By Dr. Edgar Cahn
With Maya Angelou, we have lost a great soul. And her words ring true:
"Great souls die and
Our reality, bound to
Them takes leave of us.
Our souls,
Dependent upon their nurture,
Now shrink, wizened."
But Maya, being Maya, left us with marching orders, a mandate for which we in TimeBanking are peculiarly suited:
"And when great souls die,
After a period peace blooms,
Slowly and always
Irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of
Soothing electric vibration.
Our sense, restored, never
To be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
Better. For they existed."
When I poured over her words, it seemed to me that in her own way, Maya had left a special legacy for those of us in TimeBanking. Here are some of her “sayings” which resonated for me:
⫸"I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life."
⫸ "As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else."
⫸ "I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver."
⫸"I believe that every person is born with talent."
⫸"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."
⫸"While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation."
⫸"When you learn, teach, when you get, give."
⫸ "A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face."
But perhaps the most powerful directive she left as her legacy to us in TimeBanking was this:
⫸"Those of us who submitted or surrendered our ideas and dreams and identities to the ‘leaders’ must take back our rights, our identities, our responsibilities."
Those of us in TimeBanking have done that; we have taken back any ideas and dreams and identifies that we have submitted or surrendered to ‘leaders.’
But Maya, your leaving tells us there is still so much undone:
"Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
Examines,
Gnaws on kind words
Unsaid,
Promised walks
Never taken."
And your words summon us:
⫸"The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free."
It is time to be fully aware, to be awakened to the reality that we are still here. We have been given one more day, and then perhaps one more day after that – and who knows how many more. With her life and her words and her actions, Maya taught us that each day provides an opening:
⫸"I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare."
That opportunity comes both as a gift and a mandate:
⫸ "Nothing will work unless you do."
And if we accept that challenge and that gift, then we will know what she meant when she said:
⫸"They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
Better. For they existed."
Let that be Maya’s legacy for us in TimeBanking.
Maya Angelou's legacy to us and timeBanking