David Howenstein Blog



This blog focuses on putting spirituality into action, and is based on the bookJUMBO JUMBLE(by this blog's author).

  • Each blog entry includes:
  • JR - the author’s reflection of the writings in the book
  • PP - a personal question for the reader
  • PA - My own personal answer (not included in the book) to the question

8/4/2021

Picture

Illustrated by Miki Howenstein

…… It is believed by some that they must reach perfection before acting. RUBBISH! Not only does this never happen, but such a belief leads to making the perfect become the enemy of the good.,…. (From page 246 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)

Author’s Comment: As an English teacher in Japan, I find that many Japanese want to be confident in saying something (in English) perfectly before making the attempt to speak. I often share this true story. When I first came to Japan, I went to a social dance with several “respected elders.” I’d learned the word for “exercise” in Japanese (un-doe) and wanted to show off during the dance, saying “This is good exercise.” However, I accidentally said “This is good POOP.” (The word for poop is un-koe). Strangely, this connected me more to the good folk around me, as they came to realize if it’s OK for a teacher to make such a faux pas, it’s OK for them to do so too. Simply do what you can with as much integrity as possible, and move on.

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