How do you measure up in the final analysis? When the chips are down and the sun has risen, where do you stand? Did you do all that you could with the time that you had? Did you give more than you took and contributed more than you benefited? Was your community better off because you were part of it? How will others remember you? What qualities will spring to their mind when they reflect on your passing?
More than status, accumulated wealth, or power, one’s character weighs more heavily in the final analysis. The morality of your deeds and the frequency in acts of kindness are of great value. Here, being a good person is preferred to being a great one. The smallest of decisions add up and taking short cuts are not forgotten. Moral transgressions are calculated and acts done in good faith are remembered.
Intentions matter just as much as consequences. Trying to do good and failing is valued more highly than not trying at all. Being the so called “man in the arena” counts for more than merely staying in the sidelines and criticising. The greater the stakes, the greater the opportunity to make a difference. Those who can handle high pressure can do the most good for the greatest number. Aim to put yourself in high stake scenarios.
Of course, one does not need to make a herculean effort to be a good person. It can be as simple as remembering someone’s birthday and making them feel special for a moment. Or calling a friend you haven’t talked to in ages. The tiniest of gestures can have ripples effects that reverberate into larger surfaces. At the core of being good is being thoughtful. Remembering the key details of a person’s being and being there for them when they need it most.
All of us must face the final analysis. It is the summation of our lives, the calibration of our moral fortitude. Where do you position yourself on the ledger? Did you do more good than bad? Are others better off having known you? Did you do the most you could do? We all trip up from time to time, but what matters is our intentions and default effort. How were we on a day-to-day level? It is up to all of us to determine this.