Reflecting on Legacy: How Would You Like to Be Remembered After You're Gone?

Taken from Nitro Noble's House Journal (Alfred Noble's Company)

Sweden May 1977

Are you startled by this question?

Have you ever given this a little thought ?

If you haven't, I would be serious when I suggest that you should

give this a hard good look and cast this statement in your

mind. "When I am gone I would like people to remember me as….."

About a 100+ years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to

his dismay and horror, he read his name in the front page …"Dynamite

Kind Dies.." This was cast in a square grey tinted box with a thick

black line on the borders."

His first response was awesomely shocking. "Am I there or here?

When he regained his composure after a while, his next thought was to

actually find out what people said of him, what people thought of him

The obituary news read as follows:

"He was the merchant of death. This man was the inventor of the

dynamite. One most cruel invention that could kill people while it

was being made, and even many more when it was used. A substance of

mass killing, and a deadly weapon in the hands of those who wishes to

create terror and rule the scene…. The story continued with several

curses added to it.

He asked himself, "Is this how people view me?

Is this the way they will think of me?

Is this the way they will remember me?

He decided then and there that he would change the situation made a

firm resolve to clear the stigma that was being associated with his

name. From that day on he started working towards peace, and sure

enough he left an indelible mark on this planet. He is remembered

even this day as Alfred Noble. He gave his entire earnings to

establish a foundation that would work for peace in the world, and

today too it awards prizes for achievers all over the world for their

unique contributions to the welfare of mankind. He lives on even

today through this mission and the Noble prizes are awarded in his

honour.

Just as Alfred Noble redefined his values, I believe all of us should

step back and do the same taking a leaf out of this man's true story.

What will be your legacy?

How would you like to be remembered?

Will you be spoken off well?

Will you be remembered with love and respect?

Will you be missed?

Cheerio

Rajat

Hi Rajat!

Must say, it's a nice thought... "what would people remember me as when I'm gone?" 🙄

Never thought about it actually... but on second thoughts, I don't think it really matters to me what people think of me when I'm gone. I'm not too sure if we should even worry about what people think of us while we're alive!

A quote I'd read somewhere - "Never worry about what others are thinking of you because most of the time they're busy worrying about what you're thinking of them!"

And I kinda believe it's true... and if it really doesn't matter what people think of you when you're alive, I don't think it'll matter once you're gone from this world. 😉

I'd personally consider my life successful if I manage to make a difference to one person's life while I'm living. And I'm sure if that happens, at least that one person will think of me fondly while I'm alive and after I'm gone too...

Maybe all this is very philosophical... but I've grown to believe it...

What do the rest of the members think? Share your thoughts, people!

Ciao!

Lalita

Dear Rajat,

That's a really thoughtful submission! You know, personally, I feel that if anybody contemplates in a cool and steady place with real calmness, they can realize what they need to do to succeed in life even after death. I disagree with Lalita's opinion.

Thank you for your submission, and please continue with such meaningful contributions.

Sincerely,
Shaki

Hi all...

Philosophy or no philosophy... Whatever we do has some bearing on others, and we (consciously or unconsciously - oops, I guess it should be subconsciously) do think about the effect our 'doings' will have on others and 'what they will think about us.'

The way we dress, the way we talk and communicate, and behave in public settings... it's all a response to the 'Impression Management' we are constantly doing. We all want to create an impression on others.

In earlier stages of life (childhood, teens, youth), we are worried about the impression we create on specific people around us - teachers, parents, then friends, boy/girlfriends, and people from the opposite sex. Then comes our attempt to impress colleagues and our superiors (boss).

As we move on in life and enter middle age, the impression is now targeted on groups of people - the whole department, the company you are working for, the business community, and to some extent on society too.

Further on, one tries to create an image/impression on society, the country, and the world.

Of course, there are several exceptions where the stages don't match the above 'age stages' - for example, movie stars and politicians mature through these stages at an early stage of life.

But talk to 'normal' people belonging to the masses, the Impression Management is always on.

Comments invited - agreements as well as disagreements :)

Hi Shaki,

All kinds of people like you and me make this world a colorful place to live in. If we all have the same ideas and opinions, there'll be no need for fora like this. Glad to know that you disagree with me! :)

Cheers!
Lalita

Hi Shaki!

You're welcome! (That's in response to your 'Thanks') Agree with you... we're all in the quest for a better world... but not many realize that making a better world lies in our very hands... Cheers to us all who have made a move in that direction... Remember the song "Chodo kal ki baatein...", there's a line in that song which goes like "aao mehnat ko apna iman banaye, apne haathon se apna bhagwan banaye..." That's what we're trying to do... good for all of us! Cheerio!

Lalita

Hi all,

If my memory serves me right 🤔, one of the 7 Habits of Stephen Covey is "begin with the end in mind."

In layman's terms, our life, according to Mr. Covey, should be lived based on what we want to be (or what we want to achieve) in the end. The "end," in my humble opinion, should be our purpose in life or calling - something to be passionate about. That's how people will remember us, whether we are still living or gone.

Cheers