The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; ~ Mark Antony from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
What if you were given a chance to read your own obituary. Would you be surprised or embarrassed by what was written about you? Would you like or dislike what was written? Would you take the opportunity to change it by living your life differently if you didn’t like what was written?
When Alfred’s brother, Emil died a newspaper mistakenly ran a long obituary of Alfred believing he was the one who had passed away. Alfred received an opportunity very few of us get, to read their own obituary while they’re still alive. What he read deeply disturbed him. The newspaper described him as a man who made it possible to kill more people faster than anyone else who had ever lived.
At that moment, Alfred realized two things: 1) this was how he was going to be remembered, and 2) this wasn’t how he wanted to be remembered. This chance event resulted in the creation of the world’s most famous set of awards the Nobel Prizes. Presented for outstanding achievement in literature, peace, economics, medicine and the sciences.
These awards were created by Alfred B. Nobel (1833 – 1896), a man who accumulated a massive fortune by making explosives. Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. As a result of reading his own obituary, Nobel was motivated to dedicate his fortune to honoring and rewarding those who benefited humanity.
Thinking about how our obituary will read can motivate us to rethink how we’re currently spending our life. No obituary ever says he or she dressed sharp, lived extravagantly, went on fabulous vacations, drove a Jaguar, or lived in a multimillion dollar home. I’ve never read about anyone praised for being too busy at work to find time for his family.
The people who are most mourned are not the richest, most famous, or most successful. They are the people who improved the lives of others. They were kind and loving. They had a sense of their responsibilities. When they were able they gave to charities. If they couldn’t give money, they gave their time. They were loyal friends and people you can count on.
Because of the course correction Alfred Nobel made, today everyone is familiar with the Nobel Prize while few people know how Nobel made his fortune. Shakespeare’s Mark Antony was wrong – the good we do does live after us. For most of us, it is the most important thing we can leave behind.
If today was your last day among the living, what would your obituary say? Would it read the way you want it to read? As a stepparent, what would your wife say about you? What about your stepchildren?
With Mother Day already come and gone and Father’s Day on the horizon you may never receive the appreciation or praise you deserve but that doesn’t mean you should love and serve your family any less. Don’t grow weary of doing good and if you are struggling doing good, it’s never too late to make a course correction.
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