Un Legado
There is a book called The Long Night of White Chickens by Francisco Goldman that tells the story of an old man desperately seeking to find his legacy. His story is secondary in the book (although the movie Hombres Armados [Men With Guns] is based on him) but it is a captivating story nonetheless. It seems that a natural part of humanity is the desire to leave a legacy. The thing to know about legacies, or “legados” in Spanish, is that we all have one even if fame escapes us.
I wrote last week about my Uncle Mark and how his wisdom and friendship are invaluable to me. This past week I was able to spend a couple days with my father. My father is also a man of great wisdom and keen insight; being with him is truly a joy. I was thinking about my father and about his legacy. Not long afterwards, I read this in the book of Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes 9:13-17 — I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
When I read this passage, I thought of my dad — not because he is a poor, wise man, but because too often we look for wisdom only in the loudness of our society. Not only do we all have this inner yearning for a legacy, but we are surrounded by people who yearn for one, too. Stand in a public place for five minutes and note that everyone walking by wants or will want a legacy someday.
This begets a society that is full of these legacies-in-the-making. If you want to know how to [run a church / cook a chicken in less than 30 minutes / raise a child / lose some weight / write a book / read a book / lead others / etcetera] you can easily find a book that will tell you how. So we buy those books. And sometimes we read those books. And in rare occasions, we do what the book says.
Meanwhile, we are surrounded by people who want to share their wisdom with us. But I agree with the Preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes: wisdom is better than might. Some of you may have met my father. His wisdom is largely unpublished, though; those who benefit most from him and his work are on another continent. He may never sell a million copies of anything and he most likely will never run a mega-church. Yet he has wisdom to share. The moral is not to confuse fame for wisdom.
I have long had a goal to learn something from everyone I meet. I have been fortunate enough to do quite a bit of traveling which allows me to meet many people. My family also meets people as a result of our incessant moving. Of course not everyone I meet is a poor, wise man. Some are fools. But I do believe it is possible to gain some insight from everyone else on this planet. That, then, is my encouragement for the day. Learn something from those around you. Whether it be at work, at home, at school or at play: learn from them.
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