For the last 40 years, I’ve believed that the life I’ve been able to lead was only possible because of the work done by those who went before me. I understand my responsibility in life is to enhance that legacy and build another link in the chain that binds us all. Only history will know if I succeeded and only those that are younger than me can judge my successes and failures.
Image by Егор Камелев from Pixabay
When I was young and engaged with people older than myself, many of them had gotten bitter, negative, hopeless over all the hard work they had contributed over decades only to see that their efforts had fallen short. They saw that the changes for which they had sacrificed so much, were still miles down the road. Then, when I was young and optimistic, I would point out how much change had occurred. I would talk about the ripples in the water they had started and that were now reaching distance shores.
Now that I’m older and decades of struggles have written scars on my heart, my back, my mind, and my heart carries all the failures, the aborted changes, the missed opportunities, I try to bite my tongue, hold my words, keep myself from dampening their enthusiasm so that they can push all their energy into the possibilities. Yet while I remain silent, I feel judged as if these new amazing, beautiful and thoughtful youth are the first ones to take up these causes and I did nothing. Perhaps that is the way of the world.
I am jealous of young people because they are starting to create their link and I am finishing mine.
