The most important thing

??? I want to tell a story. It's about a smile, laughter, and bright, shining eyes. In a world full of important, specific tasks, this story might seem out of place. Yet, in any part of the world, now and long ago, when a baby is born, three main things happen: it cries, it smiles, it starts to walk.

??? When you play with a little child who can't yet speak, what do you always do? You do anything to make them smile, better yet, to make them laugh. And it makes both of you feel better. We are drawn to children; they represent life with everything still ahead.

??? An old man approaches a child, trying to make them laugh. And it makes both feel better. On the playground, in the street, in the store, on the bus, in America, Europe, Africa, Asia.

??? We fear old age. The old man who frowns and grumbles about his and others' problems often isn't someone we want to spend time with. We do it when they are our relatives, old friends, or it's our job, but we rarely enjoy it—except when we find something funny in their grumbling.

But there are other old people. Their eyes sparkle; they smile even when they talk about difficult things. They share what they know and see much humor in life. I don't know about you, but I am drawn to such old people, just as to a child who can sit on the grass and laugh at every little discovery: stood up, fell down, closed their eyes and everything disappeared, opened them and everything reappeared, threw a ball and it rolled away, dropped a cup and it broke.

??? When a little child sees everyone laughing at what they've done, they do it over and over again. When you listen to the Dalai Lama or some interviews with Holocaust survivors, they speak with a smile and shining eyes, visible even through tears, as they talk about the most terrible things.

??? This doesn't mean that laughter is the only emotion. But like an artist who starts with a white canvas, it's the foundation on which other colors can be layered. Nothing is more dreary than people with empty, dead eyes dictating what others should do. Remember your favorite teacher, subordinate, boss, and think why. Which lectures in college, meetings at work, gatherings with friends do you remember the most (in a good way)?

How do you want people to remember you?"