Comebacks

In any competition, early leaders can get complacent and be surpassed by those who started behind. Initial success leads to idleness while adversity fuels creative growth. The rapid success frontrunners achieve early on makes them idle and stagnant. Meanwhile, those counted out early must work harder to catch up, finding solutions and building momentum.

By the end, the trajectory may reverse. The underdogs now surpass the early leaders who grew comfortable. Life’s journeys are not linear. Early advantages can become handicaps while disadvantages generate hustle. The seeds of later success are often planted in early setbacks. Those discounted at the outset may still prevail through persistent effort and growth.

Where one starts does not determine the outcome. It is those who endure through challenges who ultimately succeed.


Matthew 19:23-30. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

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To be wholly good

True goodness requires more than token acts of charity or empty gestures made for appearances. To be authentically and wholly good demands that we examine our lives and let go of whatever holds us back from fully embodying goodness. Outer performances of virtue mean little if we harbor prejudices, cling to comforts gained unjustly, or refuse to make sacrifices.

True goodness requires sacrifice and committing to moral action even when inconvenient. It is easy to pretend virtue when there is no personal cost, but superficial goodness holds little meaning. The purity and authenticity of good deeds spring from a willingness to serve others even to our own expense.


Matthew 19:16-22. Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

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Designing for positive externalities

When designing policies, products, or services, we should consider how they can create positive spillover effects or externalities that benefit society. Too often, businesses and organizations focus narrowly on financial returns without accounting for social impacts. But well-designed initiatives can simultaneously achieve an organization’s goals while also improving conditions for the broader community.

For example, public transportation design that emphasizes accessibility, sustainability, and rider experience produces positive externalities like reduced traffic congestion, cleaner air, and interconnectivity. Urban planning that prioritizes public spaces, walkability, and mixed-use development creates positive community externalities in public health, social capital, and local economic prosperity. Product design should consider end-of-life recycling and reuse potential. Service design should aim to cultivate human skills and relationships, not just transactional efficiency.

Considering positive externalities moves us from a mindset of isolated benefit to considering our interdependence. By recognizing how our actions radiate out to touch others, we can purposefully generate shared value that improves society as whole.


Matthew 15:21-28. “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

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Categorizing analytically versus categorizing in reality

Categorizing people analytically can be a useful fiction for understanding broad trends and patterns in human behavior and identity. However, we must be cautious not to let these analytical categories overly determine how we perceive and engage with actual individuals in reality. Each person is far more complex than any single label or identity category could ever capture.

In our effort to make sense of the diversity of humanity, we may find it pragmatically useful to sort people into groups based on certain qualities they share. But we should remember that these are just simplified models of reality. No individual fits neatly and fully into any one box.

We are all multifaceted beings with diverse characteristics, experiences, and ways of identifying ourselves. When interacting with someone, we should avoid assumptions based on our analytical categories and instead remain open to discovering their full, unique personhood.

If we can balance categorization’s analytical utility with an appreciation for each person’s irreducible complexity, we can gain insight while still respecting individuals in all their humanity.

If we restrict ourselves to be biased by categories, we might be unfairly restricting others to receive graces and blessings like how the disciples of Jesus almost prevented children from being with Him.


Matthew 19:13-15. Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

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When things are combined in a seamless way, it allows for new properties and capabilities to emerge that did not previously exist in the individual components alone. Take an orchestra for example. The various sections – strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion – each have their own unique musical qualities. But when brought together and blended in harmony under the direction of a conductor, something magical happens. The symphonic whole is far more moving and profound than any single section could ever be on its own.

Seamless combination enables emergence. Emergence is the arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns, and properties through the interaction of a system’s components. The seamless integration of parts allows them to interrelate and combine in extraordinarily complex ways, giving rise to wondrous phenomena like consciousness in the brain, swarm intelligence in schools of fish, or a captivating melody in a symphony. When things mesh without friction or discontinuity, they tap into hidden potentials. What may appear at first to be mere addition soon reveals itself to be multiplication, and synthesis yields not diminishment but transcendence. Seamless combination thus allows for more than the pieces alone – it births emergent novelty, value, and meaning.


Matthew 19:3-12. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

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To be relentlessly good requires great inner strength and conviction. It is easy to behave morally when times are easy, but when faced with adversity, many falter. To remain steadfastly virtuous in the face of hardship and temptation, one must possess profound reserves of determination and resilience.

The well from which relentless goodness springs must be deep indeed. It takes courage to stand for what is right when doing so may result in ridicule, ostracization, or even danger. It takes self-control to act with compassion and refrain from lashing out when provoked. It takes wisdom to know how to apply timeless moral principles to complex situations. And above all, it takes love – a boundless love for humanity that impels one to uplift and serve others at personal cost. Such high-minded ideals come not from superficial wishes, but from depth of character nourished by continual soul-searching, conscience-examining and heart-expanding experience. The unrelentingly good have plumbed the depths of their inner wells and discovered there the inexhaustible waters of goodwill.


Matthew 18:21-19:1. “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”

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When individuals come together in harmony and flow, something magical emerges that is bigger than any one person. Aligned in purpose, a synergistic energy allows the group to achieve heights unattainable alone.

Yet this transcendence requires suspending ego and listening deeply to connect with others authentically. When we embrace diverse viewpoints, synthesizing them into a coherent vision, a shared mission manifests. By blending our gifts, we cover each other’s blind spots. Our differences become strengths. Trust and cooperation unlock potential. When the collective enters flow, powered by empathy, creativity, and open communication, it gains an intelligence surpassing the individual members. Therein lies the foundation for meaning, purpose and unified action towards noble goals. True leadership then comes from facilitating this emergence of synergistic potential. When we harmonize, we transcend.



Matthew 18:15-20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

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A baby’s needs are simple – to be nourished, kept warm and safe, and showered with affection. And nothing delights an infant more than a loving caregiver letting go of all inhibitions to play wholeheartedly. Babies beam with joy when we make silly faces, funny sounds, and goofy gestures just to bring a smile.

From peek-a-boo to raspberries on the belly, the silliest acts of love enthrall babies. Their innocence revels in the ridiculous. An adult dancing around the room or speaking in a high-pitched “baby talk” voice elicits squeals of excitement. Exuberant, uninhibited love fills their hearts with bliss. As we grow older, we lose touch with such unabashed expressions of affection. But babies thrive on such goofy abandon. For these newest arrivals in our chaotic world, the simplest and silliest acts of love are the surest way to happiness. Rediscovering that free and playful spirit allows us to see life again through their smiling eyes.


Luke 1:39-56. At the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

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True excellence calls us to be more in every facet of life. It is not enough to achieve prominence in one area while neglecting others. The highest human potential requires balancing commitments to family, community, work, spirituality, and health.

While extraordinary talent in any single dimension commands admiration, we must also attend to the wholeness of life. The genius scientist who neglects family bonds serves little. So too for the CEO absorbed in work at the expense of community or the pastor ignoring personal health. Real fulfillment lies in maximizing our talents across all spheres we inhabit. This is no easy task. But embracing the challenge of excellence in all realms is the only path to being fully human. It takes courage to be more, but that is the calling. We must nurture every dimension of life, building a legacy that encompasses all we touch. That is true greatness.


Matthew 17:22-27. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-226: AUGUST 14, 2023]

Doubt is a natural part of any faith journey. A reasonable doubt, born of an open and questioning mind, can actually strengthen faith by challenging us to deepen our understanding and commitment. However, doubt that springs from fear, apathy, or cowardice serves only as an obstacle to faith.

Blind faith with no room for inquiry tends toward unthinking dogma. But doubts motivated by intellectual humility invite us to wrestle with complexities, synthesizing rationality with belief. In this struggle, we emerge with a hard-won, thoughtful faith. Doubts arising from laziness or fear, however, sap faith’s power. They discourage the soul-searching faith requires. This doubt erodes our convictions precisely when challenges demand strong beliefs. It diverts us to easier paths. The difference lies in our motives. Reasonable doubt propels us toward enlightenment. Doubts of cowardice lead us to darkness. By examining our doubts’ origins, we can discern which ones illuminate our faith journey.


Matthew 14:22-33. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

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