This morning I will complete a thought that began two days ago. I had written that our final chapters will be written in memories. Yesterday I continued to write about that but didn't feel as though I had satisfied myself with my interpretation of that statement. This morning I think the answer has been staring me in the face. Our final chapters will indeed be written in memories, other peoples' memories.
It something I have said on numerous occasions, we are never gone as long as our name is spoken. It is a phrase I offer as comfort to those that grieve. I do believe we should speak of the deceased, and often. My Mother always says, do not speak ill of the dead, its' bad luck. Superstition ? No, I think it is good advice, age old wisdom at its' finest. Speak only of the dead in a kind fashion, as you should when they are here among us. Their voices may have been silenced in death but not the memory they left behind. Enjoy the good and learn from the bad. I don't want to be forgotten. That is what that sentence is trying to convey. I don't want the story to end. Immortality on this earth is achieved only in the memory of others. It is that desire that must be reconciled with our physical mortality.
We should strive to leave behind our memory, not our material things. Oh, some material things may serve as reminders, old photographs, letters written or gifts given, but how enduring are those things ? By the third generation most of those things are just curiosities. They may spark an interest in a person to learn more, to attempt to recover some information. The information they seek is a memory, one repeated. So how to create a lasting memory is the challenge we all face. It is something that is easily confused with a legacy. We hear much about leaving our legacy but few understand what that is. A legacy is money or property. That is all it is, although able to be enjoyed in the present by those that inherit that legacy. I would hope to be remembered for more than that. Wealth and property may scream success but the sweetest words are spoken in whispers. I'm thinking more of a legend than a legacy. Legends lives forever, but legacy fades away. Even the poorest among us can create a legend. Legends do rely upon others for life, that is true, and it is that I am considering. Are legends born or created ? That is the central question here. Legends are born in memory is my thought. It is our lives that create that memory. Strive not to be remembered for what you left behind, but for what was promised with your life. Be memorable for being you. Legends endure because of their deeds, not their value. The simplest of gestures may be remembered the longest. Be kind.
It something I have said on numerous occasions, we are never gone as long as our name is spoken. It is a phrase I offer as comfort to those that grieve. I do believe we should speak of the deceased, and often. My Mother always says, do not speak ill of the dead, its' bad luck. Superstition ? No, I think it is good advice, age old wisdom at its' finest. Speak only of the dead in a kind fashion, as you should when they are here among us. Their voices may have been silenced in death but not the memory they left behind. Enjoy the good and learn from the bad. I don't want to be forgotten. That is what that sentence is trying to convey. I don't want the story to end. Immortality on this earth is achieved only in the memory of others. It is that desire that must be reconciled with our physical mortality.
We should strive to leave behind our memory, not our material things. Oh, some material things may serve as reminders, old photographs, letters written or gifts given, but how enduring are those things ? By the third generation most of those things are just curiosities. They may spark an interest in a person to learn more, to attempt to recover some information. The information they seek is a memory, one repeated. So how to create a lasting memory is the challenge we all face. It is something that is easily confused with a legacy. We hear much about leaving our legacy but few understand what that is. A legacy is money or property. That is all it is, although able to be enjoyed in the present by those that inherit that legacy. I would hope to be remembered for more than that. Wealth and property may scream success but the sweetest words are spoken in whispers. I'm thinking more of a legend than a legacy. Legends lives forever, but legacy fades away. Even the poorest among us can create a legend. Legends do rely upon others for life, that is true, and it is that I am considering. Are legends born or created ? That is the central question here. Legends are born in memory is my thought. It is our lives that create that memory. Strive not to be remembered for what you left behind, but for what was promised with your life. Be memorable for being you. Legends endure because of their deeds, not their value. The simplest of gestures may be remembered the longest. Be kind.
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