Yesterday, Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons, passed away at the age 59 from colon cancer.
By all accounts a kind and generous man, it is a sorrow that he is no longer among the living. But the story of how Sam Simon faced death informs so much about what it means to live.
Sam Simon was diagnosed with cancer and given 3 to 6 months to live. That was two years ago. I guess one could point that as a sign of strength and character, to defy the odds and stay alive longer than doctors said he would. But the true wonder of Sam Simon's story was not how long his life lasted but what he did with it as he faced the end.
Simon was understandably quite wealthy as a co-creator of The Simpsons. So he decided that in whatever time he had left, he would give it all away.
As the saying goes, you can't take it with you.
So many causes Sam Simon supported benefited from the largesse of his generosity. Simon was particularly passionate about the care of animals so organizations dedicated to the rescue and care of dogs and other animals found themselves blessed with his donations.
Sam Simon gave generously to charities before his diagnosis; but with the cancer that would ultimately end his life came a renewed dedication to his life and the causes he felt so close to in his life.
I think too many times we measure our success in life by how much life we get. It's not the duration of life that measures our success in life but what we do with that life. Whether you're on this earth for 25 years, 50 years or 100 years, what matters is the earth and the lives of others are richer for what we did did with that time, not how much we got.
Sam Simon, facing a death sentence, embraced the passions of his life even more, gives an object lesson not just in how to face death but and more importantly, how to live life.
Everyone be good to one another. I'll be back here tomorrow.
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