do you remember the polio vaccine?
at first it was an injection invented by dr. jonas salk. some years later it was administered orally on a sugar cube thanks to dr albert sabin. that tasted good and it didn’t hurt.
though neither jonas salk (october 28, 1914 – june 23, 1995) nor albert sabin (august 26, 1906 – march 3, 1993) received a nobel prize for their efforts, most baby boomers remember the fear of a polio epidemic and the solutions these men created.rarely, though, do we think of either of them as elders. i recently came across a quote from salk that struck a chord.
“our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors. “
while salk’s invention saved countless thousands of lives during his lifetime, his focus was on the future, on generations that were to come. he left a legacy that has changed the world.while each of us may not change the world as a whole, our legacy will change a small part of it. so what is legacy? we usually think of it as material…which person will inherit what.
in addition to a material legacy we can also leave an ethical one, a spiritual one, a legacy based on our values. this can take the form of a written document. it might be a letter you write to the people who are important to you. it might be attached to your will.or it might be what you say in a meeting, around the dining table or at a party. it might be a book you’ve written or a painting or a poem. it might be a voice recording.or it might simply be your presence, your authenticity, your willingness to grow into your elderhood. this may be the most important legacy you can leave. there will be a trace of that energy that imbues each person you meet. you will have touched something deep in them that then ripples out to all of their connections.
while i imagine salk had an idea of how his legacy would effect the world, he can’t possibly have known that polio is all but eradicated across the globe. we too have no idea how our legacy might influence the future. in spite of the not-knowing, it’s worth our best effort.(if you would like some support in creating a legacy letter, have a look athttps://www.life-legacies.com)