The School Essay Challenge: Part Two
Created | Updated Apr 16, 2003
A further two worthy entries in The School Essay Challenge are highlighted this week.
The first was chosen because it introduces a concept which we can all relate to and then goes on to offer a simple solution. The second was chosen because it is written from the soul.
The Best of Days – The Worst of Days
You woke up late this morning to find it pouring down rain. As you're getting ready for class you notice that you have a monster zit on the tip of your nose.
Now, you are completely obsessed with your nose and spend 20 minutes attempting to hide the grotesque mound that is forming on your nose. You look at the clock, forgetting that you woke up late, and realize that you're going to be late for your 8:00 am mid term. You rush out of the door, forgetting to turn off the lights, and run to your first class. As you are running down the sidewalk, you trip on the laces of your untied shoes and fall into the mud. A great way to start the day, wouldn't you say?
Could you say that this, or something similar, has happened to you? Would you classify this as a 'bad day'? Believe it or not, it is possible to prevent a bad day from happening.
People are always rushing to get things done, or hurrying through their day to accomplish the many tasks they need to finish. No one ever seems to slow down enough to enjoy the little things in life. For example, wake up early one morning, get dressed in a leisurely manner, and walk outside and watch the sun rise, or listen to the sounds of the birds waking up to greet the day. Instead of hurrying through lunch, sit and enjoy your food, thoroughly tasting each bite or each sip of drink. If eating lunch with friends, listen to what they have to say, and enjoy their company. You will find that once you allow your mind to relax as well as your body, you will feel a great deal better. You will also find yourself having fewer bad days.
Keep in mind that what might start off as a reasonable day will almost always turn bad once stress and tension enter the picture. If your stress level begins to rise, calmly tell yourself to breathe deeply and count to ten (or twenty, or thirty if needed!)
It is a known reality that everyone is bound to have a bad day every once in a while. Next time you find yourself not having the best of days, try not to take it so seriously and attempt to make the best out of it. If something happens which you might not agree with, remember, life goes on!
The Game of Life
Every person born plays the game of life and it ends the same way for everyone, in death. You may die from illness, old age, or accident but you are still dead. How do you know, then, if you played the game of life successfully? Did you win or did you lose? I don't think anyone can really answer those questions but here is my theory.
I believe that you have won the game of life by two main things. The things that make a successful life are the legacy you leave and who remembers you.
Your Legacy
The word legacy literally means to be left by previous generations. The strongest legacy someone can leave is his or her memory. Leaving a legacy is, I feel, the most important because otherwise no one would be able to remember you. The strength of your legacy lies not in numbers but how the people that remember you do remember you. Your legacy can only be as strong as you were when you were alive.
Who Remembers You
It is not how many people remember you but who remembers you. If you have one hundred people that remember you but none of them care then your legacy is weak and you played the game of life wrong. But if anybody that remembers you cares for you then your legacy is strong. It takes only one person to make a strong legacy. These are the people that have your soul watching over them and taking care of them.
People say they never want to bury their children but I believe you always do. When you die I believe you are reunited with everyone from the past. When you are buried I believe that you are at the funeral with everyone that you touched that passed away before you. Therefore, if your parents are deceased then they are there with you and they and you help bury your body on Earth. I believe that also with you is G-D and that he at every funeral because we are all his children and even the weakest legacy has some strength because G-D remembers them.
To Win The Game Of Life
Therefore to win the game of life you must create ties here on Earth that will bond you to people forever. The stronger the bond, the stronger your legacy will be and then you will win the game of life. You do not have to be a movie star or find a cure for an ailment, you just have to touch someone enough for him or her to remember you. It only takes one person to win the game and you achieve that by creating a strong legacy.
