This postThere’s a song by Michael McLean called “Light on a Distant Hill,” and it’s been giving me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I can’t really do it justice here, but in a nutshell it’s about the sacrifice our forefathers made for us. Here’s a part of the song, sung from their perspective:
But there’s a strength in knowing
That if we could make it through,
The light that we were searching for
Might shine so bright in you.The light will shine
On a distant hill.
It may not be until long after I have gone,
But I believe it will.And my light will shine
On a distant hill.
And though I may not see it shine right now for me,
I know someday for somebody it will.
As McLean puts it later in the song, “Dreams are not worth dreaming if they’re only for ourselves.” The beauty of this idea has moved me to tears more than once. I don’t know — there’s something wonderful and deep and uplifting about sacrificing for the good of others, particularly when they’re our own posterity.
A couple of years ago I myself wrote a song about this, entitled Will I Leave a Legacy?:
1. When I’ve gone and left this earth,
What stories will be told of me?
Who was I? What did I do?
Who was I to my family?Chorus
In their memory, who will I be?
Will I leave a legacy?2. Will my children know my heart?
The feelings that have guided me?
Will they follow in my steps
To climb up to eternity?Chorus
3. Love will be the guiding light
I leave for those who follow me,
Turning hearts to see the way,
A path to God through charity.Chorus
(You can listen to the MIDI, but the quality is rather sorry; someday I’ll get it recorded and put an MP3 up for download. In the meantime, use your imagination. ;) Or print the sheet music out and play it on the piano.)
More and more, focusing on ourselves seems not only narrow-minded but also dangerous. It’s a trap. I don’t mean we should neglect taking care of ourselves, but the great danger in having a self is that it becomes a god unto itself. Pride. The antidote? Selflessness. We must be concerned about others more than ourselves, whether it be people in the here and now, or in the past (genealogy and family history), or in the future (planning for them, leaving the world better than we found it, etc.). There’s power in getting outside ourselves.
Beyond just extending our circle of interest to others in general, I really, really, really like the idea of sacrificing for the future. Looking back on how much people sacrificed throughout history for us — the translations of the Bible, the American Revolution, the pioneers’ crossing the plains, and I could go on for a very long time — I’m moved. They didn’t have to do anything for us. Yes, not everyone was doing things altruistically, but still, they left a legacy that blesses us today.
I do realize that some left a legacy of stains and hatred. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, what we do will leave a mark, one way or the other. We need to make sure that it’s a good one. (Well, unless we’re aiming to make a career out of evil. In that case, um, why we’d be reading this blog is beyond me. :))
All of this can be summed up rather succinctly: whosoever shall lose his life, the same shall save it. That’s it.
