A life that matters by Michael Josephson
Live a life that matters
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant
Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
Interpretación al castellano por Miguel A. Di Ranni
Una vida que importe por Michael Josephson.
Vive una vida que importe
Listo o no, todo algún día llegará a su fin
No habrá más amaneceres, minutos, ni horas o días
Todas las cosas que acumulaste, sean atesoradas u
olvidadas, pasarán a alguien más
Tu riqueza, fama y poder temporal no tendrán
relevancia
No importa lo que tengas o lo que te deban
Tus rencores, resentimientos, frustraciones, y celos,
finalmente desaparecerán
Como así también tus esperanzas, ambiciones,
planes y cosas por hacer se terminarán
Los éxitos y fracasos que alguna vez parecieron ser
importantes se desvanecerán
No importa de dónde has venido o sobre qué costado del
camino tu viviste el final
No importa si tu tenías belleza física o inteligencia
Incluso tu sexo y color de la piel serán irrelevantes
Entonces, ¿qué importa?
¿Cómo será medido el valor de tus días?
Lo que importará no será lo que compraste sino lo que
construiste, no lo que tienes, sino lo que diste
Lo que importará no será tu éxito sino su significado
Lo que importará no es lo que has aprendido, sino lo
que has enseñado
Lo que importará es cada acto de integridad,
compasión, coraje o sacrificio que enriqueció, estimuló o alentó a otros a
seguir tu ejemplo,
Lo que importará no es tu competencia sino tu carácter
Lo que importará no es cuánta gente conociste, sino
cuánta gente sentirá un dolor permanente cuanto te hayas ido,
Lo que importará no son tus recuerdos, sino los
recuerdos de ti que vivan en aquellos que te amaron,
Lo que importará es cuánto tiempo serás recordado, por
quién y para qué
Vivir una vida que importe, no ocurre por accidente
No es una cuestión de casualidad sino de elección
Elige vivir una vida que importe.
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Interesante expresión poética, cuyo autor es Michael Josephson, que define un criterio de valor de lo que importa como actividad humana.
Sería muy importante que existiera una adhesión por convicción a estos enunciados, de todos los seres humanos, como esperanza que mejoren los beneficios de nuestra propia actividad hacia el prójimo como destinatario, en base a la preservación de los valores.
Sería muy importante que existiera una adhesión por convicción a estos enunciados, de todos los seres humanos, como esperanza que mejoren los beneficios de nuestra propia actividad hacia el prójimo como destinatario, en base a la preservación de los valores.
12.08.2012.