Confucius Say -- Help your Neighbor, Take a Risk!

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising each time we fall.                                                                                     - Confucius

Bright, that Master Kung (aka Confucius, 551-479 BCE).  He lived 500 years before Christ and is the most famous Chinese philosopher.  His words are timeless.  His goal, according to Wikipedia's profile of the man, was to restore the world's order (or at least the world that he knew).  Ultimately, after widely travelling and meeting with rulers in an effort to stop the feudal states of his land from warring against each other, he conceded failure.  But history has judged Confucius a giant of justice and morality.  His views gained prominence in the West in the 16th Century after  Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci brought his philosophy to Europe.  (Ricci also Latinised Master Kung's name as "Confucius".) 

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising each time we fall."  NOAHH's Executive Director Jim Pate adroitly used this quotation in a report he delivered to the NOAHH Board in December 2005.  It is a mantra for all of New Orleans, and particularly for Habitat's efforts here. 

We know that it will not be easy to build homes for the needy in this environment, and that we will have missteps along the way; we will even fall down.  But we mustn't be paralyzed by the fear of falling -- instead, we must strive for the glory of doing God's work in a city and region that so desperately needs this organization, at this moment.  With each new home, with each family served by NOAHH, we will revel in the glory of serving God's purpose for us.

A couple other things about Confucius:  as Stanford's Encyclopedia of Philosophy summarizes, his social philosophy largely revolves around the concept of ren, “compassion” or “loving others.”   He said:

Since you yourself desire standing then help others achieve it; since you yourself desire success then help others attain it.

How Habitat is that!