What's the point of having a legacy?

[MessiahDecoy123]

Why does it matter?

Ego?

A desperate attempt at immortality?

Or some more reasonable or selfless?

 

[Victarion]

You either like the challenge of building something that will endure past your time on this earth, or its one of the things you mention in the OP. Nothing inherently good or bad, positive or negative: it is what you make of it.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I think it can bad if you don't fully understand why.

At some point these compulsions share the foresight level of an ant.

 

[Victarion]

I think it can bad if you don't fully understand why.

At some point these compulsions share the foresight level of an ant.

I respectfully disagree with the second point. Life's too fleeting, too short to get hung up on the philosophical side of legacy - do what you like so long as you aren't hurting someone or breaking any laws. But, your first statement is kind of in line with what I said - legacy is what you, the individual, make of it.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I respectfully disagree with the second point. Life's too fleeting, too short to get hung up on the philosophical side of legacy - do what you like so long as you aren't hurting someone or breaking any laws. But, your first statement is kind of in line with what I said - legacy is what you, the individual, make of it.

I guess most legacy motivated ambitions make the world a better place.

But I suspect the ones that helped the most involved more forsight than usual.

Imagine something that builds your karma even after this life ends.

Foresight, superstition..

Same difference.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Sorry for the tangent.

Anyway, if someone is obsessed with their legacy giving them personal credit, are they missing the point?

 

[Thundercrack85]

All humans want a legacy. I think it's a mixture of not wanting to die, and having kids (a living legacy). It's what nature has programmed us to do.

 

[Warhammer]

There's no real right answer. If I had to guess, it probably all depends on two things. The individuals' outlook on the action and the everyone else's perception of that action. But it breaks down so much more than that.

Some people want to be remembered. Not many people are remembered versus those who aren't remembered. I read a statistic that 11% of the US population is considered a celebrity. Now think of how much of that 11% is remembered for anything 20 years+ later. It's depressing when you think about it. In the grand scheme of things, you don't amount to anything. Is it a fear of death? Is the desire to be remembered considered arrogance or determination?

Or you can think that hell, since over 90% of this world's population is "forgotten," why does it matter? Do what you can with the cards you are dealt because life moves on regardless. Can you truly say you don't fear death?

Then you have the dilemma when it comes to good works. If you donated 15 million dollars to a charity, is it right or wrong to want credit? Does it defeat the purpose to be known? Is the fame wrong to want or have? Do you believe that being in the spotlight will motivate or challenge others? Do you use your position to galvanize more to a cause? Did you donate for the glory or to truly help?

S*** like this walks a fine line between being an intellectually stimulating discussion or a bad f***ing headache.

 

[Lencho01]

Why does it matter?

Ego?

A desperate attempt at immortality?

Or some more reasonable or selfless?

I'd say it's probably a mix of things.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

My legacy is music, assuming the sites I post on continue to exist after I'm gone I will live on. That's one reason I need to get off my ass and finally get them all posted to YouTube. I doubt they will go anywhere in the next thousand years or so. Would be cool to think on my deathbed people will still be bumping my ish for years to come.