Edinburgh Part 2

If your attention span is as short as mine, you understand why I am breaking up my Scotland entries into pieces. I do not think for a moment that anyone will last much more than a thousand words reading a blog, nor will I last much longer in writing a piece that is not required by a professor. So, if you were wondering why I did not lump all of my Scotland writings together, that is the reason.

In my last post I reflected a bit on the lessons I learned from the interactions I had with people on the trip- and I believe I am just beginning to scratch the surface of the lessons I learned from that portion of the trip. Aside from getting to meet and interact with some fantastic people (both American and Scottish), and learning lessons in that regard, I was also completely rejuvenated by the physical environment of Scotland and Northern England.

Without going into too much detail (because you can see the pictures and judge for yourself), there is something almost sacred about the landscape of Scotland. I remember joking with my parents on the plane from Detroit to Fort Wayne (they were returning from Prague and we happened to have the same flight which was pretty cool), that the boutique clothing store next to my hotel was nearly 100 years older than the signing of the Constitution- and after visiting some of the local castles, it became quite clear that the history in this land significantly dwarfed most of the history in the States (unfortunately, we seemed to have ruined and destroyed most of it with our Manifest Destiny charade…but I digress.)

It was the sheer magnitude of this history that quite effectively “put me in my place” so to speak. The history humbled me for many reasons but I will narrow my thoughts down to the two most significant:

1.     My time on earth is a little teaspoon of water drawn out of the massive ocean of the entirety of time.

2.     Closely related to point one- how do I make the small time I have here significant or of any lasting and sustainable value to anyone or anything?

It is interesting and somewhat daunting to think about just how short an average lifespan is when compared to the history of the world. And I have never felt this sensation stronger than when I visited some of these castles that have been around for over 1000 years- and I would suspect that a trip to Israel or anywhere in the Middle East would produce an even stronger sensation of the massive nature of time.

But then I got to thinking; these castles and monuments have the power to make me feel extremely insignificant- but in all of their magnitude, they are still finite and were still created at some point. And it was this idea that really propelled me into thinking about one of the many attributes that make God completely outside anything I can really comprehend. The true essence of God, I suspect, is being “otherly”.

What I mean by this is simple- even the most daunting pieces of history that spark amazing feelings of human accomplishment and historical value still exist inside of the constraints of time. God is independent of this- the one thing in our lives that truly governs our existence- because, without being too ominous, we are all going to feel the mortal effects of time at some point or another. And this is one attribute, above others that God possesses, that amazes me and drives my adoration and worship above any other.

I have always been extremely fascinated and completely overwhelmed by God’s timelessness. I can vividly remember lying in my bed late at night and crying to my dad because I was afraid of eternity- it was an idea that absolutely frightened me because it was so foreign.

As I have grown in my understanding of how the world works (or at least my perception of such), I have grown beyond the fear of time and eternity and attempted to use its existence as a catalyst to propel me into my second point- How do I make my time on Earth worthwhile, meaningful, filled with purpose?

I know that I am one of millions who have dared to ponder this question rather than simply going through life blindly, and I presume that I will be answering those questions little by little until I run out of time. However, the answer I have come to thus far, if I could sum up my “legacy” is to be a person that is focused on loving and serving others.

Very similar to my last post is this message- however, I think many things on this trip showed me that if I care about leaving a legacy at all, I want it to be one that is sustainable. And in my mind, no legacy is sustainable without investing time and resources into other people. But for what purpose? To make a name for myself. To have people talk nice of me and build buildings or write articles or give people scholarships in my name? No- those motivations are just as fleeting and superficial as a life lived for self. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. I would hope that I continue to grow into a man that appreciates others for the intrinsic value they possess. Though I fail at this many times, I hope that as I grow and learn, I will begin to see more and more opportunities to help people. To leave a legacy that is sustainable for the sake of perpetuating this idea- if I can pass it on to others, maybe the extent of my influence can be exponential. That is what leaving a legacy means. And the motivation must be pure otherwise the whole idea is undermined and people continue to remain self-absorbed and skeptical of the motivations of others.

You may find this too idealistic once again, and it may be. But I do not think it to be beyond our capability as a human race. However, I do think that a general denial of self every day by the majority of people in the world is only possible through God- as we were born selfish beings and will continue to battle this instinct until we, in a very real sense, run out of our allotted time. I for one, hope to make my a bit more meaningful than simply focusing on myself.