Are You Ashame to Die?

Horace Mann once said, "Be Ashamed to Die until You Have Won Some Victory for Humanity." Many people think this quote is a call for you to do something huge or extraordinary for all the world to see. Absolutely not! I don’t believe this is what Mr. Mann was speaking about.

There are numerous things that we can do to make a difference in the lives of the people we encounter each and every single day. We can begin by loving the people we live with more. By telling them each and every day what they already should know…that you love them. While our children, spouses, siblings and parents already know this to be true, telling them just reinforces and enhances it more.

There are many things we can do in our daily journey through life for humanity and to make this planet better than it was before we arrived on it. Why don’t you try doing something special today for that boss who seems to give you hell on the job?

You never know what he goes though each morning before he arrives to work. Perhaps this could be the cause of his behavior towards you.
What about your neighbors? When was the last time you baked a delicious dessert for them simply because you wanted to brighten up their day. Just doing so could make a person feel valued when the rest of the world sees him/her as invisible. What you do for others will be multiplied back towards you. Because in giving, we really do receive.

It’s those small things that goes un-noticed and never make the news that keeps this world alive and turning. Those things like paying the tab for the car behind you in the fast food drive through window or offering to baby sit for the young couple at church who have three small children. What about volunteering at the women’s shelter to mop and clean the bathrooms? We don’t always need to be awarded and highlighted on television, write a book, sing a hit song or give an amazing presentation to have it said that we made a significant contribution to the planet.

It really is about using what’s in your hand and expressing it with your heart that will make this world a better place to live. It will also allow us to die without shame but with a sense of purpose, worth and value. Then Horace Mann will have declared the truth for us all.