| Unfinished Legacy | for everyone |
The title is yet another play on words. My thoughts (and thus, perhaps, this article, as well) are incomplete, as is whatever (ongoing) legacy I may leave behind.
A friend is extremely depressed, worried that what he sees as his life work will disappear when he dies. He devoted his life to an important cause, a worthy cause, a cause that over time has been led by giants of history, men and women whose marks crashed as waves on the beach, changing the landscape. Perhaps he cannot accept that his impact will not measure up to those who preceded him. Perhaps he believes that no one else appreciates what he has valued, his legacy. But I think that he, too, has failed to appreciate that his life has mattered to so many. It certainly made a difference to Carolyn and me.
It took me a while to understand that whatever legacy I was going to leave would be personal, not global. No one was going to name a building after me. As I exited, noisily but unceremoniously, from Hancock, I had no illusions that I would be remembered as the "Mr. Chips" of Hancock High School. Whether there are any minor postscripts to my career there or not, I'm satisfied to have closed the book; I feel no need to revisit it. I no longer have any need, if ever there was one, for a grand legacy. What I have left behind are individual students for whom I made some small difference; that's enough.
We all change the world in our own ways, as children to our parents, siblings, friends, parents ourselves, grandparents.... Our ripples keep spreading, because we're not just one pebble, but a series of pebbles, constantly altering, often imperceptibly, our small worlds.
I have come to realize that most of us must find our satisfaction in those "small" legacies, the tiny pebbles that we are whose ripples nevertheless change the pattern of the waters in which we dwell. Like those pebbles, we don't have the perspective to see how far our ripples travel or how they might intersect with others. I like to think that as a teacher my handful of pebbles over time has rippled numerous ponds. However, as I age, my focus narrows and my most important legacy has become my family. I am satisfied with that. Any other ripples I may generate are pure bonus.
Happiness and satisfaction comes, I think, from knowing that we were as good a pebble as we could be at the time, that we worked to change our small waters in a positive way. That's enough for me.
Storm TMB wrote on May 31, '10
ReplyDeleteI witness the gift of your legacy every day. My best friend is who she is because of your tremendous influence. Thank you not only for all of your years of teaching, but for your compassion and insight and strength. You have blessed my life more than you will ever know.
T, the 2nd.
T Douglas wrote on May 31, '10
ReplyDeleteI think I can speak for most, if not all, of your students when I say that you've had a positive influence on us. I'm sure it's been the same for your family and friends.
E Carl Anderson1 wrote on Jun 1, '10
ReplyDeleteNot that I can add much, but maybe Ralph Waldo Emerson. . . .:
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.
Or this is leaving a legacy. . . . .
Drmist1 wrote on Jun 5, '10
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of all those now anonymous workers who came to work every day to build the great cathedrals of Europe. No one remembers their names, but the work still stands. You see the larger picture, Bob, and I believe you always have.
We want to take great pride in our contribution, and our anonymity to future generations does not diminish the value of our work. If you have influenced one or two others to choose more thoughtfully in life, then the future can be secured when they, in their time, are also inspirational.
What I say next is given, not because I think you need the stroke, but because it is truth: You have a profound, positive effect on the people with whom you come in contact,and whether they acknowledge your contribution to what they have become or not, the stone you put in place will forever be part of their temple.