What is the legacy you want to leave behind?
In Judaism they teach that our legacies are our children, those we leave behind to carry on the traditions. But as time marches on and those traditions fall by the wayside, so does that legacy. So what is left to pass on???
How else do we as a society of human beings leave our mark on the world?
Musicians leave their music for future generations to discover and admire.
Poets, writers, and journalists leave their words for future generations to ponder and discuss.
Politicians more often than not leave a trail of chaos that those who come later have to try and make some sense out of it.
But for the vast majority of the population who struggle to make it through each day, what do they leave behind? Bones for future archeologists to find? Trinkets of the past for future anthropologists to sift through and ponder?
What do we truly leave behind for those yet to come to put their mark on the world…and the past?
In this modern age of technology, the poets, writers, and journalists aren’t the only ones leaving their words behind. Social media has given everyone a voice to speak their mind even if it does stem from misjudgment or misinformation.
If one of the thousands of species discovered by the “Star Trek” generation passed by Earth today, would they even care about what they saw and read? Would it truly make a difference?
Who knows!
As for me, I have spent over 35 years of sharing my words as a journalist. And in all that time, I can honestly say that what I wrote was done with integrity. I worked hard to pass along as they say in court “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”.
If nothing else, I would like it to be said that my words were truthful and honest; not intended to harm or be a detriment to anyone.
My words are my own, and not created by some artificial being that reflect the thoughts of others. If I write something, it will be my own thoughts and words and not contrived by something else; especially when it has my own name attached.
THAT is my legacy…honesty and integrity in a world of falsehoods and misdeeds.