Follow the Fortune Cookie

Day 5 - Good | Bad

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Day 5: When I Do Good - When I Do Bad
"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
~Abraham Lincoln

         Intriguing premise, President Lincoln. My younger siblings and nieces come to mind with this prompt. My little brother and sister are still at that age where their wants and what is feasible are very different things. Sometimes, when things are bad, their first reaction is to try and cover. This usually doesn't work and guilt catches up with them. They're learning to make good decision as well as how guilt can be a great motivator; Being Catholic has it charms.

         For me, I think today's quote greatly applies to me as well. When I was four-years old, I stole some candy from the corner market where my mom went to pick up some milk. I kept it in my pockets for an hour before I finally confessed to my mother what I had done. My oldest brother S-- was proud I turned myself in. My older brother C-- was disappointed that I didn't try to get away with it. Punishment was dealt out swiftly. The principle still applies.

         I wonder if this always rang true for President Lincoln. What intrigues me most about this quote is whether the 16th president felt this everyday or tried to look at this as something to strive for. After making his stance on slavery, war ensued and he literally lost close to half of the country. While this decision was right, I wonder if it felt good. Were there times in his life, before his assassination, that his religion didn't feel quite right?

         Definitely food for thought.