I’m a modest man living a modest life. I have no huge ambitions, no ground-shaking goals. I just want to live my life, have some fun, and see the world around me as it really is, not as I nor anyone else wishes it were.
To the extent I do have goals, I want simply this: I would like to leave the world a little bit better than it was when I entered it. Can one man make an impact? Yes, I think so, as long as I keep the proper scope.
Here is the lesson I’ve learned: I succeed when I do, in fact, see the world and the people around me clearly, and I adjust my actions accordingly.
I fail when I give in to fantastic or unreal thinking. When I sit around and wait for a magical intercession. When I just hope that things get better. Or even when I take actions without thought for any consequences – no, wait, even when I take actions and wish for an unrealistic or unlikely consequence.
In other words, I succeed when I use the tools of analysis, logic, past experience (my own and others’), experiment and adjustment and iterative process. When I apply science and rational thought to my life.
I’ll likely leave no heirs behind. My only legacy at this point is my words and my actions. If anyone feels inclined to summarize them for me, let it be this.