I’m mortal. Sometime, hopefully well in the distant future, my time on this earth will be at an end. I have been lucky to know both of my parents, but I only had the opportunity to get to know one of my grandparents. The other three passed away before I get a chance to know them. I wish I had that chance. I think about my own children and grandchildren, will they know me? What about the generations to come after? What legacy will I leave them?
Wielding Influence from Beyond
People continue to influence others after death through three means:
- Memories of those they touched during life
- Family oral tradition and storytelling, and
- Posthumous appreciation of one’s contributions.
For good or ill, I can be reasonably confident that my memory will live on in the memory of my children and, hopefully, my grandchildren. But my impact will end without storytelling or some way to document what happened. My family has not made a habit of telling family stories. I know little of my ancestors. Even if my family does do a better job at maintaining oral tradition, stories can often grow into legends and caricatures and the wisdom of a life’s experience is lost.
I have often said that what I write are love letters to my children, but that’s not wholly true. When I write, I try to capture the lessons I’ve learned and pass those lessons down to not only my children, but to their children, and for as long as the generations of my descendents could benefit from my experiences. I write with honesty and vulnerability. When succeeding generations of my family read my works, I hope they will get a chance to know me, free from legend or caricature–with full knowledge of what I believed, where I erred, and how I cared.
Capturing your Legacy
I think many people could benefit from documenting some parts of their life. One of the ideas we have discussed was the possibility of helping individuals prepare legacy books, where family elders can write down some of their accumulated wisdom for the long-term betterment of their families.
If anyone reading this would be interested in such a project, reach out to us, we’d love to help you.
In the mean time, take some time to consider how you would like the generations to come to know you. We are only on this earth for a limited amount of time, but with careful planning and preparation, you can make your presence felt long after you’ve surrendered to whatever comes next.