What if they all forget about you?

I’ve written in the past about the end of the universe—the fact that someday everything we’ve known and created will be nothing, and how we as individuals will face that nothingness first.

But what about what we leave behind?

Sure, we may lose our ability to observe the universe, but others will inherit this gift. Shouldn’t we hope to be remembered by them? And shouldn’t that provide us with some form of life after death?

I tend to disregard the idea of legacy—beyond what will extend this gift of observation further into the future. The way I see it, nothing will last forever. The very universe itself has an expiry date. Any attempt to prolong our personal existence—beyond the end of our observable life—is futile.

Yes, we may succeed in this goal and be remembered for some time, perhaps even a long time if we are truly a rare individual.

But what becomes of this legacy?

We need only look at what historians have achieved for those who came before us.

Time moves beyond our actions—beyond our ideals. The stories of our life become unburdened from our perception and left in the hands of others. Eventually, strangers.

What may be remembered, what was created, and who we were will all be warped and re-contextualized beyond our comprehension.

How many of the dead would be able to recognize themselves in the description of their character written by a historian a century after their passing?

We can strive for legacy, but whatever legacy it is certainly won’t be ours.

But if not legacy, then what?

As you may have guessed, I believe that what’s more important than a nebulous future is the present moment. Rather than focusing on how you will be remembered in the future, think about how you will be experienced now.

I think the filmmaker, David Lowery puts it brilliantly in his “Notes on a Scene” with Vanity Fair for the film The Green Knight. While he talks specifically about his particular art, I believe the thought holds true more generally.

As a filmmaker, it’s really important to remind myself constantly that the movies I make, aren’t all that important.

[…]

And so more important than the legacy I’m creating for myself with my body of work is the way I comport myself as I make them, the integrity with which I live my life, and my attempts to be a good person, to do good in this world.

- David Lowery

When I first heard this I was amazed by his humility. (Even more so because of how incredible I found The Green Knight to be.)

It also reminded me of a quote from Maya Angelou which I love:

At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou

As it will at the end of the day, so it will at the end of your life.

So, personally, I will try to live my life with consideration of the present moment, focusing on how I comport myself in the creation of my work.

Ironically, this line of thinking may, in general, lead to a better legacy than focusing on legacy itself.

2021-10-11