Another #Weekend-Engagement post is coming, and I am really glad because once again I have found interesting topics to write about. What would you like to be remembered for?
Well, that question, I believe, is something that exists in the back of our minds from a very young age. I think it is first put there when our parents project expectations upon us. Who among us hasn't heard the question, "What are you going to become when you grow up?" Everyone expects an answer that is either something with a lot of respect, like a doctor who saves lives, or a physicist like Einstein. Secondly, when we start to understand death, we begin to wonder, "What will I be remembered for?" Alexander the Great conquered the known ancient world. What about me? Well, that is a really philosophical question. Let's move on to the main topic now.
I believe that at the age of 12, I started to want to become a great business tycoon, a man who, with his brains and negotiation skills, could really take the business world by storm and become a wealthy man. That was because I really loved finance, and I always read about the great ones in modern-day books, like Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, our own Aristotle Onassis, and others. I always thought that these men were truly great and left behind a great legacy and wealth to the world and their families. They influenced governments, people, started and ended wars. So, I thought if I could become someone like them, then I would be able to leave a legacy that would be even greater and be remembered by millions of people as a powerful, wealthy, and charitable man who donated a lot and helped a lot of people, maybe with a foundation after death that would try to keep my name alive through the ages. Big dream? Well, I am sure those men felt the same.
Eventually, I didn't become a businessman or create a foundation and take the business world by storm. I am financially stable, and I could probably do some nice things to engrave my name in my community, but I came to the realization that the way I want to be remembered is as a man with a good heart, fun to be around, and most of all, a good father and family man. I realized that no amount of professional success could compare to the love and connection I can find within my family. I witnessed the deep bonds formed through shared experiences, affectionate moments, and the profound joy of watching my kids grow up.
So, to answer the question, I want to be remembered by my family and friends, and not by strangers. I won't jeopardize those relationships with vanity because the most important thing is what we do here and now, not what we leave behind when we die.