Belisarius.
I chanced upon this name in a post this morning. A Roman general who accomplished a lot, but remained unrecognised, uncelebrated, and was even –thanks to political chicanery and the pliable ears of the emperor Justinian –stripped of his wealth, blinded and left to beg on the streets.
Belarus could win his battles and lead men, but not control how the dictator would treat him for it all. Made me think, how he took it all. It seems he justified it all saying,
This, too, can bear; — I still Am Belisarius!
At times in life, we may do the right things, even perfectly, yet the results will be negative: failure, rejection, ridicule or outright indifference. What do we do? Well, get ready. It will happen. Maybe the lover will jilt you. Maybe the audience won’t clap. We can’t let that be what motivates us. We have to march to our inner drummer’s beat. Our inner conviction and sense of purpose.
‘I did my job. Did it well. Did it the best way I could. And did it for the right reason.’
Thank you Belisarius!