I. The Setting
Recently, I was driving my family home from a visit to the Chicago area. We were passing by the southern side of the greater Chicago area during the early morning hours just as the sun rose above the horizon. Looking off in the distance, I came across an interesting site. Perfectly positioned in front a beautiful sunrise, was a dump truck dumping something in a large, open area. The sharp contrast of the dump truck in front of the beautiful, multi-colored sunset shined home a valuable lesson to me.
II. The Lesson
The lesson gave my mind some quick impressions that I pondered over the next few hours of driving (we had a long way to go). I realized that we live in a beautiful world with many amazing things happening all around us. We can see evidence of both beautiful scenery and people making contributions to make the world a better place. Yet, in spite of this, we also see evidence of those who dump trash, both figuratively and literally on this world. The take home lesson of this day: Don't dump your life on the world; leave a legacy.
III. World of Ugliness
We can see evidence of ugliness in many places. In some places, litter lines the street sides. Messes are made and not cleaned up. People do things that are inconsiderate, not thinking of how this affects others. There are even those who seek to hurt their fellow brothers and sisters. Motivation for these actions can vary across different circumstances. But most cases can be traced back to a common thread. These people have a problem in their life that they would dump on the world, rather than keep it inside or even change. For whatever reason, they are driven to do something that degrades the beauty of this world. They dump their problems on the world.
IV. World of Beauty
However, the world is also filled with beauty. As I noticed that morning, beautiful sunrises happen every day, all across the world, for everyone to see. The world is filled with beautiful mountains, valleys, clouds, rivers, countrysides and urban skylines. There are also people of this world who contribute to it's beauty. Many freely give of their time and resources for the betterment of others. Service is rendered every day to make the world a better place in great and small ways. In some cases, there are those who put their own safety on the line to protect others. Whenever the Ultimate Sacrifice is made, some how and some time, the world notices. The beauty of this world is enhanced by people like this.
V. The Solution
Be the kind of person who makes the world more beautiful. Think about what you do each day. Be mindful of how your actions might affect others. But even more important than staying out of others' way, do something each day that makes the world better. Arrange your habits, your mindset and your life so that you can make a positive contribution to the world around you. Don't dump your problems on the world. Do something good for those around you and leave a legacy of beauty and happiness.
