of planning

"It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time."
- Winston Churchill

(First of all, what an awesome picture this is.)

Winston Churchill's full name, including his list of titles, is far too long to be written here. One of the most influential people in British history, he served as Prime Minister during WWII and led Britain as one of the first countries to oppose Nazi Germany. He was a great orator and his war speeches are still well-known today. Churchill was also a great artist, historian and writer. His works as the latter, including memoirs of British history and the war years, earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

Churchill also served in the military in various postings, and was the First Lord of Admiralty during WWI and WWII. Maybe it is the combined effect of having seen action and having led a nation through tumultuous times, that made him adopt the philosophy of never planning too far ahead. But even in the calm of a typical afternoon in a 21st-century first-world country I can see the wisdom in his words. In any future event there are too many unknowns. These days I have trouble knowing whether it is a time to take control or a time to let events take shape. For now, I will try to focus more on the present.

of one versus a hundred

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one."

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa was born in 26 August 1910 in what was known as the Ottoman Empire (now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia). From an early age she knew that she wanted to be a missionary, and at the age of 18 she joined a convent. It was through convent work that she was brought to Calcutta, where she became increasingly disturbed by the state of poverty around her. When she was 36, Mother Teresa left the convent and entered the slums to help the poor and needy, where she would spend 45 years of her life. Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, which now operates hundreds of missions around the world, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

It was actually pretty interesting how I came upon this quote. A friend had suggested that I join a certain group in school which is working towards lifting the prejudice on rape victims in society. I came for my first meeting with the group, was not entirely convinced by the cause, unsure if I should direct my time to something more worthwhile. Then I looked out the window and literally saw the words of the quote staring at me -- the school had decided to decorate this particular wall of this particular block with the words of Mother Teresa. It was the quote that largely persuaded me to stay on with the group.

(Almost 3 months later I am still unsure if this little group will ever come to anything, or if I will be able to help even one person, but I guess it's best to stay optimistic.)