Recently, I have been pondering about my legacy and my thoughts have inspired this brain dump.
Something, someday, will get the better of you and you're going to die.
When you've checked-out, and your bones are dust, what will you leave behind?
The good news is it's completely up to you. It's your call. How are you going to leave the world behind you?
Choices, choices, choices.
To help you plan your legacy, here are some ideas and the effort required in (brackets):
Children (5 minutes - 18 years)
This is nature at work. Your genetic legacy. Your direct descendants. This is a great starter but it's not long term. After a few generations, say four or five, you're going to fade and become a face of the forgotten past.
Living memories (zero effort)
Question: Who cuts your hair?
What's my point? Well, everyday (or most days at least) we interact with dozens of people. Some people are more significant than others, but we remember them all. I reckon, if pushed, most people could name at least a thousand other people. I'm forming a theory that after death, people live on in other peoples' memories and this is what psychic mediums connect with.
People you have contact with will remember you. If you are nice, they will have positive memories. If you are not nice, they will have negative memories. Good and bad, people will remember you, and may share these stories and anecdotes with friends.
One of these people may speak at your funeral. What will they say?
Paint a masterpiece (1 day)
Everyone can paint. When did you last paint a picture? Or finger paint? Do you remember the smell of crayons? Quick! Go get some paints, paint something and stick it on the fridge. Better still, frame it and give it to your friends and relatives. It may become an heirloom. In a hundred years or so, your ancestors (dressed in tinfoil) may take it to the Antiques Roadshow hoping it's priceless. It'll be a laugh if nothing else.
Get quoted or invent a word (20 minutes + an opportunity)
Either that wallpaper goes or I do. [Oscar Wilde, on his deathbed]
If you are a witty sort, or have the right audience, you may be able to coin a new phrase or invent a new word.
I call this lexacy ;-)
15 minutes of fame (15 minutes)
Example: The Star Wars Kid
Have you had your 15 minutes yet? What are you waiting for? Get your camera, put your favourite tune on the hifi, crank it up, dance around and film it. Upload it to YouTube and you're done. Either that or streak the Superbowl. Box ticked. Next.
Become a Cult Icon (lifetime)
Examples: Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa
Some people touch others in a truly profound way. People can inspire others or gain devotion from fans or a following. Become the front man of a revolution and become symbolic, representing ideas and values. This may be religious or cultural. My favourite is The King himself.
Write a Book (6 months)
I believe that everyone has a book in them. They may not know it, and they may need help to write it. But I believe it's lurking inside everyone. It may be a novel, some poems, some recipes or a reference book. It may be a comic, a play or the perfect murder mystery. If you can't think of anything, why not start writing your autobiography?
What book will you write?
Bag a Nobel Prize (lifetime)
This is a tough one and I have no advice to offer other than 'be magnificent'.
Write a Great Song (1 week + talent)
Example: Imagine All The People
Writing a great song or infectious jingle is a brilliant legacy. We can all name several composers. We can all sing several songs by Lennon and McCartney. Plus if you write a good song, you and your kids may enjoy the royalties for many years. Could you write a Christmas number one? Where's my Bontempi?
Change the world - invent something (6 months - lifetime)
Invent something. Stuck for ideas? I think right now the world needs a way to get hydrogen from water cheaply. Or a carbon-dioxide sponge. Many inventions disrupt things and change the world forever. My daughter will grow up with her first memory of computers being Windows XP, not a Sinclair Spectrum. In my grandparents' lifetime jet engines, micro-processors and lasers have changed the world forever.
Weblogs (10 minutes)
The barriers to entry for publishing recently got lowered. You are reading my thoughts shared electronically. Several hundred years ago, this process would have been very different, if not impossible. To be able to reach an audience of millions is incredible, especially when you consider how low the cost is. Now there are millions of people writing their weblogs sharing thoughts and ideas like this one. The Internet Archive is the web's equivalent to the New York public library, every month, they store 20 terabytes of web content for history. It is comforting to know that someday our future descendants (dressed in tinfoil) will be reading about our parties, picnics and new year resolutions. Seriously, your kids can read all about your life. Cool! Start your weblog today!
Source Code (6 months)
Are you a programmer? If you're an open source contributor your works may live on well beyond your death. Or may be you work for the man. Perhaps you coded the idle loop at the heart of Windows. Open or closed source, you will live on in your comments.
Mythology (do something gossip worthy)
How cool to be the star of your own urban myth? Live on in legend. Living memories are good, but do something extraordinary, and this could be your ticket to immortality. You could be the clueless Muppet immortalised by a gross act of stupidity. Better still, you could scoop a Darwin Award.
War, Famine, Death or Plague (a five year slog)
Example: Hitler
Could you be a horseman of the apocalypse? Pick a fight. Orchestrate an act of terrorism. Topple a regime. Be the first diagnosed patient of a new disease and have your own syndrome. Engineer a virus. All these are doable, but is this really how you want to be remembered? This one's not for me. Too much bad karma.
Landfill (zero effort)
If all the above sounds like a lot of work, don't worry. Take comfort in your landfill legacy. The foot print you've already left behind. In a thousand years, when our civilization has gone, an archaeologist (wearing tinfoil) will discover the contents of your kitchen bin and create an exhibit based on last night's take away. Or some eccentric boffin will build a theme park based on DNA extracted from your toenail clippings.
Have fun!
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© Copyright 2006 Tim Hastings (all rights reserved)
Something, someday, will get the better of you and you're going to die.
When you've checked-out, and your bones are dust, what will you leave behind?
The good news is it's completely up to you. It's your call. How are you going to leave the world behind you?
Choices, choices, choices.
To help you plan your legacy, here are some ideas and the effort required in (brackets):
Children (5 minutes - 18 years)
This is nature at work. Your genetic legacy. Your direct descendants. This is a great starter but it's not long term. After a few generations, say four or five, you're going to fade and become a face of the forgotten past.
Living memories (zero effort)
Question: Who cuts your hair?
What's my point? Well, everyday (or most days at least) we interact with dozens of people. Some people are more significant than others, but we remember them all. I reckon, if pushed, most people could name at least a thousand other people. I'm forming a theory that after death, people live on in other peoples' memories and this is what psychic mediums connect with.
People you have contact with will remember you. If you are nice, they will have positive memories. If you are not nice, they will have negative memories. Good and bad, people will remember you, and may share these stories and anecdotes with friends.
One of these people may speak at your funeral. What will they say?
Paint a masterpiece (1 day)
Everyone can paint. When did you last paint a picture? Or finger paint? Do you remember the smell of crayons? Quick! Go get some paints, paint something and stick it on the fridge. Better still, frame it and give it to your friends and relatives. It may become an heirloom. In a hundred years or so, your ancestors (dressed in tinfoil) may take it to the Antiques Roadshow hoping it's priceless. It'll be a laugh if nothing else.
Get quoted or invent a word (20 minutes + an opportunity)
Either that wallpaper goes or I do. [Oscar Wilde, on his deathbed]
If you are a witty sort, or have the right audience, you may be able to coin a new phrase or invent a new word.
I call this lexacy ;-)
15 minutes of fame (15 minutes)
Example: The Star Wars Kid
Have you had your 15 minutes yet? What are you waiting for? Get your camera, put your favourite tune on the hifi, crank it up, dance around and film it. Upload it to YouTube and you're done. Either that or streak the Superbowl. Box ticked. Next.
Become a Cult Icon (lifetime)Examples: Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa
Some people touch others in a truly profound way. People can inspire others or gain devotion from fans or a following. Become the front man of a revolution and become symbolic, representing ideas and values. This may be religious or cultural. My favourite is The King himself.
Write a Book (6 months)
I believe that everyone has a book in them. They may not know it, and they may need help to write it. But I believe it's lurking inside everyone. It may be a novel, some poems, some recipes or a reference book. It may be a comic, a play or the perfect murder mystery. If you can't think of anything, why not start writing your autobiography?
What book will you write?
Bag a Nobel Prize (lifetime)
This is a tough one and I have no advice to offer other than 'be magnificent'.
Write a Great Song (1 week + talent)
Example: Imagine All The People
Writing a great song or infectious jingle is a brilliant legacy. We can all name several composers. We can all sing several songs by Lennon and McCartney. Plus if you write a good song, you and your kids may enjoy the royalties for many years. Could you write a Christmas number one? Where's my Bontempi?
Change the world - invent something (6 months - lifetime)
Invent something. Stuck for ideas? I think right now the world needs a way to get hydrogen from water cheaply. Or a carbon-dioxide sponge. Many inventions disrupt things and change the world forever. My daughter will grow up with her first memory of computers being Windows XP, not a Sinclair Spectrum. In my grandparents' lifetime jet engines, micro-processors and lasers have changed the world forever.
Weblogs (10 minutes)
The barriers to entry for publishing recently got lowered. You are reading my thoughts shared electronically. Several hundred years ago, this process would have been very different, if not impossible. To be able to reach an audience of millions is incredible, especially when you consider how low the cost is. Now there are millions of people writing their weblogs sharing thoughts and ideas like this one. The Internet Archive is the web's equivalent to the New York public library, every month, they store 20 terabytes of web content for history. It is comforting to know that someday our future descendants (dressed in tinfoil) will be reading about our parties, picnics and new year resolutions. Seriously, your kids can read all about your life. Cool! Start your weblog today!
Source Code (6 months)
Are you a programmer? If you're an open source contributor your works may live on well beyond your death. Or may be you work for the man. Perhaps you coded the idle loop at the heart of Windows. Open or closed source, you will live on in your comments.
Mythology (do something gossip worthy)
How cool to be the star of your own urban myth? Live on in legend. Living memories are good, but do something extraordinary, and this could be your ticket to immortality. You could be the clueless Muppet immortalised by a gross act of stupidity. Better still, you could scoop a Darwin Award.
War, Famine, Death or Plague (a five year slog)
Example: Hitler
Could you be a horseman of the apocalypse? Pick a fight. Orchestrate an act of terrorism. Topple a regime. Be the first diagnosed patient of a new disease and have your own syndrome. Engineer a virus. All these are doable, but is this really how you want to be remembered? This one's not for me. Too much bad karma.
Landfill (zero effort)
If all the above sounds like a lot of work, don't worry. Take comfort in your landfill legacy. The foot print you've already left behind. In a thousand years, when our civilization has gone, an archaeologist (wearing tinfoil) will discover the contents of your kitchen bin and create an exhibit based on last night's take away. Or some eccentric boffin will build a theme park based on DNA extracted from your toenail clippings.
Have fun!
del.icio.us | reddit | digg or subscribe
© Copyright 2006 Tim Hastings (all rights reserved)
265 comments,
Pensive, Sunday, November 19, 2006 02:25
