Mark?

I have been reading a book by Dean Koontz called Fear Nothing. He is a very descriptive writer, and totally draws you into the story. Its a good book, a bit weird, but good nonetheless. One of the points made by one of the characters in the book has kept me thinking about it since I read it.

It is along the lines of: Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we were never meant to leave a lasting impression on this world? Everone wants to leave their mark. But maybe we are not supposed to.

I can't stop thinking about this. There are so many people trying to do just that. Leave their mark on the world. They are attaining world records, and making huge publicity stunts, and becoming presidents, or assassins, or whatever. They want the whole world to know who they are and what they have done.

I never thought about it before, but maybe, just maybe the character in the story was right. Maybe we are not supposed to leave a permanent mark on the world. Maybe the world would be better if we just left it alone. I have nothing against the people trying to cure cancer, and other horrible diseases that destroy life, don't get me wrong. But at the same time, it seems as if these same people will stop at nothing. They will experiment with aborted babies, they will test on humans, they will kill all kinds of innocent animals, all in the name of science and research. So maybe if we just let it be... If you think about it, it seems as though diseases are getting more and more resistant to the drugs and miracle treatments we throw at them. Again, I have nothing against medical science, as they have saved my life on more than one occasion. But it does give me pause to think about it.

At the same time, we all leave our mark on the world, even if it is not as drastic as the aforementioned example. I know that I will never be the same person I was before I met some of the key people in my life. They have changed me, made me think different, given me new and broader horizons. So even if they were to be gone tomorrow, their influence has left its mark on me. And in turn I'm sure their influence will land on someone else through me. And in that way, there will be a mark left on the world. This mark cannot be seen, cannot be heard or directly traced back to that person. Maybe this is the greatest mark we can leave. I know its the one I want to leave behind.

Just thought I would share.