I came across a news story that illustrated to me a suitable reason why "what you say and do" does make a difference.

You can expect up to 2/3 of the people to form their opinion of you based upon what is reported to them by an "authority", while less than remaining 1/3 will have either no opinion of you or will have an opinion based upon personal experience. Does this correspond with what was observed in the persecution of the historic Templars? I think that it corresponds very well.

Develop your principles, communicate your principles clearly, act upon your principles and allow others to act upon theirs. Take care that your reputation is such that others will having nothing but "good report" on your behalf. The statistics seem to bear out the consequences of not doing so--confusion, misinformation, and faulty conclusions.

This article introduces a summer series of articles on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his philosophy and application to living in an ever-changing world.

"Everything 'Just' is beautiful.  Everything 'beautiful' ought to be just."  --Walter Breuning, 113 years old.

"Life is short but the influences of what we do or say is immortal.  There needs to be much more of the spirit of fellowship among us and more forgiveness.  The power of gentleness is little seen in the world."

"Remember that life's length is not measured by its hours and days, but by that which we have done therein.   useless life is short if it lasts a century."

"Life is a great teacher of truth.  What is truth to one is not truth to another.  What is true in one country may be false in another."

Truth "the state of not being hidden; the state of being evident".

What is evident in one country may be hidden in another....How true.