The Question of Legacy
Don’t care what other people think. Isn’t that what they always tell you? Follow your dreams. Follow your heart. Be your own person. I agree, at least on most days. Yet when it comes to one’s legacy, it seems like it’s the exact opposite of that advice.
Legacy is nearly entirely based on what other people think of you. It is determined by what actions others deem noteworthy, or what products you’ve left behind that they find valuable. Your legacy is nearly entirely in the hands of “others,” giving you virtually no say in it. Yet, that is what is left behind hundreds and thousands of years after you’re gone: your legacy.
So, if we live a life based solely on our own personal interests and dreams, we may have a wonderful legacy that people choose to admire, or we may have no legacy, or we may have a horrible legacy - but it’s out of our hands.
It seems a perplexing and circuitous problem in a way. Live a life without regard to others, only to let your legacy be entirely dictated by what others think of you. Or, focus on living a life based on the approval of others, hoping to have a positive legacy.
I suppose the better question is whether we should care about our legacy? Should we even concern ourselves with the memory of our lives? Does anything matter? Is just living the best we can while we’re alive, all that we can and should do? Or is being motivated to have a legacy a good thing?
If we step into the mind of Abraham Lincoln for a moment, we could imagine that his life was often far more difficult and stressful than the average person thinks. He lost his mother at a young age. He taught himself law without the aid of a teacher or apprentice. He overcame some obviously unappealing physical characteristics (large ears, sunken eyes, high-pitched voice.) He fought long and hard as our president to keep the country united, despite the obvious danger that one in that position could face. I imagine that his life was not altogether filled with joy and euphoria. In fact, an average day for President Lincoln probably consisted of spending hours in meetings, hours reading over documents, and hours strategizing and contemplating hard decisions that impacted the lives of millions of people. The obvious question is, what motivated Lincoln to persist in such a difficult life path that ultimately ended with his assassination?
My guess, as that is all it is, is a concern for legacy. Yes, President Lincoln certainly cared about our country, and believed in our constitution, but that is implicit. To risk one’s life, and push forward in an increasingly challenging direction day after day, one needs a more lasting motive. If President Lincoln thought that he might be remembered as the greatest American President of all time, would that have helped to offset his daily struggles? If he knew that he would be an inspiration to others, and be written about in history books, would it have given him comfort on his sleepless nights? Would knowing that his legacy would never be forgotten have made his entrance into the deep dark night on the evening that he was shot, a little more bearable?
I think that the answer is yes, and I believe that we are all better as a result of him shifting his efforts away from momentary pleasures towards the idea of a legacy. By doing so, he was better able to endure the hardships and suffering in his life, knowing that his legacy would be his consolation. This shift from momentary joys to an abstract legacy is by no means a requirement, but it seems to be a societal benefit that comes from an almost altogether concern for others’ perception of us. If President Lincoln truly didn’t care at all what people thought of him, perhaps he would have been a lonely farmer making moonshine somewhere in Illinois. His concern with what other people thought of him, and his concern for other people in general, is what made him such a great leader. A leader who is NOT concerned with other people, or their opinion of them, is one that may make selfish decisions without regard to the people’s approval. This is not to say that being concerned with other people’s opinions of us is a safeguard against selfish behavior, not at all, but without concern for ‘others’ Lincoln wouldn’t have made such substantial sacrifices throughout his life.
Therefore, I see much more ambiguity in whether we should act with concern for people’s opinion of us, or act without concern for it. Often, the initial action that is opposed to public opinion must be done so with such force of will that neglecting the public’s opinions is almost a requirement to overcome the initial inertia. Yet, once the idea has gained momentum, it makes sense to slow down, reflect on the people’s feedback, and adjust one’s course so as to be beneficial for the majority of people. In time, no matter the struggle, if your actions were beneficial for the majority of humanity, then your legacy will likely be preserved in perpetuity, despite the hardships faced throughout one’s daily life.
