As we get older, we tend to look at ourselves, others, and the world around us quite differently than when we were younger. Hopefully, we’ve learned a few things, gained wisdom and friendships along the way, and done our part to contribute to the world. Sometimes we become more interested in things that before didn’t capture our attention.
For example, one man, now well into his 60s, spends more time reading obituaries in the newspaper. He reads not only to see if people he knows have passed away but also to learn more about life from people whose journey is now complete.
Obituaries, like funerals, remind us of our own mortality, that it’s only a matter of time until “our time” will come. Most of us don’t like to think about such things. But there’s value in learning about the good in other people, how they lived their lives, what they accomplished, their successes and sorrows. Obituaries also give us a chance to feel just a bit of what the mourning loved ones feel—some of their grief but also some of their joy in remembering a life well lived. All of this can help us live with more purpose and meaning.
That’s because when we read about someone else’s life, we can’t help but think about our own. When our final tribute is written, what will it say? What relationships and experiences will really matter then? How do we want to be remembered?
Some people call this keeping the end in mind.[1] The simple truth is that if you know where you want to end up, your daily journey will be more purposeful and meaningful. How can we live a little better today? How can we make a little more difference for others? How can we bring a little more light, a little more joy into the world? These questions and others like them give us an opportunity to, in a sense, write our obituary in advance. And someday, when someone reads our obituary, perhaps they’ll remember us fondly and be inspired to live a better life.
[1] See, for example, Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (1989), 102–53.
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March 15, 2020
Broadcast Number 4,722
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Organist
Brian Mathias
Host
Lloyd Newell
Let There Be Light!
Gilbert M. Martin
For the Beauty of the Earth
John Rutter
Finale, from Symphony no. 6
Charles-Marie Widor
The Sound of Music, from The Sound of Music
Richard Rodgers; arr. Arthur Harris
Awake and Arise, All Ye Children of Light
Welsh tune; arr. Mack Wilberg
It Is Well with My Soul
Philip P. Bliss; arr. Mack Wilberg