I celebrated my 40th birthday recently, and in a moment of quiet meditation, realized that my expected journey through life was more than half completed. It seemed to me like a good time for reflection, and I must confess, I was not very happy with what I had accomplished in life. I have always felt that a man must have some strong meaning to his work in order to fulfill himself during his brief span on earth. "Surely," I said to myself, "there is something more important to do with your life than what you are doing". During a discussion with a group of gentlemen a week later, I brought the subject up and I was amazed to find that just about every man in the room and had the same experience. These men were a real cross-section of our society. They range from grocery clerks to Doctors of Divinity, and each one felt exactly as I felt, that there was so much more we could have done with our lives. A very learned clergyman said that this kind of introspection was in itself a high accomplishment. He said it was most encouraging that responsible businessmen should even consider that there was a higher calling to which they each felt he could answer. Well, we cannot all be Dr. Schweitzer or Eleanor Roosevelt. We cannot all change the course of history as some great men have done. But in the context of our own lives, we can each do something for the betterment of our fellow man. It may be such a simple thing as giving man back his self respect through your confidence and understanding. It may be in walking with a blind man on a sunny afternoon, or visiting the sick Children's Hospital. These are simple things but they can give your life some meaning. Even caring about your fellow man can be rewarding for today it takes great courage to really care.
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