I went to Phil Washburn's funeral ceremony last Saturday. (See Aug 21/2012 entry "Life: RIP Phil").
There were many people. It turned out that they were from all different circles he belonged to. They wanted the ceremony to be something of celebration rather than mourning, and it succeeded. It was a very nice and memorable service.
Even more surprising was the variety of things he did in his life. His "in memory of" video was like someone's bucket list. What he did, in addition to pioneering IT job, include wrestling, Tae-kwon do, swimming, mountain climbing, hiking, triathlon, sky diving, volleyball, exercise class, and dances and dances (Argentine Tango, West coast swing, ballroom, country-western, folk dance, etc). Once he went to Argentina to dance Tango there. He "gave up Volleyball" to make time with Karen, his last girlfriend. The episode was hilarious.
Certainly the family wouldn't have a problem presenting what he did. It was already impressive. What I knew about him was only a piece of him, as in so many cases.
I don't think all of what he did reached to master-level. But he did well for most, and he did reach a master/champion-level for some. And the sheer variety, activity, and the passion behind them, were very, very, impressive.
In the reception afterwards, we were talking about how my service would be if I dropped dead now.
My wife said, "He loved dancing. .......A lot." Haha, that's good enough.
That's good enough. But what can I add to it? I am not sure about sky diving. But I certainly will add many to what I got so far.
Actually, to be truly memorable, you need to take the "Batman" strategy. Batman is a vigilante, a fearsome punisher to the criminals. That is who he is. Like the Batman, you represent one simple idea or slogan. Then "you become entirely different. You become an ideal.", according to Liam Neeson character in the Batman Begins. I find it true.
When we understand something or someone, our understanding begins with a simple, short one-liner. Take Abraham Lincoln. Who was he? A US president. What did he do? He led the North during the American Civil War and freed slaves. Then I can go on for details.
Or take Columbus. He "discovered" America in 1492. That's how we remember him. All his atrocious acts as a conqueror are left for college students to study in history class, but they are not really what he is remembered for.
This process of establishing identity can be seen pretty much everywhere, regardless of it being for a person or for a business or a brand or a product. Only when the identity (or the message/slogan/ideal) is sharp enough, it sticks to the minds of others.
Sure, we have all different aspects. I am a son, husband, scientist, dancer, author, blogger, cook, driver, handyman, teacher, boss, team member, customer, neighbor, etc etc etc. But which aspects represent me? That is up to me. We are flexible being and we become what we are over time by our choice. It is a fascinating aspect of life.
Thanks to Phil, I am inspired and taking my time to think about what I am going to add to my life.
