Most of my heroes are no longer physically here. Men like Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and so many others are not physically present anymore. These men were the absolute epitome of greatness in stature, greatness in character, and greatness in devotion. Yet, none of these great men are still here with us, amongst the living. That knowledge in itself should signify something very profound to us. If none of us can get out of here alive, are we all on a ship of impending doom?
America has morphed primarily into a secular country, to which for many our country has abandoned its spiritual roots. The press and the media, sell the same story day after day that this physical world is all that there is, and you may as well catch what you can, till the inevitable bell tolls for you. That's actually a depressing thought, to think that the rat-race of life is preordained to end in our death. To a certain extent, the press does have it right; we will all one day meet our physical death, despite whatever measures we take to preclude it.
However, for those that acknowledge a Higher Power, physical death, is simply a transformation from the physical world to the spiritual world, that we are indeed here on earth for a little while but death holds nothing over us, because we have overcome death. This is a very important distinction for all of us, and its importance lies in the knowledge that we are far better served spending our time and efforts on things and activities that have eternal significance rather than on the temporal. There is a huge chasm between contemplating our life from a strictly physical perspective, as opposed to recognizing the eternal justice and love of a Higher Being and all the encumbers.
Earth is not our final destination, it is far better to understand it as a testing ground. Those that understand that this is the case are significantly better at making conscientious decisions that are profoundly positive for their own life as well as for others. To wit, our legacy can be written large in many ways, by our actions, by our teachings, by our devotion, by our honesty, and by our courage. When we leave this world, we may leave behind a spouse, children, and their children, and their children's children, or we may not. What we will definitely leave behind to others is our advice, our leadership, and our example.
The true history of ourselves is written in the faces and the hearts of the people that we touch on every given day. If that legacy is one of hatred, intolerance, dishonesty, and self-aggrandizement, we write these pages on the scrolls of life with our own trembling fingers. If, on the other hand, we help bring honor, inspiration, knowledge, justice, love, and achievement to those that surround us, our pages sing the praises of a servant that has done well.
Physical life is finite, our achievements are not.