Being human

„The best way to find yourself
is to lose yourself in the service of others“

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948)

There is a wonderful story about the Dalai Lama. It is said that he was asked by a friend if he was enlightened.

His answer was humble and surprising: "No, I am not."

Now it must be understood that a Buddhist monk is not allowed to speak about their degree of enlightenment. And furthermore, a person who has found the deepest realization of ultimate being will hardly ever tell anyone else that they are enlightened. Personally, I am quite sure that the Dalai Lama can teach us all excellently about ultimate being. But that's just by the way; back to our story.

So the Dalai Lama told his friend – quite predictably – that he was not enlightened. But then he added in a remarkable way: "I have never had the time to seek enlightenment. But I wonder what I would do if I were enlightened: And I think then I would do everything conceivable good for the people that I can. And when I think about it, I realize that I am already doing that. So why should I actually invest time in seeking enlightenment?"

Beautiful, isn't it? I don't know if this story is true. But I want to believe it. And I think that for us, this story contains a clear invitation to reflect on what we should do with our lives and how we want to be remembered.

People will hardly remember how much money you earned or how busy you were with all your work. But what they will probably remember is...

How present you were with them.

If you were a good listener and showed compassion and empathy.

How you gave hope and confidence to others, especially in difficult or challenging situations.

Whether they felt seen and heard by you.

How much patience you had with them.

If you kept your word and they could rely on you.

How you helped others achieve their goals or fulfill their dreams.

How kind you were.

If they could laugh with you.

If you were generous.

And if you gave love.

That's what people will remember about you. And it's probably also what really matters in life: being human.



Warm regards,

Heiko