This I Believe

“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrFd with their bones. I dispute at least part of this famous line from Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar because I believe that the good that we accomplish as individuals is never lost or wasted .

I know this because my life is enriched and guided by people I’ve never met and people who are long gone from this earth. I know that I am continually inspired by people like Mahatma Gandhi, who succeeded in bringing an Empire to its knees without ever firing a shot and Martin Luther King, who, influenced by Gandhi, lifted, not just Black America, but all those without hope and opportunity. Fifty years ago, Rosa Parks, an ordinary woman, never started out to become a Civil Rights icon. She simply stood, with courage and humility for what was right.

Some say that there will never be another Gandhi, or King, or Parks. I know that they are wrong because it is not just what these people accomplished, but their common thread of goodness and humanity that touches all of us and will continue to touch future generations.

My maternal grandmother died long before I was born, yet I feel her influence each and every day. She came to this country, young and alone, seeking a better life. Her marriage was arranged for her, she bore ten children, she worked hard and she was always poor. Yet, despite all of this, she was known for her generosity and her kindness to all. She didn’t even turn vagrants away without giving them a bite to eat and while she rarely attended church, when she died, those who knew her agreed, that if there was a heaven, she was there.

In the daily grind that is called life, when I face obstacles and problems at home or at work, I think of my grandmother and all of the difficulties that she faced head on, with decency and grace and I am comforted. Unlike Gandhi, King, or Parks, she did not solve any of the world’s problems, but in her simple dignified way, she succeeded in setting an example for her children, and like Gandhi, King, and Parks, her goodness will be passed on. What she was is what others will be. In this I believe.