Looking back at my life, particularly the last 5 yrs or so, I have been obsessed with my career and have led a very routine life for the most part. Its been about my life, my goals, my family etc. Sometimes I sit back and think what my end goal is and what kind of a legacy I am leaving behind. How am I going to be remembered when I die? What sort of an impact am I making in the lives of people I interact with? I would think people would say “Aah George, well he was good at his job and sang really well!” Is that how I’d like to remembered? I dont think so!
As generations go by, I feel we humans get more and more selfish. We are so caught up in our own lives that we forget to sometimes take a step back and think about how we are influencing others. Being a Christian, I would like to believe that God did not just create me to work, make money, love and be loved by family and friends and sing! I would like to think God has a very definite purpose with my life (although I am yet to figure out what exactly that is).
It doesnt take a lot to make an impact. We should always be aware that people are constantly judging us and being influenced based on our actions whether we like it or not. With that in mind, we should try to be good examples when we are at work, when we are out socializing with our friends, in front of our kids etc. It could be small things like using lending a helping hand to someone in need, trying to be friendly and helpful to your coworkers, trying to refrain from using foul language, devoting time for community actiivites (something that doesnt benefit you in any way) etc. I think a positive attitude also goes a long way. We have a tendency to always look at the things that are not going right for us instead of thinking of the countless blessings we are showered with everyday. There is no special skill required to be the change I am talking about. It is possible that you are good at teaching. If so, then maybe you can mentor a few kids once in a while. It might be that you are good with computers, but not really a great teacher. In that case, maybe you can help setup a computer lab for a small school or something. There are tons of examples.. If you keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities, I am sure they will come by.
I am not saying it is wrong to be happy and live our lives. All I am saying is that we should ask ourselves now and then on how we are influencing others with our actions. When our time has ended on this earth, we should not be remembered for the wealth we amassed or the titles we’ve achieved, but for the lives we led and the impact we made on the people around us. If we are successful in making a positive impact in the life of a single individual, then that is a real achievement.
I have been far from a model human being so far, but I’d like to believe that writing this article is the first step in changing the way I am. I hope this blog influences some of you to think about the footprint you are leaving behind and ponder about how you can influence others around you positively. God bless!!
Quoting John Mayer from his song “Waiting on the world to Change”
Now we see everything is going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Its hard to be persistant
When we’re standing at a distance
So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
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Nice thoughts of yours there Geroge. I agree with most things you say up here, but the only difference will be the way I word it I suppose.
For me, instead of having a purpose in life per se or trying to find out what it is, I see my living in this earth as a main purpose or goal. Even thinking right or making a simple decision in everyday life is in a sense, having a purpose for me.
In my personal experience, there’s thinking and acting, and there’s thinking and acting the right way. I think the latter is very crucial and probably what many might miss out on. So, for me, as long as a person is straighforward, is true to their sense of right and wrong, has the guts to be there in the present, learn from past mistakes and stride their way to a happy future, I would say you are getting through to whatever you are meant to be on this planet.
Does this make any sense??
LOL
Sorry to be steering in this direction, but here’s an excerpt from one of my favorite books..
“..you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
I once got lost in the mountains. When I stopped to ask for directions to the campsite, I was told, “You can’t get there from here. You must start from the other side of the mountain!” In the same way, you cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.
Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.”
i helped obama win the presidency
thats some pretty introspective stuff !! 🙂
i dont know how to react !
George, Very nice of u to share these thoughts. I have often wondered about this. I guess human life is precious , and has to be very meaningful, if not to others atleast to self. When I look back my life after ages, I should feel really satisfied for whatever I have been and done to others . Like, I would never like to say No to anyone, I try hard to respond positively. Other evil thing I hate is gossips. I hate gossip mongers and would request my folks to not talk bad about others/ ignore them. After all nobody is perfect. I really wish everybody in the world are like this(too much,aint it?).
Meera, RJ, Sudeip, Ramya – Thank you all for stopping by and your feedback.
Sudeip – You dont have to react in any way. Just do what you are doing. In your case, since your talent is music, maybe you can figure out a way to use that skill to make a difference in peoples life. Sing songs with a positive message maybe?
I am really moved by this post George. I think whatever u have here has been through our minds several times in the past. But when I read it now, I have the urge to realize my thoughts. I do not know what God created me for and I will never know. But if I can give back to the community in some way, I am sure it will satisfy some of those reasons and most importantly, will satisfy my inner self.
Thank u so much for this write-up George. It really got me thinking and I am sure it will get others thinking too. I hope to think it through and work on it as well.
Am glad i know you man 😉 you bring so much sense to this world through u’r thoughts and your songs. We indeed are so indulged in ourselves that we don’t find time to think beyond US (its us, not USA ;)) .. and on top of that we feel guilty that we r still not doing enough for ourselves. Need to surely break away from this model..the sooner the better. Thanks for this excellent post !
When children become achievers parents feel proud of them.But now I feel very happy as a mother not for what you have achieved but for the realization that has dawned upon you. i always believe each human being is created by God with a special purpose that is why creation is so unique. When we realize that we will try to find the purpose in our lives. I am sure all your talents you can use for the bettermnet of the less fortunate and believe me then you will enjoy your life in a better way and you will have inner peace and happiness. God bless my son!!
ok big guy – i feel compelled to respond to this post.
i have no special talent and all this is (honestly) tangential to my limited thought process and understanding…..
so all i think about is how it is conceivable for india to have lost that game against england and all sunday i was smarting from that defeat…….
neways keep up the rumination and perhaps some day i will have some intelligent stuff to reply on the post!
until then….keep cheering for India 🙂
Well said…guess finally everyone sets their own standards of judgement for themselves, be it moral, intellectual whatever…and to be true, honest to one’s own standards is what makes one truly human!…the importance of being earnest…one should strive towards that and so long as one is somewhere close that goal, it redeems our existence, our purpose to exist in this universe…as far as introspection/questions…those will always
be there…do your work be that as a teacher, a doctor, a techie an artist, a socialreformer to the utmost of your abilities…without expectations…life will make a lot os sense…
Happy is he who has the pure truth in him.
He will regret no sacrifice that keeps it.
In the end, you are exactly–what you are.
Put on a wig with a million curls,
put the highest heeled boots on your feet,
yet you remain in the end just what you are.
— Faust, Johann Wolfgang Goethe
George, Very well thought and expressed in apt words.
What better blessings and wishes can a person get than his mothers’…she has said it all.
I do think on these lines many a times…but have not tried to put them in words….i think–once we translate our thoughts to words it gets more clear and also by this may be we get more committed to what we think/say. Thanks for your think tank….which has sown many thoughts/ideas in me too…you are one wonderful, straightforward person.
Good to see your views along with awesome renditions, Cheers, Priya