Every now and then, I go through periods where I contemplate my place in life. I think about the things I have already accomplished, and I think about the goals and dreams that I would like to realize before I leave this earth. The questions that most often siege my soul are: "What have I contributed? Have I had a positive effect on the lives of those around me? How have I improved the community, and the world, that I live in? And what have I given or accomplished that will remain after I am gone?"
At 31, I hope to have many more years to answer these questions, but the reality is that we never know how many years, or days, we have left in this life. It is a slightly morbid consideration, but it's something that I think about--perhaps because I work in development, and we talk a lot about "leaving a legacy." In that context, we are generally referring to a financial gift/bequest, but since I know that I will likely never have the ability to leave a monetary legacy, I ponder the other ways of leaving behind something meaningful.
During these times of contemplation, I enjoy reading verses and quotations that inspire me in my endeavors to make a positive mark on the world. One such piece follows:
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-(often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but originally penned by Bessie Stanley)
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Musings on what amuses--or confuses--me.
3 comments:
This shouldn't matter to how inspiring you find that set of slogans, but Emerson didn't write it. All historical evidence points to Bessie Stanley as the poem's writer. The poem "What Constitutes Success" won a prize in late 1905, according to the Lincoln Sentinel (Kansas). Most inspirational quotations actually misquote Mrs. Stanley's original work. (It's pretty easy to find online.)
So by all means, enjoy and feel inspired by Mrs. Stanley's poem. Just don't relegate her to an ironic footnote.
TT: I went through each sentence one by one, trying to figure out if each of them applied to you. It's neat... they all do. Although, can I be BOTH the intelligent person who respects you AND the honest critic who appreciates you? Carry on, friend, carry on.
K- Interesting. It just goes to show that there's a lot of erroneous information online, as well. I knew the quotation and thought it belonged to Emerson, but I googled a couple of phrases ("to laugh often and much" and "to know that even one life has breathed easier"), just to check, and all of the primary links that popped up pointed to Emerson. So, to Mrs. Stanley, my apologies. Google is unfortunately a risky research tool!
S- Thank you--I take that as a wonderfully kind compliment. And yes, I think you can--and do--serve in both of those roles, and I appreciate it!
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