Maurice-Alexis Jarre, an award winning French composer and conductor, passed away on March 28, 2009. I knew of some of Jarre’s work, but I never knew of Jarre individually, and likely would not have had it not been for a post Shane Fitzgerald, a Dublin university student, posted in Wikipedia. Fitzgerald posted a beautiful poem by Jarre. It read, “One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head that only I can hear.”
This was an amazing quote. But what was even more amazing was that Maurice-Alexis Jarre never really said it. Shane Fitzgerald posted it on Wikipedia to see if it would be discovered as a fake. Wikipedia pulled the posting but not before a number of newspapers, websites and blogs quoted it.
Why do I feel it necessary to publicize this hoax? Because it illustrates one of the issues we try to overcome through APIOH – A Place In Our Hearts. At APIOH, we make every effort to set up appropriate recognition in the places where they are most suitable. We endeavor to place our systems where the information we present is desired. But one of the nicest features of APIOH products is that we enable clearer recollection through articles and pictures, not just names and dates. We strive to provide remembrance with a richer recognition. And we encourage our patrons to get the information from the most accurate resources – family and close friends.
When someone is eulogized, when someone is recognized for their generosity, or when particulars of an event are shared, one hopes family and true friends are the ones to convey the narrative. However, often the stories are left to be told by the ones who step forward to tell them. What will be conveyed? What will be told of their accomplishments or experiences? If the task is left to the unassociated, it is the fodder for legend and tall tales.
People believe that we leave a clear and accurate legacy for those who pass through this existence after us. We work hard to build a reputation. But years of building can collapse in a moment if the message is to be left by the ignorant, uninformed or unaware. Information can fade away and be forgotten. Even worse, the history can be presented by those who wish to distort or recreate it.
Inaccuracies can occur through APIOH as well. Certainly, as Fitzgerald demonstrated himself, if someone wants to perpetrate a lie, all he or she needs is individuals to listen to the hoax that will pass it on to others. It is like the kids game, ‘operator’. Tell a child a secret message. Have that message get transmitted in secret throughout a room and the final telling of the message will likely be a significant distortion of the original. The further we get from the date of an event, the more distance there is between the subject of the discussion and the one who tells it, the more likely unintended misquotes and distorted realities are to occur. The closer we are to the source, the closer we are to the truth.
If your organization offers an APIOH product, use it to store and share your memories. Log those thoughts and events as early as you can. Don’t let time erode those memories into inaccurate and useless drivel. Leave something meaningful and true or don’t leave anything at all.
Tags: APIOH, Donors, Life events, Memorials, Recognition Systems