I'm not really worried about if I am remembered in other people's minds while I am still alive. I fear for after I die there will come a day I am no longer mentioned, and for the last time I am ever remembered. I fear for the day I am nothing more than a plot in the ground where moss covers my tombstone and the only visitor I get is the grounds keeper to trim the grass on my grave.
That is what I fear about dieing. Not the not being alive but the not being remembered.
That's a deep one. I've had that thought before but then I realized- everyone either gets forgotten or distorted by history. How many parks and buildings are named for people or are patronages of people no one remembers beyond the name on a map? It sounds very bleak but to me it's a comfort. I've wondered what Ghengis Khan, or Plato might think of how history views them. The truth is that we are all so complex and those remembered for long periods tend to become charicatures to suit an ideal more than a person- that the Abe Lincoln we remember has little to do with the actual man and for all intents is another person created in pop culture "based on a true story." Figures are erased from history but surge to conscious thousands of years later like the great emperors and Pharos of old, Lucy the cave woman and so on. When we die this world isn't our concern anymore- so I draw on that and just figure to make the biggest impact I can while I'm here and try to impact individuals lives.
But at least they people have left a mark to say I was alive I was here and though the people who knew and meet me are gone as well each generation after will know my name.
That is one the main reasons I love telling stories to people about the people I know so that even when they are gone someone somewhere will remember the story I told them and remember them.
I am certainly not picking at what you believe. What I meant is that what happens on earth after we leave- we can't likely know. If that's the case then all we can do is touch others while we are here. Our words and deeds may make us memorable, like the people you tell stories of or "great" figures in history. Perhaps we will be discovered as relics by chance- but even if we aren't, our names may be forgotten but our imprint can last through time. Our values can live on through those we reach (especially children) and passed on through their children. Our deeds can ensure and ripple on in cause and effect. These are the things I think about when I get frightened about Legacy. If we live, love, and teach we can never be completely forgotten. I don't know all their names and stories but I thank my ancestors and think fondly on them for being a link in the chain that led to me.
Not really. Once in awhile I've mused on it. Realistically I don't care. Most of my day I'm either busy or enjoying myself. I sometimes think of people I love (or dislike) and I'm sure they do the same of me sometimes, and if not it's of no consequence to me living my life as I choose. Faith is fundamental to the human condition. We don't know that we will wake up tomorrow, but in good faith we plan that we will. Before we knew of gravity we had to have faith we wouldn't suddenly float away. Where there are no solid answers to be had we cannot trust because we lack information to base a conclusion. If we cannot get information we must use imagination to fill the gaps. If I am imagining elements of my reality, I may as well imagine them in a prudent or pleasant manner. Since we can only guess what others are thinking, it's best to resolve to accept the most constructive guess- in this case I gain nothing by imagining I'm forgotten, and no longer need concern myself believing affirmative
That is what I fear about dieing. Not the not being alive but the not being remembered.
That is one the main reasons I love telling stories to people about the people I know so that even when they are gone someone somewhere will remember the story I told them and remember them.