Friday 31 January 2014

On Creating a Legacy


This is an excerpt of a message a wrote to a good friend of mine on Facebook.  Hopefully we all might gain at least a granule of purpose from this text
As we grow up we are exposed to messages from all kinds of people and events that happen in our lives.  Those messages filter into our subconscious and we integrate many of those messages into our very soul, into who we are.  The messages form our beliefs and values.  In these messages we as Westerners are taught the ideals of hard work, independence, planning, goal-setting, logical thinking, conformism, one-track mindedness, capitalism and individualism.  Many of these are good values and will most certainly give you support in achieving whatever your heart desires.
But you know what they don't tell us?  You know what we only learn when we are ransacked by society and wonder about the meaning of life and our role in the great menagerie of life on earth, your heart starts wandering towards the idea of a legacy.  If you ever read through history or watch a historical movie you get hit by this question of legacy.  One day when my days are spent and I am ready to depart to the hereafter, what was the significance of my life to the lives of others?
For many people this question absolutely stumps them.  They then go on to completely avoid it and leave a conformist life and be a little cog in the economic machine that powers the current state of society.  Some are deeply moved by this question and go on a great adventure in search of truth, in search of answers.  Many of these adventurers might not ever find what they think they were looking for.  But then there are The Few.  The Few brave men and women who have come to find an answer to the question of Legacy.  They are the Ghandis, the Mandelas, the Joan de Arcs, the Jesus's, the Mohammeds and the Teslas.  They are also the Hitlers, the Stalins, the Kim Jong-Uns and the Satans of this world. 
My thinking of one's legacy is a very figurative one here above.  What is for certain is that certain things could possibly hold us back in creating our own legacy.  Comfort and fear are possibly the biggest enemies of our legacy, of our God-given potential.  If one's desires for a comfortable life or a life of avoiding fear, is greater than leaving a legacy then one has reason for concern.
So, most people would give you the verse from the New Testament (I think) that states "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you".  Usually people use it out of context, but it is applicable in this case.  You must first set out to seek and discover your reason for existence on Earth.  God is a good way to start because he will eventually direct you to why He wanted you on Earth.  When you have found that purpose without a shadow of a doubt, pursue it with all that you have.  As in any great adventure there will be dragons, magic, mountains, bandits and enemies.  Know that the process of seeking your purpose will not be easy. 
May your travels be fruitful and purposeful, my friends
TheLonelyman

No comments:

Post a Comment