THE ORDER OF CURSED MEN
The Work
There is still something to give.
A man’s gifts can survive years without a place to take root. The work begins by finding where they can be of use.
Some undertakings need several men. Some need only one who will keep his word.
Bring something into being.
A body of work left unfinished. A neglected room that could serve someone. An idea whose maker has run out of hands. Offer skill and attention where they can help something worthwhile exist.
Pass something on.
Teach what took years to learn. Put a tool in a willing hand. Give a younger man the benefit of a mistake he need not repeat. Knowledge carried by one man can become a beginning for another.
Stand beside someone.
Read a difficult letter with him. Accompany him to a place he has been avoiding. Help him prepare the work he is ready to show. Ask what would help, and respect the answer.
Make the effort endure.
Choose work that can be carried through. Share what it requires. Speak plainly when circumstances change. An undertaking may become part of the Order’s memory through the care with which it was done.
The men who take on a mission choose it together. Its worth rests in what it gives to those it serves. Each man remains free to offer what he can.
When they next gather, let there be something to speak of: a work finished, a skill passed on, a man accompanied through a difficult day.
The curse remains. The work continues.