Here is an insightful accounting of the last wishes of Alexander the Great. On his death bed, the great Macedonian leader summoned his generals and told them his last three ultimate wishes. These wishes were that:

the best doctors should carry his coffin;
the wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery; and,
his hands should be let loose, hanging outside the coffin for all to see.

One of his generals, who was surprised by these unusual requests, asked Alexander to explain. Here is what Alexander the Great imparted:

I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.

I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, stays on earth.

I want my hands to swing in the wind, so that people understand that we come to this world empty handed and we leave this world empty handed after the most precious treasure of all is exhausted, and that is TIME.

The invaluable wisdom of this exchange: TIME is our most precious treasure because it is limited. We can produce more wealth, but we cannot produce more time. When we give someone our time, we are giving the most that we can possibly give — a portion of ourself, our life that we will never get back.

Chris George, providing reliable PR counsel and effective advocacy. Need a go-to writer or experienced communicator? 613-983-0801 @ CG&A COMMUNICATIONS.