"We live in deeds, not years…" – Aristotle
"We live in deeds, not years: In thoughts not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." – The proverb means that the value of a life depends, not on the number of years one may live, but on the number of good deeds one may perform.
This duty of good deeds is laid on man by the very fact of his being the best creation of God. Indeed he has been endowed with the choicest blessings of his creator. Every good turn carries with it some responsibility and duty. The favor bestowed on man implies that God desires him to make the best possible use of it, that is, use it for the good of the world. In that way man can be true to his Creator and to himself too. He may die young; but if he has done something noble, his death will be deeply mourned by all and he will be remembered by the world for long years to come. Jesus Christ, Keats, Shelley, Vivekananda have become immortal though they all died very young. If, on the other hand, a man uses his gifts for self-interest only there would be quite in vain, however long it may be, and he will die unwept, uncolored and unsung.
Good deeds may sometimes involve risks, even of life. But a brave man is not afraid of this. He knows that death is the inevitable lot of all, and this death comes only once in life. So he considers it better to die in honor for a noble cause than to live shamefully like a coward.
So the main object of every life should be not merely to live in years, but to fill it, however short, with good and noble deeds to the best of one’s power and ability.
We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.
