Small Kindnesses

There's a chapter in the Qur'an called Small Kindnesses. One of the verses is "Woe to the worshipper."

What? Isn't worship a good thing? Isn't that what gets us into heaven?

The verses continue. "Woe to the worshipper who wishes to be seen by men but forgets small kindnesses." (I'm writing this from memory--the translation may be off by a word or two.)

We all know about that. Pious people who build large mosques or churches while othes starve. Islam doesn't condone this. No religious belief does. Unfortunately, sometimes religious leaders do.

I kept reading online headlines today about the death of Leona Helmsley, who apparently earned the nickname "the queen of mean." What an awful way to be remembered. I'm sure she did good things in her life--she must have--but this is her "eulogy."

My father was nice. He always joked that "nice guys finish last." That's okay. I would rather be poor as long as I'm remembered as being kind.