This past weekend, a dear friend of mine from college came to visit. He is one of the most genuine, most passionate, least fearful, and best people I can ever expect to meet. On the course of the weekend, we spoke nearly nonstop -- and spoke about things that, in life, are truly important. What we focused mainly on was the role of service in our lives, how very important it is to take that seriously, and how it's not in the saying but in the doing. My friend has lived his life by this idea, spending much of his time in sub-Saharan Africa to help the millions of children orphaned from AIDS. He has worked selflessly, mentoring and guiding many children whose lives might otherwise have been lesser without his presence. He has balanced a life split between New York and South Africa, has seen the tremendous toll that has been taken on human lives, and has chosen to do something about it. He has done but always finds the need to do more. As my friend said, you have to give until you can feel the sacrifice, until it hurts, otherwise you're not doing as much as you can. Those are words that are rarely heard, and certainly more rarely followed, but so very valuable.
As two graduates of Harvard, we both have had the privileged opportunity to be in the classroom, and to learn from uniquely brilliant minds. But it's applying the experiences in our lives -- all of our lives -- to positively influence others' lives that's really important. My friend has inspired me to do more, he has made all too clear to me the impact that one has on another. I hope that makes me a better person. I take that to heart and thank him for it.
