How do I want to be remembered?

Buckle up Space Wizards, we’re about to get heady.

As I stood in the shower last night, hot water cascading down the front of my face like a psychopath, my thoughts swirled in a deep meditation. I was pondering how I want to be remembered; what kind of legacy do I want to leave?

To be honest, I don’t give a shit about my legacy. Great men come and go until the waves of time wash them away and erode them from memory. Look at time objectively. NASA claims the universe is 13.7 or 13.8 billion years old, arbitrarily based on the oldest stars and the rate at which our universe expands extrapolated back to the Big Bang. National Geographic says Earth is 4.543 billion years old, give or take 50 million years. I have no way of knowing whether these estimates are accurate or inaccurate but do know that both of those numbers are significantly longer than I intend to live. Given the damage I’ve done to my body in just 24 years, I imagine I’m lucky to make it to 80.

That being said, I’m a quarter of the way through my present existence (give or take a decade) and my greatest achievements pale in comparison to any of history’s recent greats. Objectively,  I’m not even a blip on the radar of time. I recognize my lack of significance in the grand scheme and I am at peace with it. Thankfully, this perspective seems to insulate me from a variety of crises I’ve witnessed my peers and seniors experience. Don’t confuse me for a Nihilist. Those fuckers are the energetic equivalent of a blackhole. 

Reread the previous paragraph and recognize I used the word ‘objectively’ with intention. Objectively, I am no more important or valuable than you are. I do not care to see my name on buildings or in history books. My aspirations for greatness are entirely subjective. Subjectively, the legacy I wish to leave behind is inextricably bound to augmenting the lives and experiences of others during my short time on this planet. There is no greater joy for me than to alter the trajectory of someone’s life. The best part about it: it can be done indirectly too. Like a pay-it-forward pyramid scheme, one simple act of kindness has the potential to benefit others exponentially. 

So how do I want to be remembered? I aspire to impart this philosophy on my loved ones, my children, and children’s children. From there, I cease to matter in the equation. My legacy will not be measured by the people that I help, but by the people that they have helped as a byproduct.

If this philosophy resonates with you, I ask that you help broadcast this message. Share this idea with the people you care about and hopefully they do the same.

Until next time,

Mike Prag

The Pay-It-Forward Pyramid Scheme