This song makes me want to be a better person NOW. (I like this version better than Reznik’s - it is so powerful).
I don’t know what it is about us as human beings that compels us to believe that we won’t fall into the same mistakes as others before us. The one constant lesson of history is that it will repeat. As a parent now, I understand the parental urge to provide my children with more than I was given. I don’t simply refer to monetary provisions in that statement. My parents made tons of mistakes but they raised 4 sons who are free, independent thinkers. I understand the cliche parental statement that we want our children to be better than we are/were. We want them to learn from our mistakes and move forward. We hope that their starting point will be much further ahead than ours in order to help them get to our level and much further past in a more rapid timeframe than we did. I don’t want to look back at the end of my life and have tremendous regret. I don’t want to get to the end and realize that my priorities were out of line.
I believe that everyone can find something in life that motivates them to be better. The sad reality that occurs is history repeats itself. We as human beings have a natural tendency to do what feels good now and not worry about tomorrow. We become focused on today at the expense of tomorrow. I encourage all who read this to examine their lives and find out what that "thing" is. If there isn’t a thing and you realize that there may be apathetic tendencies in your life...my advice is this. Sit down and make a two lists. I guarantee this will help bring perspective into your life and may just help you find a "thing" or even an additional "thing" if you already have some.
List 1: Make a list of everyone who has positively influenced your life and why. This may take weeks...literally, that’s not a joke. Take time to ponder back and see who has made an impact in your life. When you are done with your list, it will create a sense of gratitude for the things these people did, most of whom probably have no idea the impact that their actions had in your life. Another thought to ponder, are you on anyone else’s list? I guarantee you are.
List 2: Make a list of of everything that you’d like to do before you die. This list can include anything you want: Get a master’s degree or a doctorate, visit every state in the US, sky dive, write a book, etc. If you aren’t single, make a married list too. Anyone who is married knows that while it is important to maintain who you are as an individual, nurturing you relationship is vital to a healthy marriage. Make a family list if you have kids. What do you want to do as a family together? AND THEN DO THEM!!
