Buck Williams was one of basketball's most relentless and enduring rebounders. He was a top power forward for over a dozen NBA seasons, one of only eight players to achieve 16,000 points and 12,000 rebounds in his career. His honors and achievements were many: NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Star, All-Pro, All-Defensive Player, in the NBA Finals twice. An amazing career!

But most importantly, Buck Williams was a Christian. So he was asked once what his plans were when he faced what every NBA player ultimately faces: the difficult transition from player to spectator. The reporter wondered if he would follow other players who have made successful off-court ventures, like Sidney Moncrief and his car dealership, or Julius Irving and his Coca-Cola franchise, or Bobby Jones as athletic director in a small school? "What will Buck Williams like to do when basketball is over?"

Here's what Buck said: "Whatever I do, in terms of a second career, I want it to be meaningful, I want to touch someone's life - whether it's through business or whatever. If I touch one person's life, then my own life will not be in vain. That's what's really important."

Pretty impressive perspective on life, isn't it? See, Buck Williams is expressing the need all of us feel - the need for significance. And the older we get, the more aware we become of this ultimate value. We begin reflecting on our lives, wondering about its significance, worrying about ending life without having made a difference in the world. The fear of insignificance is strong.