Richard wants to be remembered. He's always chasing some personal goal. He secures powerful jobs.
He makes lots of money. He donates his time to charities. However, he has many children by different women (he wants to preserve his genes). Richard feels his legacy will live forever. He dies. No one shows up for his funeral.
His name is forgotten.The human race continues to search for significance. No one wants to believe that his or her life has no meaning.
It's a scary thought to think the world can exist without you. It makes you feel trivial. People race to preserve their names in history by gaining wealth, fame, and power. Some people commit outrageous crimes. People will do almost anything to get on TV?just look at the Jerry Springer Show.
Why? People want a meaningful existence. According to a Yankelovich Monitor study in 1997, only 25% of adults said "a lot of money" signified success and accomplishment (down from 35% from previous year). Many people are succeeding in the corporate world while failing miserly at life. Why are people chasing empty dreams?.Finding purpose continues to be one of mankind's greatest mysteries. More than 3,000 years ago, King Solomon conducted one of the most intensive studies in human existence.
Solomon, who is credited as the wisest man to ever live, compiled his results in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. He had wisdom, wealth, and personal achievement. His prestige was known throughout the world.
Every pleasure was within Solomon's reach. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines to serve him. Solomon had it all. This self ?gratification, however, was the major factor in Solomon's down fall. In his old age, Solomon attempted to find the significance of life. The more he dealt with this matter, the more bitter and pessimistic he became.
He remained empty. In the end, Solomon realized none of these things would last. He writes, " Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
" And so it is today, the wrong search in life may lead you to nothingness.Everyone wants to feel his/her life has significance. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is one of the ten most influential works in American literature; it describes his experience as a Nazi prisoner in a concentration camp. Frankl, who was an internationally renowned psychiatrist, was born in Vienna in 1905. He believed the search for meaning was the primary human motivation.
Human beings were not mere biological puppets but were responsible for their own decisions. Frankl had managed to survive the torment of prison. He observes, "In a position of utter desolation, whenever man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way-in such a position man can, through loving, achieve fulfillment.
For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, 'The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory.'".If individuals can find a purpose in life, they can endure the most severe horrors.
Can you answer the following questions:.1) What motivates me to get up in the morning?.2) What things are important to me?.3) If I won a million dollars, what would I do?.
4) What is my legacy?.5) Is what I'm doing today really going to matter ten years from now?.People continue to search for a meaningful existence.
Patrick Morley, author of The Man in The Mirror, makes this observation, "Significance is not possible unless what we do contributes to the welfare of others. If what I do is only for my own self-gratification and pleasure, then I will never derive a lasting sense of purpose and meaning from it." Do you feel empty? Are you just wasting your time? Quit getting upset by the small things in life.
Discover the big picture. Don't get trapped by the empty quest that Solomon went through. Decide today on your legacy. You can make a difference.
.Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over.He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management.
Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information, please email Mr. Green at pmla@att.net or visit his website at http://www.
darylgreen.org.
By: Daryl Green
