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3 days ago
Friday, July 4, 2008
The source of meaning.
How do you think about death? - Beliefnet Forums: "My meaning comes from a single, observable universe that I occupy temporarily, and affect in a way that those important to me will have a slightly better place to occupy temporarily to affect for those that follow. I am a way point in an extraordinarily long sequence of individuals occupying their space temporarily leaving a legacy of something a little better for their successors. There were failures along the way, and perhaps I will be another, but my meaning comes from insuring that it isn't so. I can only do so much and must trust my successors to carry on when I am no longer able to do so, and I will die, if not willingly, with the confidence that I have given them the valuable and useful space to do so."
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I have read this passage several times now and finally identified the portion that made me itch:
"There were failures along the way, and perhaps I will be another, but my meaning comes from insuring that it isn't so."
Here's one of our greatest "failures"
A common list of the failures of Abraham Lincoln (along with a few successes) is:
1831 - Lost his job
1832 - Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
1833 - Failed in business
1834 - Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
1835 - Sweetheart died
1836 - Had nervous breakdown
1838 - Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
1843 - Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
1846 - Elected to Congress (success)
1848 - Lost re-nomination
1849 - Rejected for land officer position
1854 - Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
1856 - Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
1858 - Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
1860 - Elected President (success)
It is not the number of times you stumble that counts; it's only important that the number of times you "get back up again" is equal to the number of times you trip and fall down.
What will be better for your successors is for you to give them and yourself your best.
The false modesty was political, if you read it carrefully, I am not about to fail.
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