Ted Kennedy: lessons learned

Ted Kennedy was many things in his life: hard-working senator, fantastic father, terrible husband, womaniser, excellent husband, etc. He went through many changes in his life, from baby to patriarch, from family playboy to rock; a huge life of contrasts was lived by this man. He had more than his share of sadness, losing two siblings when he was still a child, and then experienced the public assassination of his two political brothers.

Obama reminds us of his life full of tragedy, “he narrowly survived a plane crash, watched two children struggle with cancer, buried three nephews, and experienced personal failings and setbacks in the most public way possible,...It's a string of events that would have broken a lesser man ... But that was not Ted Kennedy."

So how did this man rise to live the legacy that he has left? I think that although he made many mistakes, he learned from these experiences; and he also learned from the history of others and applied this knowledge to new situations.

Everyone who spoke at his funeral mass, told stories which revealed the lessons that they had learned from Ted Kennedy. While watching the service, I decided to keep a list of those that spoke to me, and added more from research late; so here they are.

1. Help those who are less able.
   He gave a voice to those who were not heard; he did what he could to provide opportunities to make dreams come true. His fight to provide access to high quality heatlth care for all Americans started when his son got cancer at a young age, and continued to his death. Along with Tom Harkin, he also drafted the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
2. Treat everyone with kindness and respect regardless of their position, race or religion.
   On his website he talks about love as being the answer. Ted’s son said that his father taught him how to love Republicans. Even though most people have trouble loving those in the opposite political ring, he developed many personal relationships with Republicans and others with different viewpoints.
3. Be passionate about your causes, but don’t let it ruin your relationships.
   Although Ted’s causes became deeply personal, his disagreements never did.
4. Use each day to learn from your mistakes and hardships.
   Ted certainly grew from his failures and the hardships life threw at him, and even those he caused himself. Ted Jr, said that his father taught him that even our most profound losses are survivable. It is what we do with that loss that is important. Ted said this when he was talking with his teenage son about the loss of his son’s leg through cancer.
5. Believe that there is nothing you can’t do, and be willing to accept help to do it.
   He said "There is nothing you can't do" to his son who had a very new prosthetic leg and was trying to climb up a hill so they could sled down it. He also provided support for his son and said they would climb the hill together even if it took all day.
6. Work hard and be really prepared.
   Ted Jr spent much time with his father learning sailing manoeuvres. One night he asked his father, “Why are we always the last ones on the water?” His father answered that most of the other sailors are smarter than they are, so they need to work harder and be better prepared.
7. Learn from the past of others.
   Ted was a Civil War buff who attended many anniversaries of Civil War battles to try to understand what the soldiers had been involved in. He felt that to Know what to do in the future you should try to understand what happened in the past
8. Love is the answer. What is the question?
9. Much is expected of those to whom much has been given. T
   This was advice he received from his parents. I guess this means all of us in Australia. We live a lucky lifestyle in a lucky country. We need to work to keep it such a wonderful place.
10. “It’s better to send in the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps.” Ted Kennedy

“For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”
—SEN. EDWARD M. KENNEDY

Useful Websites:

http://kennedy.senate.gov/

http://tedkennedy.org/ownwords

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/29/politics/main5273943.shtml

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/kennedy/view/20090830an_incredible_send-off/srvc=home&position=also

http://bigthink.com/tedkennedy/what-should-we-be-doing-that-were-not