What is your place in
history? Obviously you never can tell
until you are gone to the world beyond. Because the real impact is only felt
and measured by people we left behind.
Nonetheless, so many people live their life trying to stamp their
permanent footprints in the sand of time and working harder to be in favourable
mention in history...
No matter who they are and what
level of their socio-economic standing, they wanted to be remembered as someone
who did his best and whose intention was pure. And they work hard to push their
own ideals of legacy into consciousness of the public, even if it means buying
people's loyalty or manipulating their minds to believe in ideal they
projected.
It is amazing that even among
these legacy seekers are those who, the majority of us considered as criminals
and unworthy of honorable mention. There are many people who actually care
secretly or openly about what others think and mirror their response or apathy
toward that inner extrication from their outward deeds.
I am particularly interested in
the successful ones.. The great ones, who we considered as heroes, pacesetters
and forever immortalised in words, deeds and many aspects by the people that
come after them. I found that each and every one of them had antagonists... The
oppositions. . The haters... The traducers.. And the betrayers who laboured so
hard to bring them down and undermine their efforts. This spreads across every
part of human endeavors these people touched. Be it science, religion..Business.
. Politics. .. or even within the family.
The hordes of Oppositions and the
antagonists competed fiercely to pull down the shining stars and fabricated
loads of misinformation, sentiments and propaganda to pull down the doers. They
worked as hard to construct their own side of expected history in order to appease
the fancy of the prevailing generation.
Some shining stars were pulled down and some succeeded in riding against
the storm and history carved for them, a place in its sand of time.
Albert Einstein face opposition
to his Relativity Theory and some others. His theory of relativity was held to
be the disgraceful product of Jewish science, and utterly without
foundation. They even held a conference in
which his theory was criticized by some tame scientists. But he remained focused. From the day he was born, Jesus haters grew
rapidly as they worked doubly hard to extinguish his flame. The Quraesh of
Arabia could not swallow the thought of an unknown orphan uprooting their
tradition. So they waged wars against him to exterminate him and his followers.
They ended up being the catalyst for his success. All great men like Nnamdi
Azikwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Nelson Mandela etc all had adversaries who went to
great extent destroy them and obliterate their works but in the end history
only remember those who worked and not those who antagonized the doers with aim
of halting their works.
Out of all these people; we, the
people who they called posterity and who they worked so hard to impress so that
we may have their names in glorious part of history, remember only those who
have made positive impacts and whose works outlive their generation. On the other hand, the best we could remember
their antagonists and self professed oppositions is as villains and historical garbage
which we frequently cite to our children to prevent them from walking the part
of perdition. The oppositions are the reference points in the book of infamy and
objects of derision…
Today, I look all around me and
wonder if we ever learn anything. . I look at politics and saw many people who
are proud to be called “opposition” and who are gleefully playing the spoiler
roles for the doers and potential history makers. I look at some families and
see how neglectful they are in raising generation that could become their footprints
in the sand of time. I look at workers who entered an organisation and were
only remembered for the salaries they drew from the company’s account. . I look
at the Devil’s Advocates and fraudsters who are busy robbing the rich and
causing upset... I look at the hordes of bloggers who are gossip peddlers invoking
and cashing in on public hysteria and wonder if they actually have their
thought on being remembered as the spoilers. I look here and there and found
that all of them more often than not ended up elevating someone else as hero
and ... they spoil businesses for others and at times tried to ruin reputation
of those making positive differences, but those strong ones among whom they aimed
to harm emerged victorious and made success out of the adversity they encountered.
.. and so set their footprint in eternal path of history for generation to
come.
As for their traducers ... they
are barely mentioned and they hardly make impact beyond their quick and short
historical cog in the wheel of progress of others.
Theodore Roosevelt put it succinctly:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and
again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does
actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails
while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
What kind of legacy would you be
remembered for? What kind of footprint
will you bequeath the generation unborn? What kind of impact do you have on
your organisation that would stand when you are gone? What kind of children are you raising that would
evoke the memory of existence on this planet earth in the mind of those who
don't know you but come across the progenies you left behind long after you are
gone? Unfortunately for you there is no glory for haters and oppositions. .you
have to make your own history or you are etched in eternal mark of shame in
spoiler's shadow.
To your success
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