“If we were completely unalike, we would be unable
to communicate. If we were completely alike,
we would have nothing to say.”
Jonathan Sacks: Not in God’s Name
Wednesday had been busy…the morning, the flight to San Diego, a baseball game, dinner, and a soft landing into the evening. The following few days included walks, meals, and quiet evening conversations as the California sun disappeared below the western horizon.
The chats were casual and intimate. You know, the kind…old friends don't need much ‘pump priming’ to slip into well-worn patterns and rhythms. The cadence polished by years of knowing one another…no need to find a space. It was already there.
We live very different lives, but none of that really matters in the ebb and flow of our conversations. We understand the important things are not about our professions but our minds that have allowed us to grow and mature.
In the thirty-five years, we have known one another, Scott has become a successful businessman. A strategic planner, thinker, deep listener, and diligent note taker…he doesn’t give much of his thinking away. Most folks don’t see the hours of thought he puts into his work until…until they see the results. What a lucky guy, some might say. He would respond we make our own luck – I would say…we make our own lives.
It's all about choices, isn't it?
So here we were, stealing a few days in southern California, doing what we have become accustomed to…exploring different experiences, life, family, spiritual things, and gratitude for the life God has given us.
Gratitude…that’s it. It comes from medieval Latin, meaning pleasing or thankful. We might describe gratitude as 'deep,' 'profound,’ or ‘heartfelt.’ Yeah, that’s the kind of gratitude Scott and I feel when we are together – heartfelt gratitude.
Many years ago, we found we shared some common professional mentors. Three men who had impacted the lives of millions of people took us into their confidence to teach and guide us. In the early days, we often asked each other how we could be so fortunate. The question that emerged then and continues to this day: with lives so deeply blessed – what is our obligation…our responsibility? What do we do with what we have been given?
A good example is the parable of the talents in the scripture (Matt 25:14-29).
A man leaving on a journey gave three servants some talents (1 talent = approximately 75 lbs/34 kilos of gold). To one five. To another two, and to the third one. When he returned, he found the servants to whom he gave five and two talents doubled the investment. The third to whom he gave one buried and returned the same amount he had been given. The first two received further rewards for their faithfulness and diligence. The one who had done nothing got nothing and was cast away.
The lesson...
Our capacity increases when we work and grow what we have been given. The more we do, the more we can do. Like the parable, life doesn't compensate for good ideas, visions, or dreams. Instead, it returns and builds on the things that we do. That is the message of the parable. That is the message for life.
Scott and his wife Genny have created a foundation called ‘Live4Legacy.’ That’s the way he gives back. Reaching out to those less fortunate with a hand up…it’s always a hand up, isn't it?
My way of giving back? The classroom. I teach life lessons under the pretext of an academic course. However, the principles are the same…a hand up...showing young people how to prepare for the course material...more importantly, life.
Better to teach how to fish than serve a meal.
Sunday morning arrived with the flight home. It had been, as it had always been, timeless, sharing back and forth in a dialogue of life. We are different, Scott and I, but we consider that a strength in our relationship and the worlds (minds) in which we live. As Jonathan Sacks said: “…If we were completely alike, we would have nothing to say.”
Scott and I have a lot to say…
Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?
- ted
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