This Friday, August 10 the action-packed movie The Bourne Legacy hits theaters, and before it came out I wanted to read the book, which by the way is not written by Robert Ludlum, the author of The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, but written by Eric Van Lustbader with the Estate of Robert Ludlum holding the copyright. Now, I have read, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum so I was under no illusion that the book and the movie would be similar at all, which can be very liberating because then you are free to like the books and the movies for their own merits.
Now, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the book is based on Jason Bourne (not Aaron Cross. As far as the book is concerned Aaron Cross does not exist). Jason has been framed for the murder of two of his closest friends, and now he is on the run from the CIA, the Virginia State Police, the Quai d’Orsay and several other law enforcement agencies, not to mention an international assassin who has a personal vendetta against him, and the power-crazed head of a humanitarian organization who is secretly planning on destroying all the delegates at the terrorism summit in Reykjavik with a newly developed chemical pathogen. (How’d you like that sentence?)
At work, several people in my department write blog entries for the company blog, some with a sales intent but most just for entertainment’s sake. In doing this we often research (by use of a Chase’s Calendar of Events) what is going on during any given month. August happens to be “What Will Be Your Legacy” Month. (Do you think that’s why the movie is being released this month?) Now, a legacy is anything handed down from the past. The legacy you leave behind can do with property, skills or even a set of values or ideals to which you adhere. In the movie (from what I gather) Jason’s “legacy” was more about the secret program he first volunteered for. In the book, Jason’s legacy has more to do with the impact his actions have had on others, including his children (that’s right Jason Bourne’s got kids), and how your past–your legacy–can come back to haunt you.
The question asked in “What Will Be Your Legacy” Month is more like what is written in the book. How do your actions affect those around you? I don’t know if I can answer this question for myself. I don’t know if anyone can. Do I say the right things to my nieces and nephews? (Sometimes.) Do I maintain my integrity when under pressure? (Not really.) What kind of example am I setting? And that’s when I have to remember grace. And I’m so glad that the only legacy that I have to leave is one of loving the Lord, knowing I’m forgiven and extending that forgiveness to others. I still have a lot of work to do on my legacy, and it’s not as exciting as Bourne’s. But on the bright side, I get my nose broken a lot less often than he does.
Reading, Writing & Other Addictions 
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