Aspirations of Mankind

As a guy nears the ripe old ages of 18 and 20, thoughts begin to circulate in the cranium that vibe the message, “ What will your tomb stone say?”

For 6,010 years, young men have asked themselves this same question. As a [perceivably] young man, I don’t want to be just another groove in the gear that makes life turn; lost and forgotten in the many millions of has’beens. I want to make a difference, positively affect other individual’s lives, and be satisfied with myself and with my life when on my death bed.

However, if young men have been asking themselves this same question for over 6k years, anything I try will truly be “nothing new under the sun” (Prov.). As a matter of fact, if I try to rise to power, fame, or fortune, I’ll only classify as a has’tried! All the money in the world couldn’t lengthen the lives of the richest men in the world. All the power that the powerful attained couldn’t force people to enjoy their company. All the fame of the glamorous won’t exceed two paragraphs in a history text book.

So what do you do? In answer to this question, let me ask another question:
Let’s imagine a man named Joe Brown. Joe is righteous man, upright in his ways, hardly ever falling in folly. He is honorable, likes to have a good time, is courteous, has a ready smile, is steady, loves everyone more than himself, loves God more than anyone or anything. He tries new things and is well rounded being able to speak with kings down to peasants, enjoys a steady increase of knowledge and wisdom, is gently politically incorrect, loves his wife and kids, is a good provider, and a lover of “whatsoever things are true… honest…just…pure…lovely…of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think[ing] on these things.” - Philippians 4

Joe Brown has gained more than the richest, most powerful, most glamorous, and most renown. He has achieved a status that hardly any man obtains, if even strived for. On his tombstone will be written his certificate of achievement, “ Here lies the Common Hero.”

Truthfully, my dream is to have an uncommon job and an uncommon life. I’ve thought about being a copter/plane pilot, private investigator, EMT, firefighter, forest ranger, and most recently, delve into theology/family counseling such as James Dobson. But before I do this, I want to make sure and have the basics down. If I specialize in one area, that may leave a gap in another. All said in a nutshell would be this: Don’t make fame, fortune, or power your life’s goal. Many have tried, few succeeded. The few that did succeed simply died ill content. There is one other option out there that will keep you from being a has’been or a has’tried however, and that’s if you strive to be the Common Hero.”