Dr. Keith Kent, The Paradoxical Commandments

Dr. Keith Kent The Paradoxical Commandments

By: Rose McInerney

Love people, do good, succeed anyway, be honest, think big, build, help others and give the best you have to the world. You may fail at all of these things, but do them anyway.

These are the intentions in The Paradoxical Commandments, written by Dr. Keith Kent. You’ve probably read them before without even knowing it. WS reached out to Dr. Kent for permission to reprint them without any success, so we’re sharing the essence of them, anyway.

This intention echoes what Dr. Kent’s intended and also underscores this issue’s theme, paradox. What we write about on WomanScape mirrors the challenges that Dr. Kent identified more than 50 years ago as a student growing up in the Hippie era of the 1960s.

The genesis for writing the Paradoxical Commandments came from Keith’s studies at Harvard College when student activists were protesting in demonstrations and vocal condemnations. Keith saw their well-intentioned fight but offered a different way of seeing the world.

Instead, Keith believed that even if people didn’t find all the answers they were looking for and couldn’t successfully change what they set out to do, the very act of trying would bring peace and satisfaction. For Keith, love was the answer.

Keith recorded The Paradoxical Commandments for high school leaders in a booklet entitled, The Silent Revolution. It’s been rewritten since then and is part of a collection of videos, books and other related items that Dr. Keith Kent shares on his website, Paradoxical Commandments.

His message of love and doing what is right seems more relevant than ever, today. We must navigate complex problems and build bridges with people, organizations and countries we may not trust, but staying focused on positively changing the world is what matters most.

Talk about the perfect marketing message for WS Magazine?

It could be the secret to solving some of the world’s most pressing issues - from environmental sustainability to the ethical use of artificial intelligence and democratized information – start with intentions and love.

Visit Dr. Kent’s website to learn more about how these Commandments are connected to the teachings of Mother Theresa and to listen to his video messages.