The Laughing Wolf

Legacy

This has been an interesting week, not the least because we lost two people who influenced millions, if not billions. Both of these gentlemen came not from proud families of wealth, power and prestige, but rather from far more humble beginnings. Despite this, they overcame adversity and more to dare great things. They leave a legacy behind that is rich with success.

So, what legacy do you leave behind?

Great legacies are not just the province of the rich and powerful, as this week alone shows. If you want more examples, simply look to the past, from a certain simple carpenter to Abraham Lincoln. So many of the truly influential and great people come not from the elite, but from humble beginnings. What matters is not that from which you came, but that which you do with it.

Have you tried to do right by others? Have you examined things truthfully, fully, and completely, and made your decisions by what is right, rather than what is easy? Have you lived as best possible to the highest values you hold?

If you have done this, you leave quite a legacy for you have also left a challenge for those that follow. You will have done good for the world and for all the individuals within it. By having this positive influence, you shape events of which you have no knowledge. Each person you touch can, if they do the same, spread the positive to people far beyond your ken, and so you can truly touch the world.

Nor are great events required for great things. Few are chosen for such things, to stand at the bridge and hold. To wait for great events to come to do great things is to squander the gift you have been given. Indeed, while all of us have at some point dreamed of such, do we not do so because we know that we have royally frelled up in day-to-day life? To seek the great event is a cheat, an effort to buy atonement for mistakes and wrongs done. To have it come upon you, and to do the right thing when it does, is an ultimate form of test as well as an honor. Such tests are thankfully limited, and it is far better to try to do good in your everyday life than to count on such an opportunity to save you from your actions.

The best legacy any of us can give is to face adversity squarely, and never let it win; to do right by others; to bring joy and comfort to all we can; and, to bring about positive growth for all. When you think about it, that is all any of the truly great – as opposed to famous – people have ever done.

They have met the challenge, how about you?

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