"Poetry in Motion"

Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed. - William Shakespeare, Othello

I read the above on the subway, as part of the MTA's "Poetry in Motion" series. So my insight for today comes from the V train.

Here's what I like about this passage:

i) Your word is treasure. While I don't think it's healthy to obsess about what other people think, I do think it's important to uphold your reputation by being a person of integrity. At the end of the day, in relating to other people, all you have in life is your name. It affects everything from your ability to obtain a loan from a bank to your ability to convince your prospective father-in-law that you will take care of his baby girl for life.

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. - Proverbs 22:1

ii) Your wealth is fleeting. It's yours today, it belonged to someone else yesterday, and it will be another's in the future. I like to think that wealth is something God gives to you as a manager gives to a steward. You are entrusted with it, but for a purpose, to better the conditions of those around you.

iii) Don't tarnish someone else's name. Even if that is satisfying in the heat of the moment (and in a rage), does it really benefit you at all? Oftentimes, doing so backfires anyway, making you seem petty at best and malicious at worst.

Let me leave you with the following:

Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect. - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations