“Live the way you want to be remembered”.
Human ego. Pride. The feeling that the universe may be unable to go on without you, so let me leave something of me behind. The comfort that it’s not all over once you die, and that you will be remembered. Its ALL fallacy.
Several billion people have died over the years and only a handful have left behind anything. In fact, even the ones that have left an indelible mark, are not remembered now. Many Youtube videos prove that. When asked who Martin Luther King was or Edison or Dean Martin or Joe Biden etc. people on the streets drew blanks. People today just do not know. It’s as simple as that.
Trying to leave a legacy and spending time on such undertakings is simply a waste of time and only helps to massage one’s ego. Nothing more, nothing less. Legacies, for oneself, are destined to die out. Legacies, for others, may last, albeit, without you. So you setup a charitable trust which would surely outlast your life, but in the end, even though it is helping others, with your name emblazoned across the entity, you as a person would not have any meaning, just your name. It may be a comforting thought, for you. That is it. It’s just a name, could be anyone.
Many legacy believers also had their own personal dreams, experiences, secrets. Most of their secrets going to their graves. Their personalities or characters leaving a short-lived trail as their counterparts also turned to dust until there was no one left to recite their adventures. Their epitaphs encapsulating their entire existence into a single line on their gravestones, written by someone who knew them, hopefully loved them. They say hindsight is 20/20. Looking back at one’s life, things become clear on what should have been important and what should not have taken up the amount of time it did. But while the well-oiled wheels of time turned towards the inevitable we were blissfully unaware of our mistakes and led a life oblivious to the endgame.
This may come across as a defeatist, or pessimistic attitude. I assure you it is not. I am pushing the boundaries simply to imprint the reality of life. To emboss into minds the fact that wasting time on trying to leave a legacy may be fruitful to your ego alone. Channel these energies into more productive things. Create experiences, help people, enjoy life, love, travel, do. Your legacy will be what it will be.
OPINION PIECE: Uzair Hassan, CEO, 3H Solutions Group, Dubai, UAE.
(Uzair.hassan@3hsolutions.biz / 00971506228126 – call or whatsapp / www.3hsolutionsgroup.com)
An ex-banker and a serial entrepreneur. Trained / consulted in over 15 countries. Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM-UK) as well as a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI-UK). Adjunct professor at a university teaching the executive MBA. Featured in over 20 different publications. Advisor to European Bank for Reconstruction & Development ASB team, A Board member at an OD/HR company and a member of Mensa.
