Think on These Things

MY EPITAPH – “Then my living shall not be in vain”

I have been thinking recently about the challenge to write my epitaph. I’m sure that others would take solace in such a privilege. This impulse has been sparked by Senator Burris’ (Illinois’ controversial senator) compulsion with designing his own mausoleum. I thought this might not be such a bad idea. If you had to write your own epitaph, what would it be?

It was a cold winter’s day that Sunday. The car park to the church was filling up quickly.
 
I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church.

As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost lying down as if he was asleep.
 
He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face.
 
He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out.

I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church.
 
We all gathered for fellowship for a few minutes, and someone raised the issue of the man lying outside.
 
People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me.

A few moments later church began. We all waited for the minister to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened.

In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces.
 
He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit he took off his hat and coat. My heart sank.
 
There stood our minister.  He was the “homeless man.”

No one said a word.
 
The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the lectern.

“Folks, I don’t think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today.”
Then he started singing the words to this song:
“If I can help somebody as I pass along.
If I can cheer somebody with word or song.
If I can show somebody that he’s traveling wrong.
Then my living shall not be in vain.”

I have concluded that my epitaph is the refrain of the song that Mahalia Jackson made famous:
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he is trav’ling wrong,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

QUESTION: If you had to write your epitaph, what would it be?

The provocative author of “Tipping Point” and “Blink” both out of the box thinking books, Malcolm Gladwell emerges, and with the same penchant for unconventional thinking.

Gladwell, in his new book, “Outliers”, a quantifying sequel to the other two, scores points by disputing the idea of the self-made person. This is done by his highlighting the fact that the social construction of our opportunities is a critical determinant in our success. For instance, we are often the product of facts that we have no control over — such as being born at the right time — and arbitrary patterns frozen in our institutions and cultures.

Because of his acquaintance with Canadian sports form instance, Gladwell points out that a disproportionate number of similar birthdates of professional sports leaders lead him to conduct research on the ages of the players. He discovered that 90% of the players on the Canadian Hockey team were born between January 1 and March 30.

Great hockey players in Canada are born in January, February, or March. The explanation? In Canadian schools, “the eligibility cutoff date for age-class hockey is Jan. 1. A boy who turns 10 on Jan. 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn’t turn 10 until the end of the year — and at that age, in preadolescence, a 12 month gap in age represents an enormous difference in physical maturity.”

Having spent some time on the 100,000 hour rule of professionals in the arts and sports, Gladwell hurries to deal wit the intricacies of plane crashes. From reading his book, there are five lessons I have learned from his writings:

1. A high percentage of plane crashes take place in bad weather, and when the plane is behind schedule.

2. Planes are safer when the least experienced pilot is at the helm, because the more experienced pilot will speak more forcefully about his/her assessment of conditions.

3. Greater communication takes place in the cockpit when the captain and 1st officer address each other by their first name.

4. In 52% of accidents the pilots were up for more than12 hours, which means that he or she is somewhat lacking in alertness.

5. In 44% of the crashes, the pilots had never flown together before.