Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on leaving a positive legacy.
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Quote of the day:
“I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” — Anne Frank Reflection: This quote goes right along with the story behind the beautiful botanical garden in Kotkata, India. When walking into it you feel like you have been transported away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into a world of beauty with vibrant and vivid colors of the flowers and exotic plants. It turns out that the missionary William Carey started this institution—the oldest of its kind in India—in 1820, with a goal of helping the local people in a practical way. He saw the local farmers using inferior seeds and ineffective farming techniques, and he wanted to improve their livelihoods and help them to realize, as he put it, “the capabilities of the soil to enrich a nation to an almost indefinite extent.” Carey’s vision was a whole lot greater than just planting and exhibiting pretty flowers. He gathered near-extinct species of plants and nurtured them in the society’s garden so they’d be preserved for the future. He also included maize, cotton, tea, sugar cane, and cinchona from various countries and introduced the concept of plantation farming to this part of India. He was successful in imparting this vision to others, and the society he created helped pioneer the introduction of a wide array of cereals, cash crops, fruits, vegetables, and other trees and plants. I am impressed by how Carey’s legacy lives on almost two centuries after he had his initial idea. When he started this garden, it was a completely out-of-the-box concept and it is likely that he faced many challenges and much opposition, but he persevered. What sort of legacy will you leave behind? Even small things can have a great impact on generations to come. Quote of the day:
“It is never too late to be who you might have been.” -- George Eliot Reflection: I thought this story was interesting, not only to see how one man changed his legacy, but the idea of writing your own obituary and then living your life to reflect it. About eighty years ago a man picked up the morning paper and, to his horror, read his own obituary! The newspaper had reported the death of the wrong man. Like most of us, he relished the idea of finding out what people would say about him after he died. He read past the bold caption that stated, "Dynamite King Dies," to the text itself. He read along until he was taken aback by the description of him as a "merchant of death." He was the inventor of dynamite, and he had amassed a great fortune from the manufacture of weapons of destruction. But he was moved by this description. Did he really want to be known as a "merchant of death"? It was at that moment that a healing power greater than the destructive force of dynamite came over him. It was his hour of conversion. From that point on, he devoted his energy and money to works of peace and human betterment. Today, of course, he is best remembered not as a "merchant of death," but as the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize-Alfred Nobel. What do you want your obituary to say? Start working on it today. Quote of the day:
“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” -- Bruce Lee Reflection: There is a novel by Muriel Spark called Memento Mori. It tells about a group of friends, all over sixty-five, who one by one receive anonymous phone calls telling them, "Remember, you must die!" The novel, partly serious, partly humorous, tells how different individuals come to terms with the telephone message. Though reactions vary, a common reaction is fear. Still, the anonymous caller often causes characters to think back over their lives and assess how they have lived, about the good they have done as well as the not-so-good. In a strange way, the message they receive about death forces them to come to terms with the meaning of the life they have lived. Somehow death leads them back into life. Sometimes it’s good to think about death so that you can live your life more fully. It can help bring into perspective the things that are truly important. Take time to reflect on your life thus far. Ask yourself if you need to make appropriate changes, so that your life will be one worth remembering. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
August 2023
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