“We dig up diamonds by the score; A thousand rubies, sometimes more; But we don’t know what we dig ’em for; We dig dig dig a-dig dig…” Diligence in the digging of dwarfs. I think I saw Snow White for the first time when I was about seven and this catchy song was stuck in my head for days afterward. It took awhile to really appreciate how much work this virtue actually is, be it in the try, try again perseverance it necessitates or in the acceptance of its time consuming nature and perhaps fruitless outcome. But for now, on to the next one:
Theme: Kindness – helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped
Structure: Free Verse
I don’t think anyone needs kindness explained to them. So for this week I’ll leave you with an extra long quote:
“It has always seemed strange to me… the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, ego and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” – John Steinbeck
We happily await your interpretation of this great virtue: Send submissions to redstringpapercuts@gmail.com to be published.