Thus, a good man, though a slave, is free. A wicked man, though a king, is a slave. For he serves, not one man alone, but what is worse, as many masters as he has vices.
St. Augustine of Hippo
City of God
I would want people to remember me as the person who tried.
Better yet, I would want them to remember what I stood for.
– To have compassion – in deed – on the orphaned, the poor, the vulnerable.
– To build things that serve humanity.
– To confront injustices, particularly injustices against the poor and vulnerable.
– To sacrifice one’s comfort if it means others could benefit.
– To keep unperturbed as one gives incessantly in a world that only knows extraction.
– To remain selfless in a selfish world.
– To gain the wisdom of letting go of people when an alignment of mission and vision do not exist.
– To walk in love even when, almost always, one will be misunderstood.
– To not abuse one’s power or position when afforded them.
– To develop clarity of vision and mission in the face of a world so full of confusion.
I would want them to remember what I stood for – because it was never about me, after all.
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