We live in a grand age. One in which we enjoy relative freedom to live out our dreams. One in which we can instantly communicate with anybody in the world in which we choose. One in which we have more access to information and knowledge than any previous generation ever dreamed. And one in which we have invented so many ways to entertain ourselves that we can't possibly keep up with each new invention.
You'd think that all of this would lead to more enjoyment and fulfillment. But if life is made too easy, we often overindulge and in so doing, we become bored, slothful, and disconnected from past and future generations.
The more I read about history, the more I realize that I know less about previous generations than I dare to admit. I'm still playing catch up regarding my knowledge and understanding of history, but I'm often moved by stories about people who were not only willing to make huge sacrifices so that our generation could have a better life, but that many of them also seemed quite content with their lot in life. These people didn't have the instant communication, the access to information, or the means of entertainment that we do, but they seemed to contain a spirit of sacrificial joy that many in our current generation have never experienced.
Knowing this causes me to ask myself what I'm doing for the next generation and whether those with whom I've had immediate contact will see me as a person who was sacrificial and in the process loved my own lot or as someone who just endured it, or worse, entertained myself all the way through it.
I listened to a David McCullough speech this morning on C-SPAN2 in which he spoke about the brave men (and sometimes boys) who fought the American Revolution. He spoke about a young boy named John Greenwood who joined the cause for Independence and about how, as he approached the battlefield, he drew strength from seeing how one soldier dealt with a deep neck wound. The soldier simply wanted to be patched up so he could return to the fight. John Greenwood said he was never afraid after that.
This seems like a good time to inject the wisdom of King Solomon when he said, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
