Alfred's Legacy
It was probably an ordinary day at first for Alfred that morning in 1888. Wake up, breakfast and coffee is on the way, and sitting at the table and reading the paper while you wait for the coffee to wake you up. He browsed through the paper and waited for Bruce to bring the steaming cup of coffee. (I don't know if there was a Bruce, but I think Alfred should get waited on by a Bruce for once.)
Somewhere on page four or so he reads it, "Alfred Bernard Nobel dead." He no longer needed the coffee because reading your own name in the paper as being deceased tends to wake you up rather quickly. Alfred Nobel of course was alive and well, a man Ludwig Nobel had died but the newspaper wrote the wrong obituary. It would be a mistake that would change the world and Alfred.
Not many of us get to read our own obituary. A twist of fate (or perhaps something higher than Alfred had counted on) had allowed him a rare glimpse at his own legacy. Alfred was not too happy about being declared dead to begin with but his obituary devastated him.
Alfred was a rich man who invented smokeless gun powder and the father of dynamite. The paper described him as a "Merchant of Death." Alfred looked at his legacy and realized that if he had died tomorrow what he would be remembered for.
Alfred did not let his despair destroy him, he decided he was going to due something about it. When Alfred did die (for real this time), he left a large part of his fortune to establish the Nobel peace prize. Since 1896 more than 600 of these prizes has been given to people that have helped make the world a better place.
What is your legacy? If you don't like what your legacy is, what are you going to do today to change your legacy?
Jesus urges us all to seek the eternal and to invest in the lives of others. We may not all be able to set up a prestigious award with our legacy, but we can make the world a better place to be. Your obituary may be coming later but your legacy is not something that is in the distant future, but begins with what you do today.
Somewhere on page four or so he reads it, "Alfred Bernard Nobel dead." He no longer needed the coffee because reading your own name in the paper as being deceased tends to wake you up rather quickly. Alfred Nobel of course was alive and well, a man Ludwig Nobel had died but the newspaper wrote the wrong obituary. It would be a mistake that would change the world and Alfred.
Not many of us get to read our own obituary. A twist of fate (or perhaps something higher than Alfred had counted on) had allowed him a rare glimpse at his own legacy. Alfred was not too happy about being declared dead to begin with but his obituary devastated him.
Alfred was a rich man who invented smokeless gun powder and the father of dynamite. The paper described him as a "Merchant of Death." Alfred looked at his legacy and realized that if he had died tomorrow what he would be remembered for.
Alfred did not let his despair destroy him, he decided he was going to due something about it. When Alfred did die (for real this time), he left a large part of his fortune to establish the Nobel peace prize. Since 1896 more than 600 of these prizes has been given to people that have helped make the world a better place.
What is your legacy? If you don't like what your legacy is, what are you going to do today to change your legacy?
Jesus urges us all to seek the eternal and to invest in the lives of others. We may not all be able to set up a prestigious award with our legacy, but we can make the world a better place to be. Your obituary may be coming later but your legacy is not something that is in the distant future, but begins with what you do today.
Labels: faith, rants, social tripe
posted by Janus Torrell at 11:42 AM
2 Comments:
Janus - Wow, pretty thought provoking. I'd like to think that I'm building my legacy with words and music. And if in a hundred years someone stumbles across them and feels inspired, that's good enough for me. How about you?
Peace,
- Neo
I hope the same, though I wouldn't mind having enough cash to have an award started when I am gone too :)
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