MANY years
ago, a young lady who was attending a seminar shared an interesting story with
me. Apparently she and two or three of her girlfriends went and tried out for a
place in a stage play. She got the starring role while her girlfriends were not
even picked for the supporting cast. Opening night she said she was really
excited but afterwards became very disappointed when her girlfriends never came
out and supported her. She was explaining the situation to an elderly friend of
her father's, named Hap. He wrote her a letter and she gave me a copy with her
permission to share it with others. Read it carefully and think.
 |
| Rise above those who would tear you down |
Dear Ann,
Once upon a
time there was a fellow by the name of Al Capp who wrote a comic strip called
"L'll Abner." Many years ago he had some characters in his strip who
lived in a town near Dogpatch. They were the town bums, the ne'er-do-wells, the
failures whose whole aim in life was to pass judgement on others. Their
criticism and ridicule became so vehement that in time the rest of the people
in the town became acutely conscious of it. "The boys down at the
stable," as they were called because that's where they spent most of their
time, soon set the social standards of the town. Nobody could do anything
without their sanction.
Because they
lived within the structure of their crummy little world, they would laugh and
point their fingers at anyone and everyone who tried to be better than they
were. As a result the people feared the ridicule of the boys down at the stable
so much that they stopped trying. Soon everybody became bums and the town died.
In every
social structure, Ann, whether it be family, town, county or state, there are
"The boys down at the stable." They are the jealous ones. They are
too scared to try something different. They show their ignorance by laughing at
those who do. Learn to recognize them Ann, for what they are. Don't let them
hurt you. It takes a certain amount of toughness to succeed. One has to rise
above those who would tear you down so that they can laugh and say, "I
told you so!"
There are
too many of us who love you and want you to make it. I could put myself at the
top of the list. You aren't going to fall flat on your face as they would have
you. You are going to do a superb job. Remember this show is only a small step
in the direction of greater things you will do, many of which are beyond your
wildest dreams. All you have to do is want to. One of the things I like about you
best is that you always give it hell for try.
The show
will be a success because of you and others like you who try. There are only
winners in the cast. The losers are gathered down at the stable laughing and
hoping for your failure. If we could dig down deep inside them, I'm sure we'd
find they want to win also, but are too scared to try, and they attempt to
cover up their own failures as human beings by laughing at others. In a sense
I'm sorry for them. Their guilt must make them very unhappy people.
Much love,
Hap
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