Luckily, the world is made up of individuals with different
motivations. A guy on Wall Street wants to get rich; a doctor wants to treat
the sick in Africa; while an entrepreneur wants to start a company and watch it
grow.
Because I caught polio when I was seven, and my father died
in an iron lung in five days, I probably should've set my sights on making a
lot of money. It certainly would've been the smart thing to do.
Instead I became a college professor and university vice
president, and worked as a foster father for African-American guys. Because I'd
been brought up living on Social Security, I could identify with many of their
lives. When they succeeded, I felt good inside. It was clearly what I needed in
my life.
After becoming a professor emeritus, I did a language
exchange with a Chinese man in the UCLA MBA program. He was intelligent,
open-minded and did his best to teach me Chinese. I valued his integrity and
insights.
Once when flying back from Beijing I met a guy who needed a
place to stay overnight. I took him home to my house in Los Angeles, and took
him to a great place for breakfast. The last time I was in China, he flew from
Beijing to Nanjing to speak to me in person for an hour and a half. Since then
he has stayed with me in Los Angeles. As his son's godfather, I got to give his son
an American name.
In the last couple of days, both men have called me from
Beijing. I provided each one with the others number and they've already spoken
and plan on working on a project. This gives me great joy. As a professor
emeritus, I no longer had the opportunity to affect people's lives. My recent
problems with mobility had left me isolated. But yesterday, when the two men
talked, I felt fulfilled in a way I hadn't in the last couple of years.
I'm on a high because I still feel relevant. Seeds I planted
a while ago came to fruition yesterday. My life is a good one.
No comments:
Post a Comment