Latin Proverb of the Day

If you sign up to receive the Latin proverb of the day, you will receive each day, Monday through Friday of my own school year (August through May) in your email something like the following. I take a Latin verse, motto, saying, or short excerpt, translate it, and then give my own brief reflection on the saying. The reflections are meant to be an example of how the wisdom of the ancient Romans and other Latinists might be appropriated today. The reflection is offered simply as one human being attempting to glean some wisdom for himself. If it is helpful to you, that is wonderful. If it is not, perhaps it will invite you to consider what IS the wise way for you on that day. And, there is always the DELETE button! Individuals who have received these over the past two years often write me back and tell me the varied ways they have been able to use them personally and in various professional settings. To sign up for the Proverb of the Day, email me at Proverb@mygrove.us and I will add you to the list.

 

Laudatur ab his, culpatur ab illis. (Pron = lau-dah-toor ahb hees kool-pah-toor ahb ih-lees)

He/she is praised by some and criticized by others.

(Horace, Satires 1.2.11)

Comment: The ideal teacher (pastor, doctor, attorney, therapist or other human service provider) is: young but has years of experience; intelligent and well educated but talks and acts like someone who is from here; friendly and fun to be around but is serious and wise in behavior, is always available for whatever I need when I need it and is in good health.

The list could go on, and as teachers we know how this goes. It is an impossible list. We cannot be all things to all people. Even St. Paul who coined that phrase was praised by some and criticized by others. He still is! When I was a young clergyman, I had a church member who called me every Monday evening at dinner time to tell me what I had done wrong the day before. He did that for 5 years. He taught me a lot--about not listening much to the praises or criticisms of others. They are both, very often, simply delusions or at least distractions. That does not mean that listening to others is a bad thing. It's a good thing, but human service providers, if we are to really provide useful services, must learn to listen beneath the praise and criticism to what people are really saying.

My Monday Critic was telling me that he was lonely and miserable. I was too young to hear much of that until years later. As miserable as he was and as miserable as he made me, I still often learn something from him. Each night when we close our eyes, we cannot afford much to listen to the criticisms or praises of others. If we are to be at peace, we must learn to listen to our own core, our own hearts and know who we really are.