On legacy and impact & week 22 of 52

a short contemplation

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Today’s post is simply an exploration. I have been thinking a lot about legacy, and below are a few observations.

Legacy is about impact, not recognition.

Kafka is one of my heroes. While I’m not the biggest fan of his work, I’m a fan of his lifestyle. He had an uncanny dedication to his art without sacrificing his responsibility as a citizen of the world. He was disciplined and dedicated to a strict health regime, family obligations, writing, and his day job.

I wonder if this would have changed if he knew how popular his writing would become after his death. Would he have been more self-aggrandizing? Would his dedication to excellence at work have suffered? Would he have been more or less happy?

Legacy is a dream and matters little, if at all, to our genuine experience of life.

David Whyte says, “No matter the self-conceited importance of our labors we are all compost for worlds we cannot yet imagine.”

These words would only be diminished by analysis, so, enough said. And again, as Whyte likes to repeat lines.

“No matter the self-conceited importance of our labors we are all compost for worlds we cannot yet imagine.”

Humans are driven to create a legacy story, whether it has meaning or not.

For better or for worse. What is your best version of leaving a legacy? (Supporting others? Your kids carrying on your best values?) What is your worst? (The dream that one names a building after you? Kids carrying on worst characteristics?)

Our true legacy is uncontrollable.

A woman can do nothing but uplift and still be torn down after death. Another can do nothing at all and be regarded as a hero. Yet another can harm and be considered a necessary evil. The way we are perceived is not in our control and will not be consistent.

We want to be remembered (notably artists and writers, in my experience) because there is value in communicating our perspective. And we often think about legacy when we acknowledge our ephemeral nature. The idea of being a living legacy would be nice to propose here. After all, what we could hope to leave behind must be created today. We have no true control over perception, but we can control what we do. Right now. It’s an interesting concept to explore.

AYTL prompt: If there is a legacy you want to leave, how can you enact it today?

Writing prompt: A character wants to leave a very specific legacy. What is it, and how does it impact their behavior and their influence on those around them—for better or worse?