What would you hope would be the mark you left? My grandmother was a really important influence in my life, and when she passed many years ago, I told my cousins, “ I was her favorite.” The 37 grandchildren at the wake all disagreed and said that they were the favorite. I am convinced that the five other grandkids who didn’t make it to the celebration of life would say the same. Imagine that influence as your legacy.
Maybe, you come from a much smaller tree and/or are not connected to a clan; how would you be remembered? Do you want friends and colleagues to mourn your passing or cheer the amazing things you did?
Is your vocation your mark? Does the work or the way you do it have a purpose bigger than profit, or is profit the way you resonate from the grave?
If you have 36 hours left, would you start something new, finish something undone, repair something broken, or mope about the misfortune?
I am inordinately comfortable with death being part of life and am not interested in the quantity of living when traded for quality of life. I know I have a best-before date. I just don’t have it printed on my forehead (that would make everything so much simpler).
My pathological quest to leave an imprint stems from a theological mythology that I no longer prescribe to, but the baggage of meaning is still strong. My ego is strong and leaning toward a delusion of grandeur, so I strive to make a big provocative dent in the fabric of time and relationships.
My desired legacy is that I am remembered as a curious, counter-certainty, creator who consistently challenged the comfortable way and chased new ways to live in community together.
B
Make It Your Problem 