Principles have no real force

“Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed.”

—Mark Twain, pen name of Samuel Clemens

Image of a feast

Image from Flickr by Igor Shatokhin

What would you be willing to do if you and your family were literally starving? Would you be open to the possibility of stealing, or even killing an animal to survive?

When we look to the news these days, we see far more unprincipled behaviors from people around the world and within our own communities than we ever have in the past.

What is all this craziness about?

Twain’s quote suggests that many around the world are starving for things other than food, such as respect, dignity, freedom, peace, and leadership.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you satisfy the fundamental appetites of your communities to more fully live in a more principled world?