It is possible to live under a delusion. You think you are kind, considerate, and gracious. Are you really?
You think you are quick to extend to the people around you mercy and grace and forgiveness. Are you really? And how could you really know?
Here is another way to ask the question: How do the people around you really see you? How can you know?
Well, what if you could read your own obituary?
One morning in 1888, Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, awoke to read his own obituary which was printed as a result of a journalistic error. You see, it was Alfred’s brother who had died; the reporter carelessly reported the death of the wrong brother.
Anyone would be disturbed by this, but to Alfred the shock was overwhelming because he saw himself as the world saw him. He was the “Dynamite King,” the great industrialist who had made an immense fortune from explosives. This, as far as the public was concerned, was the entire purpose of his life. None of his desires to break down the barriers that separated men, none of his ideas for peace, were recognized or given consideration. He was simply a merchant of death, and for that alone he would be remembered.
As he read the obituary with horror, he resolved to make clear to the world the true meaning and purpose of his life. He decided that through the final disposition of his fortune he would fund a truly great foundation which would work for peace and for the expression of his life’s ideals. He would be remembered, he hoped, as a man who worked for peace. The result? The most valuable of prizes given to those who have done the most for the cause of world peace. Today we call his “prize” the “Nobel Peace Prize.”
You may think of yourself as kind, thoughtful, and gracious. But what if today you read your own obituary? Businessman, what would your employees write? Professional person, what would your clients say? Parent, what would your children write? If you are a preacher, a teacher, or whatever you are, what would those with whom you come in contact write about your life?
Since we can’t read our obituary, let’s rewrite it. Let’s start today!