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The famous and the not-so-famous |
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A friend in Program says: Let us now praise famous men, begins a chapter of the Old Testament Apocrypha ...
... and our fathers that begat us.
The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning. Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies: Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions: Such as found out musical tunes, and recited verses in writing: Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations: All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their times. There be of them, that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported. Is it good to be famous for what we have done? In the overall scheme of things, does our reputation matter more than what Steps 10, 11 and 12 prompt us to do? Here's how the passage continues:
And some there be, which have no memorial;
who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them. But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten ... It's not who we are, but what we do that ultimately counts. The way of life we adopt as we begin to practice the last three Steps has consequences, and those consequences are almost more meaningful because they arise from our anonymous actions. As the writer concludes, in a phrase so moving it was used as a memorial inscription for the countless unremembered soldiers who died in the First World War:
Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.
it is always one of letting go."
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