I want to share a letter from one of my favorite authors, E.B. White. It's a letter he wrote to a man he didn't know personally, but whom he felt compelled to answer. I'm glad he did.  It has made me wonder what I might do to contribute to "order and steadfastness." The underlying assumption being, that even small things matter, such as winding a clock, or answering a letter.

I re-discovered E.B. White when I read his stories to our boys. I discovered him again when I was a teacher's aide in a 2nd grade class. The teacher loved White, especially his classic tale, Charlotte's Web. She would read sections of it every day to the class and they would listen, spellbound, literally at her feet. I went back to all his books and read them; no wonder they're considered classics.

How someone successful treats those who have nothing to offer him tells a lot about that person. The fact that White answered this letter, and so generously, makes me like him even more than I did.  

I hope you feel the same after reading his reason for hope in troubled times.

"White’s missive, penned on March 30, 1973, when he was 74, endures as a spectacular celebration of the human spirit:"

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/05/06/e-b-white-letters-of-note-book/

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