During World War 2 ,unbeknownst to either man, Both Winston Churchill and U.S General Macarthur had the same plaque hanging on their office walls .In both of their offices the plaque was front and center for all to see and read.
The plaque read /
"If I tried to answer all the criticisms of me and all the attacks leveled at me ,this office would be closed to all other business.My job is not pleasing others,but doing the best I can.If in the end I am found to be wrong,ten legions of angels swearing I was right will not help me ; But if the end proves me to have been right all that has been said about me now will amount to nothing "
The words on the plaque were written by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 during the heights of the American civil war.They were written to an advisor who wanted Lincoln to push back on the Newspapers at the time , The press was awful to Lincoln, they printed cartoons of him depicting him as Baboon.Editorials were written that accused him of being a war monger , a cold blooded murderer with blood on his hands who valued the lives of slaves over the lives of "Americans".
When Lincoln was shot and killed ,His wife Mary was summoned to the coroners to pick up the items found in Mr Lincolns pants .The items were a pair of scratched eyeglasses in a silver case ,a small vial of glass cleaner , a handkerchief,a hand watch , a pocket knife , a wallet with a 5 dollar confederate bill in it and 9 worn and obviously read often newspaper articles.
The newspaper articles were all favorable to Lincoln , some said he was a great man , others talked of the courage of his convictions, others stressed his honesty.Some said that he had saved the Union and thus the United States.They all said he was doing the right thing and implored him to continue the good fight for equality and a restoration of the divided Nation.
The 9 articles were nothing but words on paper,scraps of old newspaper clippings.The kind, one would shred up and put at the bottom of a Parakeets cage.But to Lincoln they were precious ,so much so that he carried them with him everywhere he went .
Why?
Because Lincoln knew that the right words could put steel in ones spine.Lincoln knew that encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.He knew that everyone ,no matter how exalted or diminished needs affirmation.And he knew thru the articles ,he was not alone.Others cared ,others were there to support him when he needed them and that is what sustained him and gave him the additional strength he needed.
Churchill, Macarthur, Lincoln... great men,,,, human beings.Human beings that being like everybody else, they hurt at times ,they have fears at times and they have doubts at times.But they overcame them with help of the encouraging words of others.
The surest way to see if you are making progress and are succeeding is to see people taking shots at you.Criticism is to be expected anytime we make a change, make a decision or change directions.Lincolns plaque says it all ,do the best you can......... And then Trust the results to God or the universe..... Let the criticizers and condemners jabber like Parrots ..no statue has ever been made of a critic , they don't build great things ,they just like to try and tear them down.. .
