Bradley J.B. Toben: Dean of the School of Law, the Gov. Bill and Vara Faye Daniel Professor of Law

If you had to choose one way to be remembered, which of the following would you choose and why: wise, kind, successful?

If I had to choose among wisdom, kindness and success, I would want to be remembered for my kindness to others. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes (perhaps the wise King Solomon himself) speaks pointedly to the limits of wisdom and success. "I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom ... but I learned that this ... is a chasing after the wind" (Eccl. 1:17). Further, speaking to worldly success, the Teacher observes: "... when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Eccl. 2:11). Paul, however, in Ephesians 2:7-8, links God's grace and the redemptive act to the very quality of God's kindness -- acting in love to touch the life of another. The greatest commandment after loving God is to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31), and indeed, Paul tells us "love is kind" (I Cor. 13:4). I have always been inspired by the story of the starfish flinger. In it, a young man walks along a beach picking up starfish that have washed up on the shore and throws them back, one by one, into the water. As he walks, another man asks why he is doing this, noting its futility: "But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?" The starfish flinger picks up another starfish, reflects upon it and flings it into the surf, responding, "It makes a difference to that one." This simple story speaks powerfully to the relative merits of wisdom, success and kindness. The doubter accuses the starfish flinger of lacking wisdom and being unsuccessful. But in the flinger's response, we are confronted with the impact of human kindness. While wisdom deserves commendation, did Solomon find solace in it? Did Paul link the pure quality of love with success? No. If I am in fact worthy of being remembered, I hope it will be for my kindness to others and especially to those in need of help. Kindness is the quality that springs from wisdom and forms the framework of the ultimately successful life.