Legendary

       It's been a while but often in my moments of long term absence new found growth and understanding of different aspects occur. Recently I saw a documentary "Marley" about the life and times of famous singer, activist, artist, and all around legend Robert Nesta Marley or known to most as just plain ol' Bob Marley. This documentary drastically increased the pre-existing love and adoration I had for this man's music, life, and whole way of thinking. As weeks progressed it did more than just open my eyes, heart, and mind to the man that is Bob Marley, the documentary started a thought process in my mind that I never thought about it before.
            So often we are quick to label people as celebrities, role models, and legends. I find that often the latter of the three is either misused or used when it is too little to late. It has always been a condundrum that our society has been unwittingly faced with. Our "celebrities", and I use this word loosely, are placed on immense pedestals where they are given opportunities and responsibilities to our society that they are usually no where near ready to handle. On occasion we do have people that rise to the challenge of building character right in front of the public. You see as "normal people" we take it for granted that we can make our mistakes and battle our growing pains in relative privacy, while we chastise the faces of our flawed nation publicly. And to those that do well we still fail to truly praise their accomplishments until they have made their way out of our present lives.
           It seems that timing is the master key but when is the appropriate time to label someone a legend. What makes someone legendary? Is it the creation of a new found piece of technology that changed the way we communicate, is it the release of a fundamentally conscious song with lyrics that point out the flaws of society. Or is it merely just bringing about change for the future? As a teacher who focuses mainly on the "big picture", "big idea", and world concepts that relate to real life, I find myself challenging my students to place a pigeon hold on their conceptual ideas in regards to the birth of legacy. But the reality is there is no right or wrong answer nor is their a specific date or time that reveals when a legacy has begun or when someone has transformed into a legend. As walking trending topics we have coined the phrase "living legend" for a few whom we deem as people that have created indelible marks in our society's history for years to come. But the truth of the matter is while their creations are furtively growing we often mock their aspirations, berate their every move and mistake, and always without pause praise the differences they have made after they have entered the ground.
             We as a people never seem to fully appreciate the present. While it certainly is a gift that can not be used for more than 24 hours it is important to use it to its full potential. Giving people their flowers while they can still smell them would yield powerful growth, and success in a society that thrives off of the slightest and most minor hint of appreciation. Connection, connectivity, we are all linked and it is the interaction between people that shapes our world on a day to day basis. I personally have been guilty of taking the present for granted as well as those that are involved. There are no true promises therefore it is important to appreciate those around you because you never know when you could be a witness and participant in the cultivation of a new legend.