I am getting older (older than I would like to be) and getting more philosophical. On my walk this weekend I had a rather strong, clear thought/question. "When I am dying will I be satisfied with my life, and will others say good-bye to a good man or will they say good riddance?" The answer was clear - "Have you made the world a better place? I do take care of myself and my family, but I am not a billionaire who can publicize my contributions, start my own charity, or buy status for my children. I am not a politician who can change laws, and I am not a minister or a civic leader. All that I do is to consciously try to make each person's day a little better. I try to give each person that I contact recognition, respect and fairness. Hopefully, they will pass it on. I believe that I am making the world a better place - one person at a time.
Why would you care what the rest of the world thinks? Family and friends are all you need to care what they think.
And sometimes not even them. My wife's family abandoned her, so she doesn't really care what they think. I was reading from a hospice doctor recently who said that the most important question you can ask in life is, "What would I regret on my deathbed?" Would I regret not taking those music lessons? Would I regret not spending more time with X? Etc.
Like the vast majority of people, when you die you will be forgotten just like you had never existed. How often do you think about the people you know who have died? How much do you remember about them? You may have one or two thoughts about them at the most.
Christ said of the blind man when people asked for what sin he committed that he was blind, "He did not sin but is blind that he may glorify God". In his parable about the tower falling on the people, that it was not for their sins, that the rains fall on the just and the unjust alike... His point, I believe, is that "all lives are good lives" and that people who say that this person or that person met an ill fate or had a handicap is really saying that some lives are "less good" than others. And Jesus did not believe that, but knew that all lives are to glorify God.
I have no idea what the point of this thread is. Even if our opinion somehow matters, how are we to know what those things look like in your little slice of reality?
Thank you all for reading my thread and responding. I must clarify my thought. I do not strive for world opinion. Although, a warm, friendly response is nice. The essence of my thought is that while we need to take care of ourselves and our families, we need to extend our humanity to others around us, even strangers and those in the wrong political party. That is the way that we make the world a better place - one person at a time.
I love philosophy! Take note of the above bolded sentences. You start off by stating "All that I do" followed by what in my measure is an example of a life well lived. But I wonder if your statement of "All that I do" is just you being humble or if you do not realize that the last four sentences of your post are a very good measure of a life well lived and something to be proud of? I really like the last sentence which is reminiscent of a saying that I have which is; I may not be able to change the world, but if I help better one persons life I have in effect played a small part in changing their world for the better.
