In this short life
by Elouise
Here’s another wise comment from Emily Dickinson, found in a volume of poetry for young people. I think it’s for us older folks, too. My comments follow.
In this short life
That only lasts an hour,
How much, how little,
Is within our power!Emily Dickinson: Poetry for Young People
Edited by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin
Illustrated by Chi Chung
Sterling Publishing Co., 1994
Not much here for me to love. If life is short and only lasts an hour, and since I’m nearer the end of my hour than ever before, my time to make an impact has come and almost gone.
Or so it seems. How do we assess the impact of one human life?
It’s easy to understand the quandary Emily describes. I want to make an impact. I want to make things better. I want to do volumes of good. I want my life to count for something. I don’t want to do it all, have it all, climb every mountain or ford every stream. I just want to make a measurable difference. For good, of course.
Yet life as lived is almost unbearably repetitious and often filled with poor decisions.
Emily Dickinson spent most of her short, painfully private life taking care of others, enjoying nature, reading, scribbling words on paper, and stuffing them away unseen. Today they’re everywhere in collections and volumes. The gift of a short life now gifting us with insights into nature and human nature.
St. Thomas Aquinas suggests we can’t judge the power of one person’s life narrative at the time of his or her death. The full, true meaning of a human life can’t be known until it plays out in the lives of others. Thus our good looms longer and larger than our lives; so does our evil or neglect of the good. What we do and what we don’t do matters.
Emily’s words ring painfully true. We’re faced with an exasperating quandary. Each day the seconds tick away, presenting us with limited options, limited time and limited power.
Because of this, we can’t pronounce final judgment on ourselves, much less others. Not just judgment about the meaning of our lives, but about the meaning of any one day, hour or minute.
Instead, I choose to focus on loving God, loving myself, and loving my neighbors. Not just my next-door neighbors, but those who live on the other side of this globe or the other side of the road.
Further, I choose to do this as a woman loved in all my glory and ignominy by my Creator. Every second of every day. And yes, I still choose to make a difference for good. Even though that means making a difference for ill from time to time, regardless of my best intentions.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 12 June 2017
Image found at alphacoder.com
Response to WordPress Daily Prompt: Volume
Telling the Truth 
It’s so important, isn’t it, to suspend judgement on what anything means. We can’t see from high enough up, what effect our actions will have, what a difference we might have made.
There is a tradition in the Jewish faith, I believe, of living life as well as possible, because we are only as good as the memories that people hold of us, are. Once the memory of a life fades, we fade….
But of course, from God’s perspective, nothing is lost, and all is changing constantly, in a dance. Bless you! ♥ x 100
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Wonderful comment, Fran. The older I get, the less easy it is to sort things out–even though I’m clearer now than ever about what is good/healthy in relationships. Coming to terms with the realities of my own upbringing and treatment as a professional woman, plus what I’ve passed along to others, makes it easier to acknowledge I don’t see the full picture. That doesn’t mean I never confront injustice or unprofessional behavior. It means I’m not the judge of all the earth or, in the end, even of myself. I love the dance image, and knowing that God can make or weave something new even out of our brokenness.
Elouise 🙂 X 100!
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Two thoughts:
1) It’s probably a good thing we aren’t always aware of our effect/impact on others – could lead us down (at least) 2 equally unfortunate roads of arrogance and shame…
2) Every word you write/say, every gaze which meets the gaze of another, every touch of person, or other creature (even creepy crawlies), each and all convey something of your unfolding story/impact in this world.
You are always speaking, Elouise – and I am glad to be, much of the time, within hearing!
Thank you!
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Great comments for all of us. Thanks, Debbie. I’m so glad you’re able to be listening much of the time. 🙂
You’re welcome, as always!
Elouise
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We English are more inclined to say; we older ones, rather than, us older folk,
Your expression seems more folksy, but that’s probably because Americans seem to enjoy being, or appearing, folksy I do believe.
I suppose in the context of time it is a short life, but at times it seems terribly long and sad.
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Hi, Brian! Since the phrase ‘us older folks’ comes after a preposition, I used ‘us.’ If it were the subject of a sentence of phrase, I’d use ‘we older folks.’ As in: “We older folks love to reminisce (or not) about the good old days!” That may be an Americanism (USA style), though I don’t know that it is. It’s just the way I was taught English (!) grammar–another misnomer if you ask me. 🙂
As for being folksy, I think that’s a function of where you grow up in the USA, not adopted for appearances. Not most of the time, anyway. I always get a kick out of hearing British actors play American roles. I also acknowledge that in most of the USA, communication is less formal than in Britain. That’s without even getting into regional dialects, of which there are hundreds in the USA. A further complication for all of us.
I resonate with your final comment about life. Many people are just waiting to die–not happily, but in despair, loneliness, pain….
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I think English actors play Americans much better than Americans play English and worse still Australian.
The HBO Series The Wire had 3 English well 2 English 1 Irish actors cast in 3 of the main characters, McNulty, Stringer Bell & Mayor Carcetti and I had never heard of 2 of them before I knew Stringer Bell as Luther a London cop. His natural accent is Cockney, much the same as I spoke 60 years ago.
I must admit I do like the word folksy
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St. Thomas Aquinas suggests we can’t judge the power of one person’s life narrative at the time of his or her death. The full, true meaning of a human life can’t be known until it plays out in the lives of others. Thus our good looms longer and larger than our lives; so does our evil or neglect of the good. What we do and what we don’t do matters.
Wow, this says and sums it up for me best, what a true impact statement right there ❤ You and Emily always seem to encapsulate things so nicely into a nicely gift wrapped morsel of pondering for me to take through my day, thank you E for being you and I love that image too ❤ Peace and love, K
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Thank you, dear Kim! For your comment, and for being you! I hope you’re finding some rest this weekend…. 🙂
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no rest, 7 or 8 days straight of work, no day off till Thursday, egads, I think I’m doing so well they keep heaping more hours on me for it….perhaps I should start slacking off 🙂 peace and love and happy Sunday E and hey L ❤
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Uhhhh….maybe you could try slacking off a bit?
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😃💕
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Oops…that’s a second to the motion you just put on the table! Hang on to your health! 🙏🏻
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This is a lovely post … funny I came across this as I too have been thinking about life and my participation within it … you are such a lovely writer
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Thank you kindly, Mia Bella. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Here’s to small impacts with wonderful outcomes! 🙂
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