“Make your mark on the world and leave a legacy worth aspiring to.”
~ Simon Asmus
Tucked into the high desert of the Galisteo, New Mexico landscape is the stunning Chi Center — a 79-acre center for learning the ancient, energy healing art of Qigong. One border of the property is formed by massive blocks of bedrock, jutting toward the sky in squared-off, flat-surfaced chunks. During a recent retreat, the owner of The Chi Center shared with us that there were visible petroglyphs (carvings on the rocks) dating back to 5,000 BCE on the property; my friends and I excitedly hiked to the site to see for ourselves.
We were not disappointed.
Photo courtesy of Christine Tripoli
Native Americans have been leaving messages on rocks, via petroglyphs, for thousands of years. Like the art found in the caves of Eurasia dating back to 38,000 BCE, petroglyphs from different locations around the world are remarkably similar. Some theories hold that petroglyphs may have been a way of communicating with others, or perhaps conveyed a religious or ceremonial purpose. Regardless of their intended meaning or purpose, one cannot help but be immensely moved by studying the carvings.
As I ran my fingers across the face of the boulders, feeling the carvings with my eyes closed, I imagined the individual standing at that precise spot so many centuries ago, tool in hand and message burning in his or her heart. There were images of animals — birds, lizards, and snakes — as well as symbols that appeared to depict people. But it was the carvings of human hands that took my breath away.
Like the Eurasian cave art (made by early humans by blowing pigment onto a hand held on a cave wall), the carvings of hands into the bedrock seemed to say to me, “I was here. My life mattered.”
Photo courtesy of Christine Tripoli
The sun began to set, and my friends and I took leave of the sacred site. Even now, a week after having returned from New Mexico, the petroglyphs have stayed with me — prompting me to consider the compelling, human desire to make a mark in the world. That is, to ensure that those who come after us are aware that we were here, and that our lives had meaning and impact.
The design of one’s life is, in my opinion, our most important and most creative act of all. I wonder how often we are truly intentional about what it is we want to create each day, and if we are moving toward a greater vision of the legacy we want to leave. Or, are we on some kind of automatic pilot in a distracted, numbed-out existence just “getting through the day”? Have we shelved the dreams that once called to us like Sirens on a rocky shore?
Photo courtesy of Christine Tripoli
Annie Dillard, author of The Writing Life, said, “How we spend our days, of course, is how we spend our lives.” Will we wake up one morning and have the painful realization we have lived a life of days strung together by reaction, habit, and boredom?
We are not unlike the early humans filled with passion to convey to those who come after us that we once lived a life of meaning. How is it that you want to make your mark? What is it that you will create with your one, precious life that leaves a legacy of your highest intentions made manifest in the world?
