Live for Others

On the top right corner of the "Life" section of today's ST is a quote from Einstein : " Only a Life lived for others is a life worthwhile".

In a recent post entitled " What is a life worth living?"( a feeling response in the wake of 2 celebrities' suicide ) I have concluded as follows:
"I am now more convinced than ever that sense pleasures as well as all the trappings of wealth, status and relationships are no sure promises of happiness. Instead we have to train our minds to steer away from unwise perceptions and beliefs that only specific conditions when met can constitute a life worth living. Above all we need to have more compassion for ourselves.

Now it seems Einstein had a quote which is contrary to my opinion. He had offered that the sole condition for a worthwhile life is one lived for others. I have thought that it is too stringent a measure. There must be millions of people in this world who live for themselves abiding by conventional yardsticks of the perfect life. Many must have achieved semblances of say a perfect marriage, a desired home, a coveted job or a luxurious life of travel. Don't some of these people feel they have a worthwhile life or do they all succumb in their final days to deep regrets for not having done more for others?" I wonder.

Still I was a bit suspicious because the internet has loads of Einsteins' quotes which weren't from him. After some googling I establish that it is indeed his quote but I also gathered some context to it. Einstein had also remarked "A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving".

I do not disagree with him as I have often felt more alive giving. I guess it boils down to an approach more than the magnitude of the act. Living for others can take so many form. A factory worker making sports shoes can take comfort in promoting people's health, finding meaning in his/her job. A housewife can put up with the drudgery of housework when she thinks of the benefit for her family. As one ages and reflects upon life the moments which light up the mind are those where one shares something with others be it love, time, knowledge or experience. Einstein is right and of course he is.

Maybe I should now change the concluding sentence of my earlier blog to "Above all we need to have more compassion for ourselves and others"