THE GREATNESS OF A NATION
BY: Michael A. Aun, FIC, LUTCF, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame
I was recently Lectoring at church and was asked to deliver a brief motivational thought at the conclusion of the Mass on patriotism, as it was the weekend just prior to the Fourth of July. I enjoy history, though I was never a very good student in the subject.
My priest feels completely content springing these tasks on me with no prior notice. Thank God for Toastmasters! Part of the Toastmasters program is something they call "Table Topics." It is the element of the program where you stand up and speak extemporaneously for no more than two minutes on a subject they present to you.
In short, Toastmasters has taught me to have "hip pocket" thoughts committed to memory for use when the circumstance calls for it.
Since we were celebrating the 230th birthday of America in 2006, it occurred to me to focus on that fact. So here is what I told them:
As I was sharing this chronicle of the history of the world's great civilizations, it occurred to me that our time on earth is ever so brief.
Not long ago, I came across a picture of an athletic team on which I played as a youth, the Lexington Lions Club Little League baseball team. As I scanned the picture, fond memories of this time and the wonderful friends I had began to flood my mind. It was sad to see so many of the people in the picture are now deceased.
Coach Skinny Hook, who recently passed away, was one of our managers, and the father of our shortstop, Curry Hook. My close childhood friend Robert McSwain, a fellow player, is also deceased. We lost him to an automobile accident in the prime of his youth. Also gone is another friend of my youth and former classmate, Tony Watford.
All of these people made a distinct mark on my memory, on my heart. The cycle of life is so short, I realized. The time we occupy on this earth is but a speck on the backdrop of time.
In this column, I am fond of recalling the substance of my youth, the jobs I had, the many friends and acquaintances, the mentors in my life, the good, the bad and the ugly. We are just passing through. What kind of a mark will you make on your journey? This poem by Linda Ellis talks about the "dash" on our tombstone.
He noted that the first came the date of his birth
For that dash represents all the time
By: Linda Ellis 1996"The average age of the world's great civilizations is only 200 years. That is but a tiny spot on the canvas of time. Most of these great civilizations, history tells us, progressed from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back into bondage again… all within the short span of just two hundred years. On July 4th, our country will be 230 years old. It is up to you and it is up to me. No individual or nation shall be so quickly humbled as that individual or nation that comes to rest on its laurels. For those that come to rest on them will surely come to rust on them. Remember, freedom is not free. Happy birthday, America!"
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on his tombstone
From the beginning … to the end.
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
That he spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved him
Know what that little line is worth."