What is my contribution in life? What is my contribution? That’s a curious question.
I haven’t got the time to contribute, is a very typical response. But I think when you think of this, you’re not contributing your time to some volunteer organization, you’re contributing you to the society. Because there is no one like you.
There never has been, and there never will be. But you have to think in the sense that in society it’s not about me, it’s about we, obviously. So everything I do, to a certain extent, is a contribution.
When I drive my car properly, I’m contributing to, let’s say, public safety. When I walk down the street, and I smile at another human being, I’m contributing to the common good, as it’s called. I’m making society more joyful.
So I think my contribution is a big deal. I’m a very important person when it comes to contributing to society, and there’s eight billion of us, or a little bit more. And all of us, I think, should think this way, that we are necessary beings.
So, ask yourself, how can I contribute ultimately more in life?
What I began to do is, in my notebook, every day now, I check myself, and I have a section called Act of Kindness. So I ask myself today, what did I do that was kind, a kind act that will contribute to the overall well-being of the society?
And I make a note of it, and it could be something as simple as I opened the door for an old woman, or I walked on the street and I smiled at a child, or I picked up a piece of litter that was on the sidewalk.
These are all very small, insignificant contributions to the society, but they all benefit the society.
So you know yourself, if someone does something gracious to you, you’re very, very touched, and they also are contributing to the overall well-being. So how can I contribute more? Well, I think I have to be somewhat real.
I am a moral agent. Within me sits the capacity for, of course, bad, but also the capacity for good. So I must remember to keep my commitments.
If I promise to do something, I must do it.
And, of course, by training, I’m a philosopher, but now I’m a writer, and I also do a lot of teaching, and I’m exposed to a lot of people, and I say things like, I will do that tomorrow or I’ll send that to you. Things like this.
And I remind myself and I write them down, and I remember them as well. I must keep my commitments. Because if I keep my commitments, I am then telling the truth clearly, and nobody doubts me.
And it’s interesting, this ties into your personal brand, doesn’t it? If your personal brand is a truthful brand, people always remember, Leon keeps his commitments. He does the right thing.
And I especially remind myself when someone is kind to me, I attempt to document that kindness, return that kindness with a note of thanks or a small gift, whatever it is, right? And then we come to Aristotle.
What does Aristotle tell us about my commitment to life? Well, he says, always excellence. Why not?
In other words, when I do a job, I should do it well. I should make a commitment to do it well. Make a contribution to the society.
I’ve done something important, right? And if I don’t do it well, at least I know.
And then there is so much negativity in the world, the news media, the Internet, and I must go out of my way to contribute joyous things in life, happy things, wonderful things, because that is life for the most part. Life is really, really hard.
Yes, it is. But life is also beautiful. And I’ve received such a gift, this thing called consciousness, that really when I awake in the morning, I should be filled with gratitude, right?
And are you a healthy being? Well, if not, are you responsible for that? Unfortunately, yes.
Fickle things do happen. Bad things happen. Yes, you can get sick.
But usually that does not happen. What happens is that we are not attentive many times to our health. It’s true.
30% of Americans are obese. And why are they obese? Well, because they’ve eaten too much food.
Obviously, it’s not a genetic condition. I’ve read that it sometimes is you have a predisposition towards obesity. Well, maybe that’s true, but then you should be on guard.
Because at any age, you have to get out to the gym. And this last summer, David and I walked 900 kilometers throughout northern France and then into northern Spain. And if this body can do it, anybody can do it.
It’s simply a matter of practice. Aristotle tells us that all of us, of course, have the potential to be happy, but happiness is a process, right? And I think, ultimately, then I learn from hardship and I can contribute the experience.
It is very important for old people such as me to talk about their life straightforwardly. Tell the truth.
The other day, a taxi driver picked me up, and he was from, I believe, Iran, and I asked him, how are you today, sir? And he said, not very good. And I said, why?
And then he went on to tell me a litany of problems, that he was an academic, and he’d come to Canada with his family for a better life, and they wouldn’t accept his accreditations, but he didn’t have the time to go back to school or do the tests or
whatever. So, he started a business, and the business eventually failed, and now he’s driving an Uber, and he felt that the Uber was below his station in life, and he was quite distraught. And I said to him, you know, it’s not all bad.
And he said, look, I don’t need any positive statements. And I said, hold on here. I got a little irritated actually.
I said, hold on. That’s not the case. In life, you have a choice.
You can either be a coward or you can be a hero. And life is hard and it’s up to you. There is no middle ground.
And I think at the end, I slightly turned his thinking, perhaps, because I think ultimately I’m responsible for me 100 percent.
And I think when you share that message, it’s a positive thing, because many people don’t realize that they’re responsible for their life. They’re blaming someone, circumstance or loss or tragedy or whatever it is.
But ultimately, my life is 100 percent my fault. So in this way, you can then begin to contribute to the common good by telling people the truth. And they look at you, and you potentially can be an example.
You can change no one. This is very important to realize. You can change no one.
Your friends, your family, your loved ones, even your own children. You can’t truly change. Their lives are up to them.
Sadly, in some cases, I’m sure. But by being an example, people say, if Leon can do that, I can do that. I have a 95-year-old friend who still reads and writes and is lucid.
So obviously, if he can do that, I can do that. I can push on, and I can help people by being a model of life, by practicing self-discipline on a daily basis and showing people that this is necessary.
So in that way, I can contribute to life, and so can you. And you know what they say. You know what they say.
Critical thinking is everything, especially when we contemplate our contribution to society and what we can do more to help people and critical thinking is great, truly great. You take care. God bless.
Bye bye.