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The Legacy of Ted Kennedy

By admin | August 31, 2009

{{w|Ted Kennedy}}, Senator from Massachusetts.
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I was mesmerized this whole weekend with stories of Ted Kennedy’s funeral and all of the news reports that documented his life. The themes that kept resounding for me was finding a purpose and working your whole life for it.

Ted Kennedy seemed to find issues and ideals that he truly believed in and for almost 50 years worked tirelessly to fight for those issues. Having a higher ideal and a purpose for which you live your life inherently helps with your health and wellness. It provides you a commitment to something bigger than you and allows you to focus your energies on the most important issues for you. The other thing when you have a true purpose in life it allows you to remain true to who you are. For Ted Kennedy his purpose was family and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves and those ideals sustained through the highest of peaks and lowest of valleys.

But finding your purpose is only the first step in living purpose driven life. If you have a purpose, but do not have the fortitude and perseverance it takes to continue to fight for your ideals then the first sign of a valley will throw you off course. Ted Kennedy faced some of the deepest valleys, some from external circumanstances (like the assassinations of his brothers) and some self inflicted (like the Chappaquiddick incident), but through it all he kept going.

He kept going (and from the descriptions of friends and family his faith played a big role in that) and knowing that he had to dig deeper within himself and stand up taller to become the man he was meant to be - living to his fullest potential. So many others fall or shrink back from external tragedy or fall into the abyss of self-loathing when they inflict problems on themselves, but Ted Kennedy persevered. He kept going going even though he had critics, even though he was labeled a “liberal,” and even though he had a huge responsibility on him with coming from a dynasty such as the Kennedy’s.

He stood up into his responsibility and and took it head on. It was an inspiration for me to see the news coverage (for once positive news) and see that there are inspirational people out there who are making a difference in the world.

Do leave a comment and tell me who inspires you?

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