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Who will remember you in 100 years?

micaelwidell.com

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Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#41

Post by marktangotango »

martalist wrote: post #27
kator wrote: post #19

Many times, in my career while negotiating something with another party I've said, "Let's get this fixed, it won't mean much to either of us in 50 years and in 100 nobody will remember either of us." I've managed to solve some pretty hairy problems saying that, the other party usually pauses and realizes the futility of our disagreement and we work something out. Call me morbid but I started saying that when I was 18…

It's not morbid, but sensible. No-one gets out of life alive. An unexpected death in my immediate family several years ago helped me realize how underprepared most of us are for death; for all the people and living things around us to die. Rather than be caught surprised, I've tried to remember that life can end in any moment, and it's best to make the most of things (and borrowed atoms, as you say) while you can.

Indeed, losing a loved one used to be common, now it's exceptional. One thing that struck me when reading Dickens was how prominent death was. Everyone had family members who'd died. Mothers, fathers, children, siblings. I think almost universally in the current era we take life and health for granted. The advent of antibiotics and sanitation has really had a profound effect. We know this, but we don't know this.

On the one hand, some one realizing the seeming meaninglessness of existence is banal. This is well trod ground for many after all. But on the other hand it's also a an xkcd 1053[1] privilege to be a part of the authors epiphany.

Personally, for myself, the question of 'what legacy shall I leave?' resulted in finally settling down and having children of my own. I felt like I received an immense gift of a kind, warm, and loving home. I seek to continue that legacy with my own family. Because in the end, that's all most can hope to do; be a positive influence on the generations to come.

[1] https://xkcd.com/1053/

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#42

Post by cm2187 »

madiathomas wrote: post #21

Living your life with a goal to be remembered in 100 years sounds more like living life to impress people you aren't even sure will regard what you are doing as important. Politicians, whether they changed the world for good or bad, are more likely to be remembered that 99% of who are contributing positively to this world.

Unless you become "the cannibal of {your village name here}"!

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#43

Post by jupiter90000 »

I sometimes pay attention to the sheer number of people I cross paths with in life, and think: see this person going by in their car, or that guy jogging up the street. I know almost nothing about what their life has been about, what struggles they've faced, what successes they've had, what it was like for them growing up, what are they thinking and feeling right now. I'd wager that the large majority of people out there, I know nothing about and anything they've gone through hasn't even crossed my mind. So most don't even need to be gone 100 years, to be largely unknown on an intimate level except to a relatively small circle of people.

I can find myself believing (perhaps due to a survival instinct) that what I believe, think, do, etc matter greatly. The truth is, those things matter to me and perhaps several others in my close circle. Sure, I can do things to engage in greater society and provide a positive influence on others. That doesn't change the fact that, in all likelihood, a large portion of the world isn't even aware of or concerned much about my existence.

I like a quote from the book of the samurai (hagakure) that says: "this world is vanity indeed. People always forget this." I've made up how important things are and probably will continue to as part of human nature. So I'll try to have a life I can appreciate and enjoy while it's here, because I want to -- and most other people won't even notice, much less care, if I do.

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#44

Post by marktangotango »

atemerev wrote: post #10
WalterBright wrote: post #6

I know some things about my grandfather from 120 years ago, because he'd write letters. http://walterbright.com/trip/chas.html I suppose the stuff I post on the internet will last forever :-)

Geocities were there 20 years ago. I posted some cringeworthy things there. Now they aren't there anymore (thank goodness). Your posts, too, shall pass.

I'll just drop this here as an FYI:

http://www.oocities.org/

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#45

Post by randallsquared »

dbg31415 wrote: post #15
elorant wrote: post #13

Well there's a very good chance we'll be alive in 100 years.

This is the most depressing comment in the thread. It's not about how long we live, it's about how long we live while we are in our prime... Gen 1 tech issues... we are extending lives, we aren't really extending prime years... so all we're doing is stretching out that twilight-period. Every time I visit my 97 year-old grandparents they say things like, "I pray I'll go soon..." I'd rather just go quick at 50 than pro…

> I'd rather just go quick at 50 than prolong my years after 70.

Why don't you leave that decision for 50-year-old you? Maybe they will disagree.

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#46

Post by jondubois »

Death makes life fair because we all end up with nothing. The universe itself won't last forever. In terms of justice and equality, this is very comforting.

I don't understand all these people who are funding research to cure death. Even if you manage to cure natural death, you definitely won't be able to cure occupational death.

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#47

Post by atemerev »

marktangotango wrote: post #44
atemerev wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Geocities were there 20 years ago. I posted some cringeworthy things there. Now they aren't there anymore (thank goodness). Your posts, too, shall pass.

I'll just drop this here as an FYI: http://www.oocities.org/

I don't remember my Geocities ID in TimesSquare and I am not really inclined to look it up now. But thank you, thank you.

(cries in horror and runs away)

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#48

Post by DanAndersen »

I'm curious what the policies are for the persistence of cemetery plots in different areas. I thankfully have had no personal interaction with the funeral industry yet, but the article's matter-of-fact mentioning of gravestones being uprooted and hauled elsewhere (or even destroyed) after some period of inactivity seemed hideous to me. A bit of research ( http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2248/do-cemetery-pl... ) suggests that the US (where I reside) seems to have more permanence in burial plots than Europe does. I suppose it makes sense given the limitations of space and accumulated time that Europe has had to deal with as opposed to the US, but there is something aesthetically horrifying to me about the idea of evicting dead bodies for failure to "pay rent." Moving graves for new development is one thing, but for it to be a policy of an active cemetery seems like such an alien concept.

In a similar way, I've found myself less happy with the idea of modern cremation the more I learn about it. The mental picture of "body goes into the fire, ashes come out of the fire" seemed beautiful, but the use of the cremulator ( essentially a blender to crush up all the bits of bone that didn't turn to ashes, as seen in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJTclbBKxKk ) gives me pause. It may be an irrational thought in our modern materialistic world, but that last act of push-button pulverization feels violent and overly industrial. Perhaps embalming is not much better, but at least that connects with a familiar historical tradition. I wonder how far back the use of cremulation in cremation goes -- in modern times can you request that your cremation keeps the bits of bones "unprocessed"?

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#49

Post by falcolas »

jondubois wrote: post #46

Death makes life fair because we all end up with nothing. The universe itself won't last forever. In terms of justice and equality, this is very comforting. I don't understand all these people who are funding research to cure death. Even if you manage to cure natural death, you definitely won't be able to cure occupational death.

> I don't understand all these people who are funding research to cure death.

It's very simple: they don't want to die. They're enjoying life, and death is the specter which threatens to halt that enjoyment. They are also in the privileged position of having money to throw at the problem.

In someone's 30's and 40's, the biggest fear is of death as a general evil to be conquered. I wonder how the focuses of these groups will change over time; will they change their focus from death in general to particular symptoms of aging in particular?

Will their focus move to curing cancer if they get cancer? How about preventing Alzheimer's when their loved ones no longer remember them? Regeneration of cartilage when they can no longer walk around pain free? And so forth...

Re: Who will remember you in 100 years?

#50

Post by techer »

marktangotango wrote: post #44
atemerev wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Geocities were there 20 years ago. I posted some cringeworthy things there. Now they aren't there anymore (thank goodness). Your posts, too, shall pass.

I'll just drop this here as an FYI: http://www.oocities.org/

The few sites I just looked at rendered perfectly on my phone :)
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