If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect
-- every action has a consequence. This thought, in my opinion, is the
moral foundation of the universe; it applies equally in this world and
the next. We Chinese have a saying: "If a man plants melons, he will reap
melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans." And this is true of every
man's life: good begets good, and evil leads to evil. True enough, the
sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it seems that
the wicked wax and prosper. But we can say with certitude that, with the
individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion
, for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all. In the end, we are all
the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can
it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of
the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very
heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture for growth and
development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny, for inexorably
we become what we do. This, I believe, is the supreme logic and the law
of life.