“Honesty and transparency
make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.” — Mother Teresa
So this quote was shared from a page I like, which shares tons of great
quotes and inspirational ideas all the time. However, this one seriously gave
me a bad taste in my mouth. Literally “turned to ash” bad taste. While the
quote itself is a nice uplifting statement, I found myself wanting to spit it
back out of my head once I read who said it. I chose not to respond to the page
itself as I tend to have a bizarre interpretation of things and didn't feel
that it was the greatest place to vent my irritation. And of course, you're probably asking, but what is so horrible about Mother Teresa? Wasn't she this great nun who helped the poor and whom Catholics all around the world are advocating for canonization?
First, I’m not Catholic, or even Christian for that matter, (shocker I
know), but I could care less about what “religious” affiliation she had. However,
I am a nurse. And the more I discover about this woman and the horrendous
conditions her “houses of charity, for the sick and dying” have been and are in
makes me want to vomit. She took billions in charity in the name of the sick
and poor and did absolutely shit with it for those she said she was helping. Most
houses and institutions were kept in squalor and no actual medical attention or
medications were distributed in these places. In many instances people were
actually made sicker by the conditions this “mother” subjected them to. My point here is not to rehash all the evidence
of this on my blog, Google it if you have no idea what I’m talking about, but
rather to delve into why the hell this quote bugs me so much.
The second thing I have an issue with, and is made more pertinent by the
fact that she was “Christian” is her statements. While oh so “enlightening” for
the hordes of Catholics that worshiped the ground she walked on, they leave no doubt about her vindictive mindset. One of her famous sayings was that she “loved to
see the suffering” and her bullshit justification was that it reminded her of Christ’s
suffering and sacrifice and love. Really? No, you loved to see the suffering because
you loved your billions of dollars even more and could keep it in your pocket because
you did not spend a fucking dime of it on those you said you were taking care of.
Lastly, the most aggravating thing about this quote is that even though someone
has an epiphany and makes a wise word choice, even rendering the statement
empowering or a truism, the source of the quote or statement can severely
negate the inspiring effects that were originally intended. Just the idea of the above quote, honesty and
transparency, coming from her, makes me want to laugh out loud. It truly is a
great idea… to bad she neglected it in practice. The most beautiful and
apt sayings have come from the most horrible people in the world. Take for
instance, “Words build bridges into unexplored regions”. This is a very
insightful message and I’d love to repeat it if it wasn't for the person that
actually said it. Any guesses on where this saying came from?
3…2…1 … Adolf Hitler.
Great quote, until you think of the millions of Jews that he slaughtered
and the ensuing wars and plethora of other lives lost. It kind of makes me sick
just too even quote the bastard. But there it is. Something wise said by one of
the most “evil” men in the history of the human race.
I’m sure you’re thinking I’m a horrible person for comparing Mother-fucking-Teresa with Mother-fucking-Hitler, but I bet in a
few years, everyone will pull the blindfold off, learn the truth about this
woman and have no issue with it. I've watched and read the reports on Mother
Teresa’s charity houses, which is only the tip of the iceberg of her sorely lacking
benevolent spirit and it leaves me with a nasty taste in my mouth probably from the regurgitating bile in my stomach.
