A Life Well Lived - Reflections on The High Holy Days, 2009

In a speech at the Copley Plaza Hotel, on June 7th, 1945, General George S. Patton said of those who had died in battle in World War II: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” D-Day was but a year and a day in the past, and Germany's surrender less than a month, when he gave that speech, and our gratitude to those who had sacrificed had been recently burnt deep into the national consciousness, for they had given something of incalculable value.

Now, let's jump to the present, and note the passing of:

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, not as part of a committee, but solely of her own volition;

John Hope Franklin, a historian of slavery and reconstruction, whose work changed how we look at those areas;

Dr. Willem J. Kolff, a Dutch physician who invented the first artificial kidney, in a rural hospital, during World War II, using sausage casings and orange juice cans, and went on to build the first artificial heart;

Norman Ernest Borlaug, an American agronomist, who has been called the father of the Green Revolution. His discoveries have been estimated to have saved over 245 million lives.

With the exception of Eunice Shriver, none of these peoples' names were exactly household words. If Mrs. Shriver hadn't been born a Kennedy, she might very well have been as obscure as the rest.

If we review a compilation of people of note who have died in the past year, we find a list mostly populated by celebrities – actors, sports stars, singers, authors. In the world of celebrity, the term “great” is bandied about with little regard for its true meaning, and the “greatness” of celebrity fades quickly. How many amongst us are familiar with Ida Cox (blues singer), Elmer Lach (winger on the best line in hockey), or... for the benefit of my book club members, Lev Nussimbaum.

What distinguishes Shriver, Franklin, Kolff, and Borlung is the fact that they all left humanity much better off than they found it, but with the exception of Mrs. Shriver, none of them rose out of general obscurity. Their other distinguishing characteristic is that their good works didn't consist solely of giving money or other material things. They gave of themselves – they gave the products of their intellect, and their time. We may not be familiar with their names, but as with those who hit the beaches on D-Day in 1944, we should thank God that they lived.

We do not need fame to have lived a worthwhile life. Within our own families and communities, there are needs that will only be met if someone in that family or community comes forward, of their own volition, for in today's era, in which many former elements of civic America seem to have disappeared, many individual and community needs go unmet, especially in the current recession.

About fifty miles south of here lies an old church, with a small congregation. Several years ago a fire destroyed the church's interior; they were able to save only a few pews. A man not of their faith read of the fire, and gave them a considerable (to them) sum of money to help rebuild. Since that man was not of their faith, his gestured puzzled them, but when they asked him why he would do such a thing, he simply said “because”. The truth was that the man was following the example of his father, who had done a similar thing. So, the father's act, decades ago, had not only been an act of charity to those in need, but an inspiration to his son. If we teach our children thus, our good works can live on well beyond their initial effect, as they inspire future generations.

We have all lost friends or loved ones. Those who are gone, who have inspired us to help others, live on in the good works we do, just as we may live on in the good works of our children. That example, that inspiration to do good works, not just those things that are advantageous to us, is a gift that will serve our children long after the shine has faded from any material possessions we may bestow upon them.

In that speech some sixty-nine years ago, General Patton closed by saying: "Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty..." So it is with us. No matter what we may do for a living, no matter how busy, full and complicated our lives may be, God commands us to do good works, and if we fulfill that command, then we surely will have left our world a better place, for our time, and for future generations.

May you have a healthy and prosperous New Year.