Giving Back

John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest men to ever live. He amassed a fortune worth billions in today’s money, so it’s easy to see why his name sticks out on the pages of history books still today. 

What the history books don’t talk about very much though is the real legacy he left behind. Rockefeller spent his life making a fortune, and then he gave most of it away. Across his lifetime, and mostly in his later years, he gave away more than 540 million dollars in an effort to help the lives of others.

As sportsman, I think we could learn a thing or two from old Rockefeller.  

What good does it do to spend your lifetime in the woods or on the water acquiring a wealth of knowledge, just to keep it all to yourself? When you’re long gone from this earth, nobody will remember you for what you accomplished, all people will remember you for is what you gave back. 

Take Glen Solomon for example. When the famous freelance GON writer passed away suddenly last year, he left a legacy that will last for generations to come. Glen was one of the greatest sportsmen to ever walk the earth, but he won’t be remembered for the thousands of animals he harvested or his superb public-land hunting skills.

Glen will be forever remembered for what he gave back.

All the times he shared some of his top secret GPS coordinates with a complete stranger just to help them have success, or the folks he took on hunts and helped them get their first deer, hog or turkey. The people who were strangers that he reached out to, helped, and that later became friends. Yes sir you mention Glen Solomon to someone who knew him, they won’t talk much about his accomplishments, though great they were, most of the conversation will be what he gave back.

 Whether you like to hunt or fish, there’s ways we all can give back.

Maybe it’s sharing a good spot you found on a local WMA with a new hunter struggling to have success. Or giving an extra baitcast combo in your shed to a teenager down the road. It could be taking your neighbor out and showing them your favorite fishing technique and sharing your secret honey hole. Maybe it’s organizing a fishing tournament to raise money for a kid battling cancer.  

Point is… we all can give back in some form or another. We spend a lifetime acquiring a wealth of knowledge in the woods and on the water, And in the end, all we will be remembered for… is what we give back.

Satilla Feed & Outdoors