The unexamined life...

I recently ran across a Time article on the web that profiles 60 years of Asian heroes. It was one of those random things you surf across on the web that ends up ensnaring you. I read every single profile. It was truly moving and awe-inspiring.

I think that everyone hopes that something we do during our lifetimes will be worthy of remembering. If we are truly blessed and a bit lucky, maybe something we do or create will in some way make this planet a better place that it was before we arrived.

As I read about people like Corazon Aquino, Aung San and his daughter, Gandhi, Nehru, Kurosawa, Mother Theresa, even Freddy Mercury (who was born Farook Bulsara in India) I realized that many of these people had made huge contributions to their fields when they were younger than I am now. Some, like Aung San, had died already for the beliefs and country.

I got to thinking what exactly am I going to do to make this planet better for the people who come after me?

It also lead me to think, "is there some cause that I care so passionately about that I'd give my life for it?" I really don't have an answer to that. I've never really thought about it.

I'm not trying to be morose or suggest that I think my life has been empty of meaning to date. Of the six billion people who live on this planet, I think maybe a few handfuls are destined to have the kind of impact that these people had. But I like to think that perhaps I'm a late bloomer. Even if my impact is something as small as setting up a scholarship for my grandchildren or even kids from my hometown, that would be OK with me. I also realize that I am quickly approaching the point (and perhaps statistically I have already passed it) were I have less time left on this planet than time I've lived on it. That's a sobering thought.

Socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living." As I approach the end of my time in Japan and of my MBA and begin a dramatic change of direction in my life, I think it's about time I got down to examining my life and figuring out what the hell I want to do with it.

The longest of journeys begins with a single step.