Kansas sang “All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see”. They were wrong.
It is a beautiful song, but they didn’t think it through. There is a material world, and a non-material reality and they were just thinking of the material world.
However even in the material world they were wrong. Our love, our kindness doesn’t crumble to the ground. The people who we love and are kind to, may die, but our love changes them, their life, and the world. We can not measure the change that love does in the world, but it does exist and it is not less real because we can’t measure it.
Lets talk concretely. In my life some people have been kind to me and that has made all of the difference in that moment. Their kindness to me helped me to face the future with hope, and it allowed me to be inspired to treat others with love and kindness. Love is the ripples of our life touching and improving others lives.
Now some people might say “Ok love does have some impact but ultimately it will end.” Maybe. Maybe the impact of our love does end with the people who we directly impact. But what about the impact we have on others? We have seen that people in history continue to inspire us and move us forward in humanity. No one would say that Bach, Michelangelo or other genius work has crumbled to the ground. In many ways it has improved with time because the creativity and impact it has had on generations has provided joy and comfort.
We can’t say that our lives will have meaning because some people in the future might value us. We may be forgotten. However the simple fact is that we made the world a better place with every loving and kind act we did. So for me, the most helpful thing I can do is to choose love each day. Choose it when its hard and not easy for me, choose it when it is easier to be selfish. My life may accomplish nothing of value, but if I have loved then to me my life was worthwhile.