Leaving behind a legacy

What would people say and write about you after you die?

Last Saturday afternoon while packing my desk, I came across a tribute to a professor who passes away at the age of 49 after a long battle with nasopharyngeal cancer. He joined NTU in 1993 and we had a brief working relationship in one of the committee. Associate Professor Chin Mee Koy is one of the brilliant lecturers in the University, spearheading the Photonic Research Centre, publishing many books and journals and at the forefront of cutting edge research.

What get me thinking is that this is a man who is the same age as me, achieve much and quite well known in his field of academic achievement. Yet, death waits for no man. Dying at an age of 49 is relatively young. I don’t know him well to say where his next destination is after leaving earth. But, I believe he has left behind much good stuff for the academic field.

This leads me to think about my way in living. While I may be preparing for the next journey after death, I must also leave behind the good stuff as I travel this journey on earth. Preparing the next journey is very personal, it is between God and me only, none of others business. But living behind good stuff is what others will perceive and get from me. Then the whole living thingy is about “LOVING GOD and LOVING PEOPLE”.

Deep in heart, I know I have done well preparing for my next journey. But I don’t think I have much in leaving an impact in this world to be worth remembered for. When I was young I always dreamt that one day I could discover or invent something, like Teng Lye’s theorem in some intrigue formulae or a hypothesis. When I was studying in University College London and working on my Master research, I generated a complex series in reducing some spurious signals in a mixer design. But, this polynomial series is just not good enough to stick my name into it. So much about invention or discovery.

How about touching lives for the glory of God? How about bringing cheers and joy to the under privileges? We will never reach the level of Mother Teresa, or Florence Nightingale, but at least we can do something within our community.

In 1888, a man was surprised and shocked to read his name in the obituary column in a French newspaper. The obituary stated Le marchand de la mort est mort ("The merchant of death is dead") and went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday." The report made him to think and ask this question, “Is this how I am going to be remembered?” He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. Today, he is remembered by the great Nobel Prize, not the “Dynamite King”.

What will people remember me as?
It is not too late to do something about this.

Bon Voyage, Assoc Prof Chin!