Sometimes emperors can learn from children

By Colleen O'Callaghan-Miele

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 12:59 p.m.

Never forget or compromise who you are or where you came from.

An affirmation of who you are and where you came from is easy. To begin, we are a component of the DNA (the means by which hereditary characteristics pass from one generation to the next) of those who came together to become one and ultimately giving us life — our parents.

That is only the biological part of who we are, the color of our hair and eyes, whether we are tall or short. It's not what molds and shapes or defines our character and the nature of who we are.

Our environment and those who are in it are what instills and assists in the development of our core values. How and what we are taught during our life is who we will ultimately become.

Fathers and mothers, our teachers, spiritual leaders, those we emulate, are the ones who shape and facilitate our learning and development and help us define our values. Who we truly are is faithfully reflected within the decisions we apply to our daily life.

Therefore, what we do and the decisions that we make are a direct reflection on those who have contributed to and touched our lives.

As we walk through life and mature, we find that we surround ourselves with those who share our values. We have a mutual trust and respect that enables us to share when we feel one is making choices or decisions that may be compromising to their values.

As I write, I am reminded of the innocent child who loudly called out that the emperor wore no clothes in the 1837 fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen titled "The Emperor's New Clothes."

It is the story of the ruler of a distant land who was so enamored of his appearance and his clothing that he had a different suit for every hour of the day. One day, two rogues arrived in town, claiming to be gifted weavers. They convinced the Emperor that they could weave the most wonderful cloth, which had a magical property. The clothes were only visible to those who were completely pure in heart and spirit.

The Emperor was impressed and ordered the weavers to begin work immediately. The rogues, who had a deep understanding of human nature, began to feign work on empty looms. Minister after minister went to view the new clothes and all came back exhorting the beauty of the cloth on the looms even though none of them could see a thing.

Finally, a grand procession was planned for the Emperor to display his new finery. The Emperor went to view his clothes and was shocked to see absolutely nothing, but he pretended to admire the fabulous cloth, inspect the clothes with awe, and, after disrobing, go through the motions of carefully putting on a suit of the new garments.

Under a royal canopy, the Emperor appeared to the admiring throng of his people — all of whom cheered and clapped because they all knew the rogue weavers' tale and did not want to be seen as less than pure of heart.

However, the bubble burst when an innocent child loudly exclaimed, for the whole kingdom to hear, that the Emperor had nothing on at all. He had no clothes.

You see, the kingdom would compromise their integrity and loyalty to the Emperor by not being honest and therefore allowed the Emperor to walk the streets naked and exposed displaying total ignorance and foolishness.

I pray to always be like the child who calls out the truth of what I see and how I feel. To be a person who wouldn't compromise her values for the sake of pretending to be something or someone I am not. I wouldn't want my friends and family to question or find emptiness in my words or actions. I believe there would be no greater insult.

Here are the core value's that I live by. They are very simple and well-defined.

Honor — I honor those who walked before me, for they built the roads that I now travel. I honor those who served and serve my country and fought for my freedom of speech and the freedom to practice my faith without persecution.

Courage, covenants and commitment — I promise to be courageous, to honor my covenants with God and family and others.

Integrity — I treasure my inherent sense of honesty, faithfulness and truthfulness and will take responsibility and accountability for my decisions and actions.

I believe everyone is entitled to positive mentoring that will provide the opportunity to develop and define core values.

It is important to understand the importance of integrity, of being completely pure in heart, spirit and word, just as the child who loudly proclaimed that the Emperor wore no clothes.

Colleen O’Callaghan-Miele, co-publisher of the Home News, can be reached at 990-2653 or [email protected]. She writes a regular blog online at mcommv.blogspot.com.