Second Final Final Sample - Portia's Advice

Lines from Portia in Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 2

If to do were as easy as to know what were good
to do, chapels had been churches and poor men's 

cottages princes' palaces. It is a good divine that
follows his own instructions: I can easier teach 

twenty what were good to be done, than be one of
the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain
may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper
leaps o'er a cold decree: such a hare is madness the
youth, to skip o'er the meshes of good counsel the
cripple.

Know – These lines say that if “to do were as easy as to know what were good to do”, little chapels would be big churches and poor men’s cottages would be princes’ palaces.  It’s easier to teach a lot of people what they should do than it is to do what you teach.

Understand – This means that it is much easier to know what you should do than it is to actually do it, but it is much more valuable to be able to do what you know you should.  It means that you should internalize what you know is right and then have the integrity to do it rather than just preaching it or passing it off as something that is too hard.  Portia knows what she should do: she should be happy since she is wealthy and has so many blessings, but somehow just knowing what she should do isn’t enough to make her do it.

Apply – This principle of doing what you know you should do is called integrity.  There are many examples of people applying this principle.  Gandhi, who said “you must be the change you wish to see in the world”, was an especially poignant example of integrity.  He was a wealthy lawyer, educated in Britain and raising a beautiful little family in very comfortable circumstances.  Through some experiences and observations he made in traveling to India, he began to see that his own people were oppressed and mistreated in inhumane ways.  He could see “what were good to do,” as Portia says.  Instead of just shrugging his shoulders and being glad he wasn’t one of the poor downtrodden ones, he examined his life, his means, his potential for influence and change, and he began to DO. 

Analyze – Two important parts of this idea are knowing and doing.  (Ironically this is exactly the point of Bloom’s Taxonomy – to DO rather than just KNOW.)  Doing is a giant step beyond thinking about what you should do.  Our human nature makes it easy to know something – we memorize the names of the states, the times tables, the bones in the body – repetition and recall come fairly easily because our brain can do that without much engagement or work.  But when we must put that knowledge into action, we have to move some muscles, get out of our comfort zone, put down our t.v. remote, refuse the alcohol, open our mouths to say something kind, turn off the alarm and get up.  It takes mental effort, physical stamina, moral commitment to DO what we KNOW.

Evaluate – This principle has value to me because as I have a long list of things I KNOW I should do.  Unfortunately it often stays on the paper or in my head.  I make excuses and ignore that list, or sometimes I even teach others what is on the list while subconsciously refusing to take it seriously myself.  When I DO what I KNOW my life is more peaceful.  I’m healthier, happier, safer, wiser, more peaceful and more true.  So this principle is definitely a valuable one.

Create – For my creation phase of this principle that I learned from The Merchant of Venice, I will write down 5 specific things that I know I personally should do (pray, read scriptures, run, eat healthy, love) and rather than just memorizing that list, I will actually DO what I KNOW I should.

It is a good divine that follows his own instructions.

(Took 40 minutes)