Legacy is about life and living. It’s about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future.
Where do you think it’s best to plant a young tree: a clearing in an old-growth forest or an open field? Ecologists tell us that a young tree grows better when it’s planted in an area with older trees. The reason, it seems, is that the roots of the young tree are able to follow the pathways created by former trees and implant themselves more deeply. Over time, the roots of many trees may actually graft themselves to one another, creating an intricate, interdependent foundation hidden under the ground.
In this way, stronger trees share resources with weaker ones so that the whole forest becomes healthier. That’s legacy: an interconnection across time, with a need for those who have come before us and a responsibility to those who come after us.
- Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. Research shows that without a sense of working to create a legacy, adults lose meaning in their life. Exploring the idea of legacy offers a glimpse not only into human relationships and building strong communities, but also the human spirit.
- The idea of legacy may remind us of death, but it’s not about death. Being reminded of death is actually a good thing, because death informs life. It gives you a perspective on what’s important. But legacy is really about life and living. It helps us decide the kind of life we want to live and the kind of world we want to live in.
- The giving and receiving of legacies can evoke, all at once, the entire spectrum of basic human emotions: hope, longing, regret, anxiety, fear, dread, jealousy, bitterness, rage, a sense of failure, a sense of accomplishment, pride, contentment, joy, gratitude, humility, love. When you start thinking about legacies, no matter what your age or state of health, you take stock – of your possessions, and also of your accomplishments and disappointments; You take stock of what you’ve learned from what you’ve done in the past, what you’re doing now, and what you still hope to do. With varying levels of awareness, individuals also inevitably reflect on the people, work, ideas, commitments, and social institutions that have given their lives shape and meaning.
Most of us will not be an Albert Einstein, with our name and accomplishments remembered forever in the history books. But that does not lessen our need to create some meaning in our lives, to have what we’ve done and thought live on after us, to be remembered in some way.
From a purely practical standpoint, if you don’t pass on your life experience by leaving a legacy, the wisdom you’ve gained through decades of difficult learning will disappear as your physical body wears out.
A legacy may take many forms – children, grandchildren, a business, an ideal, a book, a community, a home, some piece of ourselves. Our legacy naturally intrigues us. It’s perfectly understandable that we would want to know how the world will remember us after we’re gone.
How many of us will be surprised? How many of us are living our lives so that our legacy reflects all that we truly hold most near and dear? How many of us are living with integrity and courage?
If you are thinking about Building a Legacy, then consider structures that which can outlast you! TRUSTS are virtually is immortal.
Click Here to learn more about Trusts.
Adapted from LegacyProject.com, Susan V. Bosak
