sitting in 304 this afternoon, i happened to stumble upon an old yearbook from thirty-two years ago. and as i thumbed my way through the head shots of the graduating class of 1978, i began to wonder. i began to wonder about the various paths those fresh-faced greenhorns had followed upon their departure from the hallowed halls of good ol' hci. now fifty years of age, some had certainly married. some had certainly brought children into this world. while some may have never quite found that special someone. some had gone on to post-secondary studies. some had probably rushed into the workforce. some may have even taken over the family business. some had surely become successful. some had inevitably fallen behind. some had stayed close to home. some had moved far, far away. some had aimed their sights on the big prize. while some were content with more modest goals. and regrettably, some may have even passed on by this point. they had all shared a moment in time with one another. and then they had all gone their separate ways. yet because they had all grown up in the same neighbourhood, and because they had all entered this world at roughly the same time, they would always be connected in one particular manner. and so, as i thumbed my way through those images of days gone by, i was left to wonder. i was left to wonder whether the members of the graduating class of 1978 had a chance to make their mark before they were forced to pass the baton to the next generation of dreamers and chasers.
"and the men who hold high places
must be the ones who start
to mould a new reality
closer to the heart"
- rush (1977)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i was at a business conference this weekend. a keynote explained (paraphrased) we will not be remembered by the money we've made, GPA's we've earned, resumes we've built,but we will always be remembered by the people we've helped.
ReplyDeleteif you're wondering whether you've "made that mark," well you have. you haven't just passed along the baton, you've inspired the baton to continue being passed on.
and it will go on.
and on.
"we will not be remembered by the money we've made"
ReplyDeleteUnless you're Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
But there will be richer and smarter people. In time Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will, too, be forgotten one way or another.
ReplyDeleteIf you experience the good deed of someone that sincerely took the time and effort to help you, you never forget them.
God, I sound like Free the Children or something.
p.s.
Hi Richard, miss you. Nice to see you're still around the blog world.
And I guess appropriately: Hi gkind. sorry for sprouting this debate on your post.