivational talks, or retreats to build up broken relationships and fix flaws in our system but fundamentally it is character, honesty, integrity, and goodness that give success to the seminars and motivational talks.

We don’t need to look far for examples to illustrate the truth of what is stated above. Decisions to suppress or relocate communities to satisfy personal agendas have been reversed in less than two years. Place to shelter candidates has been shifted around to please the whims of a few and the net result after two years is, there are no more candidates. Making provision for higher studies and their growth by a few voices that are louder and shriller at the expense of those in formation without assessing the consequences of what we are doing nor consulting people who are affected by these changes, has resulted in the drying up of our formation houses. We are too close to see its effects and we wait to see the results of an environment of animosity on those whom we form. Big buildings we have put up for training with big funds from donors lie vacant because politics and injustice have been at play from their inception. Mission stations even after six years it has been approved and the foundation stone blessed fail to takeoff because pride and prejudice have been at play. The list could go on. 

The debate that is taking place in the country on the ban of the BBC documentary has a lesson for us, as a  parliamentarian has said,  “ Truth has a funny way of resurfacing .“

We reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of politics, pride and prejudice we shall reap fruits of division, competition, and rivalry. If we sow seeds of consensus, dialogue, and openness, we shall reap fruits of  joy, unity, and sincerity. We reap what we sow.

-        Fr T.V. George sdb