Recently, a man spoke from the grave in a very loud and compassionate way. Many people in New Town, especially children, will benefit and be better off because of it. I am referring to the voice of Mr. Alan Schafer, who spoke through the Schaffer Foundation that helped with the upgrade of the Gordon Park in New Town. This charitable act by the foundation that bears the name of Mr. Schafer became the inspiration for this week’s column.
As I have given much thought to this issue, I have arrived at a profound truth. There are deceased people, long dead, whose voices of influence are still speaking into all of our lives, whether we believe or understand it or not. All of us, to some degree and in various aspects of our lives, are listening to and being affected by these voices from the grave. The voices of those who are no longer physically with us, but yet what they uttered through their inventions, creations, contributions, and influences continue to reverberate and impact our lives. There are voices that speak to us from the grave that we are going to consider categorically.
The Voice of Our Parents and Grandparents
Practically every one of us have a close relative, like a parent or grandparent, who is deceased that we often hear speaking to us about issues of our lives. This is definitely the case when we find ourselves facing challenges or difficulties. Through the medium of our memories, the voice of our mother, father, or grandparent will give us words of instruction that will produce a solution. It could be about any area of our lives that we remember how they handled a certain situation and often hear them speaking instructions or directives to us. Such occurrences are not the practice of necromancy (communicating with the dead) or delving into the occult. It is however, being inspired and influenced by the memory and legacy of our loved ones. In a true sense, they are still with you through the principles they imparted and the experiences you shared. When I am confronted with certain challenges and decisions that I must make, I can often hear my father’s voice speaking from the grave reciting one of his favorite clichés, “It’s better safe than sorry.”
Mentors and Teachers
I have had some unforgettable mentors and teachers who have spoken and inspired me from the grave through the life lessons that they taught me. Encouraging words and experiences that we shared are often revisited in my mind. I am often encouraged by the voices of Mother Katie Sanders, my first pastor, and Mrs. Nora McBride, my third grade teacher. Both of these inspiring women told me at an early age that I was going to be a preacher. Then there was Bishop John W. Barber, who was the second most inspiring person in my life spiritually. Only my mother had a greater impact than he did. Even to this day, I can hear him preaching and singing in his unique tongue-tied fashion. The voices of all of these mentors and teachers are still speaking to me, as yours are no doubt doing to you. The fact that they are dead has not silenced their voices. These people helped shape our characters and outlook on life that will linger with us until the end of our days. Their imprint and impact help to make us uniquely who we are.
Historical Voices Speaking From the Grave
All of us have been influenced by the voices of the great poets, writers, philosophers, and inventors of history. The words of men like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many others are speaking today with just as much importance and volume as they did when they initially spoke them. The voices of the scientists, inventors and researchers like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Marie Curie, Jonas Salk, and a host of others can never be silenced. The compassionate voice of Danny Thomas, who started St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will continue to cry out from the grave as long as there are sick and diseased children. The voices of the great philanthropists like Alfred Nobel, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, as well as our own native born philanthropist, Allen Schaffer, will continue to speak from the grave in an effort to enrich and enhance the living. Although they are gone, their presence and impact shall continue to be felt and experienced by many who are in need among the living.
The older I get, the more I think in terms of legacy and of the things that I will leave behind that will benefit and enhance the well-being of others. Will I leave an inheritance that not only my children or grandchildren can be nurtured and inspired by, but also a legacy that will live long after I am gone? Will I leave a testimony and true riches that will continue to enrich the lives of others indefinitely? Like me, most of you will not leave a great sum of money behind or start a philanthropic foundation. You will not invent some new invention that will change the course of history. You will not discover a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, or any disease. You will not be another William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, or Maya Angelou. The odds of you becoming famous due to your achievements or contributions are too great to seriously consider. However, you can make an impact on your family, friends, and others you know that will endure indefinitely. Your voice of inspiration and influence can continue to speak when you are dead. It can continue to utter words of encouragement and even support for those who are in need through the wisdom and teaching you imparted in others.
It is amazing and comforting to know that death cannot silence you. Your voice can be heard from the grave though you are dead.
