Monday, March 16, 2009

How Do You Want to be Remembered?

Our time on Earth is finite, and so the time spent in the company of any particular other is also finite. People come and go in life. People die. They move away. They move on.

And so, of course, does life. Within a few short generations of their death, few people are even remembered with any clarity - if at all.

Knowing this can often leave you with a feeling of futility. And what, indeed, is the point of a life lived and done, for the vast majority? For the most part, we will pass on our genetics, enjoy or drudge through a few score years, before being unceremoniously dumped from the gene pool.

There are, of course, a small minority of people that we can point to and say – “there, his life made a difference to the world. His life was important.” These are not the people I am talking about. I am talking about the 99% of people on the planet who, in Mark Twain’s words, “live lives of quiet desperation”.

I am talking about you.

What is the point to your life? Why are you even here?

Well, you are here because you are here. Whether you believe in a God or not, your life contains the raw materials of purpose. The rest, really, is up to you. How you take those raw materials and shape them into a life is entirely your choice, in every moment.

So, how do you want to be remembered? This is a good place to start when thinking about putting some meaning into your life. I know many people for whom raising a decent family and instilling honest values into their children is the ultimate justification for their claim to a piece of the planet.

For others, this would be unfulfilling, and creating and instilling a part of themselves in something else is the answer. Ultimately and in every case it is the act of creation that fills humans with purpose. In the end it doesn’t matter whether we are creating a corporation, a relationship, a painting - or another human being. It is in the act of creating something new and imbuing that thing (baby / company / artwork / whatever) with a part of ourselves, that we feel a sense of immortality.

And it is that feeling of immortality that gives us the buzz. We know in our little human hearts that the stuff that is us will not last very long in the big scheme of things. We will die and fade away, like every other living thing that has ever existed. But what we leave behind – that is another story. The things, ideas and lineages that will continue to exist because you have existed are your contribution to the essence of life.

Don’t Forget the Butterfly Effect
I have never really been what some might call a ‘kiddie’ person. I have never longed for a little version of myself to inflict on the world. My sister, on the other hand, was a born mother. She wanted babies from before she knew where they came from. Consequently, there were many conversations growing up where I would denigrate her ‘suppressed’, ‘old fashioned’ ideas, and she would try and convince me why being a mother was the only goal worth having.

As I got older, my reasons for not wanting children grew to include my teenage angst about the woeful state of society, and my reluctance to ‘bring children into this sorry world’. During one of these conversations with my sister she pointed out something that has always stuck in my mind. She noted that it could, in fact, be my child that mightmake the difference in turning things around in this ‘sorry world’.

That thought stayed in my mind, and I realised that it was true. And even if it wasn’t, maybe it would be my grandson or great-great-great granddaughter that did something great, which, in my mind, would validate my existence.

I still don’t have children, and don’t regret my decision for many reasons, but the idea that the actions I take during my life could have ripple effects through multiple generations has kept me intrigued and occupied for many years.

My writing, drawings and paintings, and even this blog are all things that I have created out of the heart of who I am, but they take on a life of their own once they actually exist in the world. Once they pass from an idea in my brain to a canvas, or a blog post, they become tangible things that will have their own path to take before they, too, fade away to nothing.

It is this path to which, without even realising it, humans dedicate their existence. It is worth remembering that taking a little bit of time to consider how you want to be remembered after you are gone can help to guide you to where you want to be while you are here.
______________________________________________

Feel free to copy and publish this article online, but please include the authors details and link below.

Author:
Neurons works online from where ever she happens to be a the time.Learn how you can do it, too, by visiting www.neurons.ws or www.livedontwork.com.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

www.TheBargainPalace.com
An online shoppers paradise! Everything you need, at the prices you want.