One of the many new things about being almost 82 years old is the realization that there is more time behind me than there will be, even in the most optimistic scenarios, in front of me. Thankfully, I realized quite some time ago that if I am going to "leave a legacy" it is getting pretty late to start thinking about it! Since I am not leaving any children, I have been "thinking about it" and "working on it" for some time now. Today, I want to share some of that thinking in hopes some of my aging readers will join me in at least thinking about how they want to be remembered. This is not a complete list, but a partial list, of some of my favorite stories, quotes and thoughts on this issue of "leaving a legacy" at this point in my life.
The Martyrdom of Eleazar
2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Elea′zar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh. But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.
Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king, so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.
“Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said, “lest many of the young should suppose that Elea′zar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”
When he had said this, he went at once to the rack. And those who a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him.”
So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.
The Fidelity of Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
One of my heroes is Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit and a scientist. Because of his new ideas, he was silenced by Rome in 1926. He was urged by many to leave, not only the Jesuits, but also the Church. He decided rather to "go on to the end and with a smile if possible." Why? He said, "When I took my vows I committed myself. To break them would be an offense against honor." "One must work from within," he said. "Those who leave no longer have any influence. The ideas now considered revolutionary will be generally accepted...The day will come; there can be no possible doubt about it."
WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HEAR AT THE END OF YOUR LIFE?
A book I am reading, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, begins Chapter 18 with these extremely challenging words, "At the end of your life, what are the very last words you want someone to say to you?"
She answers her own question, "I love you!" Even though that sounds good, and I would like to hear those words, but they are not the last words I want someone to say to me. I most want someone to say, "Thank you!" Love, if is is really love, is unconditional. I don't want the last words I hear is for someone to say they love me no matter what I did with my life and what mistakes I made! When they do that, they get all the credit for being so loving, while what I did or did not do was not that important to them!
No, I want the last person to say, "Thank you!" When they say that, they validate all the hard work I did in trying to train my focus on making other people happy! Hearing "thank you" at that hour would validate the fact that what I gave my life to was important to somebody. I could then leave this life knowing what I already know - that what I did was worth the effort - but it would sure be nice to hear it validated on my way out!
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