Legacy #10

A beautiful moment captured in time. Grandfather and grandchild.

Love and undivided attention.

One of memories created.

Legacy …

This quote from Charles de Gaulle, who was a French army officer and statesman who led France against Nazi Germany in World War II and then chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to restore democracy in France, got me thinking:

‘The graveyards are full of indispensable men.’

For someone who led France through a tumultuous time after World War II, achieving the incredible results he did could have very quickly gone into a mindset of, ‘my country needs me and I will need to be around forever for that reason.’

In other words a feeling of being indispensable.

There is noone else capable enough to do this job.

You may have found yourself in a similar situation, where the world ‘would collapse’ if you were not doing what you are doing.

Although there is a sense of accomplishment with these times of life, there is a growing sense you will always need to be there.

At times you may feel backed into an indispensable corner, unable to escape.

You may be thinking, ‘how did this happen, and who is there to help?’

You have also probably heard noone is indispensable.

Charles de Gaulle, in a very tongue in cheek way, said it does not matter if we are indispensable or not, we will all end up in a grave at some point.

Sobering …

But on further reflection, there is another side to this.

Maybe, as the picture demonstrates above, there is an element of indispensability for all of us.

Not through the things we do necessarily, but through the way we ‘are’ or on the other side of the grave, ‘were.’

A way which creates a positive difference, a way where those closest to us can look back on the way we were with fondness, and carry the essence of who you were with them.

It is hard to think of ourselves as a ‘were.’

After all we ‘are’ right now, a living and breathing human being.

But at one point in the future we will be a ‘were’ and the things we ‘are’ right now will be taken over by our legacy.

For Charles de Gaulle, he saved France and restored it into a brave new future.

A legacy that will remain for all time and make him indispensable.

Our legacy starts now with a postive influence others will look back on one day.

The commentary in this blog is intended to be general in nature. It is just some observations from one fellow traveller in life to another. If anything in this blog raises issues for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or consult with a trusted medical professional.  

Photo by Gianluca Carenza on Unsplash