Arcadia England

Today we are excited to feature Foster Donnell's words. Foster is studying at Westminster University for his semester with us, and is chronicling his study abroad experience over at his personal blog. Keep an eye out for any of his future thoughts. but for now - read on for a fantastic insight...

MONUMENTS

Inscription on the memorial and burial place of Christopher Wren, designer and architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral:

SUBTUS CONDITUR HUIUS ECCLESIÆ ET VRBIS CONDITOR CHRISTOPHORUS WREN, QUI VIXIT ANNOS ULTRA NONAGINTA, NON SIBI SED BONO PUBLICO. LECTOR SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS CIRCUMSPICE

Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument — look around you.

I’ve been thinking about the concept of legacy a lot lately. It’s quite easy to do so in a city like London. There is history and legacy all around you, everywhere you go. Whether it’s a pub that’s been around since 1500 or a sword that was used by the Romans to found the city in the year 100(!),there’s a sense that you are part of a story that is larger than you care to admit.

My first real experience in seeing legacy for the first time in London was walking into St. Paul’s Cathedral during evening prayers. It’s a landmark that you see in countless films, brochures, travel guides, etc. But to see it firsthand is truly extrodinary. This is a structure with a history that dates back to at least the 7th Century, when it was much smaller and was continuously being destroyed, rebuilt, ravaged by fires, rebuilt, and destroyed by fires again for centuries.

The destruction left by the Great Fire of London of 1666 was overwhelming. Of the 80,000 residents in the City of London, 70,000 of their homes were destroyed, not to mention 90 churches, including, of course, St. Paul’s.

Following the Great Fire, a decision was made to construct a cathedral that was worthy of such a city and worthy of what it would come to represent. This task fell to Sir Christopher Wren.

Rebuilding of the City of London took years, decades. Year after year, as citizens attempted to rebuild their homes and their lives, the notorious London fog would occasionally part and a hush would descend upon the City as they gazed upon the Cathedral rising up towards the sky. It became a symbol of resilience, hope, and faithfulness.

Christopher Wren’s masterpiece—and his legacy—has dominated the London skyline and the hearts of many around the world for over 300 years. But why is this so important?

Legacy, from Old English, “a body of persons sent on a mission”

We don’t hear a lot about “legacy” these days. Whenever someone starts talking about legacy, they usually get pretty weird looks. Unless it’s talking about an athlete’s “legacy on the sport”, not many people talk about or hear about legacy and why it’s important.

Brett McKay, at The Art of Manliness, has a few theories as to why this is:

First, we live in an incredibly present-minded society. There is very little sense of history and understanding of what has come before. There is a sense that our society is the only one that has ever existed and the only one that matters. We don’t have a broad, expansive view of history and time. Because we do not acknowledge the legacy we have inherited, we don’t see the value in leaving a legacy ourselves.

We’re also a culture that wants to believe we can live forever. We venerate youth culture, try to stay looking young as long as possible, and shield our eyes from death. The more we deny the inevitability and reality of death, the less motivated we feel to work to create a legacy. After all, who needs to leave something behind if you’ve convinced yourself that you’ll always be around?

Third, we live in an extremely disposable society. Everything is designed to be used a few times and then thrown away. And every advancement is soon replaced by an even better update. And so we lose faith in the idea that anything can truly be lasting.

Fourth, we live in a very impatient society. We want things to happen immediately. But building a legacy is a slow process, and more importantly, the results of our effort may take a very long time to manifest themselves…they may not even come to fruition until after we are gone.

So what can a twentysomething student hope to do to build a legacy? How does studying abroad further this goal? How do you even start? I’m not really sure to be honest. I suppose one can start by having an active mindset to have some sort of positive impact on everyone they meet. This blog is a good start. But it’s more than just being nice or “being a good person”. Having an impact on others takes hard work. I believe it has more to do with cultivating relationships with others and connecting on a level that’s deeper than the petty, “Hey, how’s it going?” conversations that we’re so comfortable with. Taking school seriously, not for credits or grades, but rather the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom to use for the public good. Meeting people of other ways of life to broaden your perspectives in order to make the world more peaceful, more kind, more fulfilling. One of my intended goals while abroad was to dramatically shatter my comfort zone or bubble or whatever you want to call it. It’s really, really difficult. Being in a foreign country makes it that much harder, but at the same time, makes it so much more worth it. Certainly still a work in progress.

Legacy is important because you create an environment and mindset where creating, rather than consuming, is a more fulfilling way of life. When your greatest priority in life is humbling yourself to serve others—true leadership—you then enrich your own life. I’ve found it healthy to think of legacy with its old meaning of “a body sent on a mission”. Thinking of legacy as an ongoing mission and not a decoration at the end of your life gives you confidence every day to create a lasting, enriching life for others and yourself.

Someone who has a legacy that dominates the United Kingdom—and the rest of the world even today—is Sir Winston Churchill. Named the Greatest Briton of All-Time, first honorary citizen of the United States, war hero, writer, historian, Prime Minister, “we shall never surrender”, The British Bulldog, last defense against Hitler, defender of the Realm. If you seek his legacy, look no further than his funeral:

While laying in state in St. Paul’s Cathedral, over 400,000 people visited Churchill, including the Queen, six members of the royal family, sixteen former Prime Ministers, six presidents, and citizens from 112 countries. As his coffin is transported from Temple Pier on the River Thames in London to his place of burial, he is honored with a 19-gun salute, 9 military bands, the bowing of 36 seaport cranes, a fly-over of 16 Royal Air Force fighter jets, with over 350 million people watching the procession on television around the world.

I want that kind of funeral.

“No fewer than 28 wartime bombs had fallen on St Paul’s Cathedral, one of them a massive five-hundred-pounder, yet Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece miraculously survived, partly due to its courageous and committed fire-watchers. The famous photograph of its dome standing undaunted above the fire and smoke of the Blitz still has the capacity to move Britons, and the church that survived Hitler’s bombers was the obvious place to stage the ceremony.”
~ Andrew Roberts,The Telegraph

As I walked through St. Paul’s, I noticed a man standing near Christopher Wren’s memorial, weeping and gazing up at the dome’s breathtaking architecture. I asked him if he was religious. He choked back tears and replied, “No, I don’t believe in God or religion. I just think it’s so beautiful what humans are capable of when motivated by love and goodness.”

As so many of my peers around me seem to be more preoccupied with the lowered legal drinking age, I often feel foolish for thinking about legacy or wondering if I’m taking life too seriously. But then I remind myself of the memorial in St. Paul’s, and I ask myself which words I want written about me when my time comes.

Are you satisfied with, “Good guy. Good life. Had fun.”? Or do you strive to lead a life of impact, leadership, service, and legacy?

Far better for these words to be written:

“Reader, if you seek his monument — look around you.”