All Glory is Fleeting...Almost

 

This guest post is from Steven Ciskie, Regent 2L student:

 

“For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.” 

 

This quote is from the 1970 war film, Patton. Supposedly the General, of World War II fame, may have uttered these words to echo how death comes to all regardless of a man's great achievements. This quote has just now started to hit me given how I rarely thought about death or how my family will posthumously remember me. 

 

When I first came to Wills, Trusts, and Estates, I never had given much thought to a will or to what I would give to my descendants when the time would come. However, that attitude has changed substantially as I now know the value of estate planning and what it means for all the members of my family. At this point, I, along with most Americans my age, am currently intestate – which means I do not yet have a will. I have no wife, no kids, and possess nothing of great value to pass onto others. That being said, I wish to accumulate all of these great things in life, not for my own future enjoyment as the emperors of Rome so foolishly thought, but rather to pass on the legacy of my family to my descendants. By being content with my life rather than seeking to engorge on the lusts of this world, I'll contribute to a glory that will never pass: the glory of Jesus Christ. If I pass that inheritance down to my family, they will receive an inheritance of faith and not just worldly possessions. If I pass that on along with my belongings, then generations will inherit something beyond anything that I could physically give them. A glory that is never fleeting!