23. The Good Man

A good man is always a beginner. He thinks his job is always new, half-expecting things to work out the same way they did, and half-expecting they won't. To him, it's always a surprise whatever happens,  like laying bricks on the wall. Even if he planned it well and lay everything with care, he knows the bricks may chip and the wall may collapse. But the good man, he looks at what he has done and what has been wasted. He smiles and he begins again from where he left off or from whatever is left, if any is left.  Although he may complain, it is all a part of the rhythm of his day. He starts. He stops. He starts again. The endless cycle of ending and beginning -- the good man knows there is more to this than meets his eye.  It's not about him. It's about what has to be done. And if he dies, he knows, somebody will take his place, another good man beginning from where he ended. And soon the wall is built, perhaps to protect humanity from the elements, the violence of ofher men or the turbulence of the sea. But the good man is not done as there are more walls to build, and he should be ready for the next one. It is the ethic of the good man that the universe is greater than himself, but he is undaunted in what he has to do however he can. Call it hope. Call it love. Call it the energy that keeps the good man from going down. He will rise and begin again so sure for himself that every morning the sun will rise from the east; yet, he knows he can't be too sure.