Want to Leave a Legacy?

"I would like to be remembered as someone who could make people laugh. I would just like to be remembered really."
-Dominic Monaghan

So I happened to be on Dominic Monaghan's IMDb page the other night when I stumbled across this quote from him. Now, usually on IMDb, the quotes from actors are usually just ones about their work or personal lives and none of them really made me think...until now.

Now, when asked how we'd like to be remembered, the usual answer is "I'd like to be remembered as...[funny, sweet, charitable, awesome, dinosaur like, etc.]" But no one ever really addresses the fact that they don't care how they are remembered, just that they are.

This also addresses the perpetual desire to be famous. Some people, when they say they want to be a famous actor or singer, say they want to do it because it's what they love to do. For some people, this is true and you can tell in their work. For others, it may be what they enjoy doing, but an underlying and sometimes subconscious motive is the desire for fame.

A celebrity's work remains long after they are gone, which, in a way, makes them immortal. It is evident with Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Clark Gable and a plethora of others who have found fame throughout the years. This however, is not the only way to achieve "immortality." What most people don't realize is that they don't have to make a fool of themselves or be in big name productions to have a shot at being remembered.

Authors, soldiers, people just trying to do the right thing. John Green, Ross McGinnis, Shawn of the Uncultured Project. There are countless names we recognize. None going out of their way to be remembered. All doing what they can for the benefit of others.

I quote my friend Ali: "We are some of the most insignificant creatures on this planet. Our memory only remains as long as our families and loved ones speak of us. We get, what, maybe 100-150 years on this planet tops before our names, everything about us, is forgotten. That is the plain and honest truth and there is no getting around it."

When you look back in history, it is never the celebrities or names in pop culture that we learn about; we learn about the activists, the generals. Those who contributed most to making us think, making a difference with no intention to go down in history as a predominant name in it.

If we live our lives well, in a way we are all immortal. Maybe not immortal to the planet, but immortal to the ones who care about us enough to want us to be remembered. That is really the most important thing: how you live your life.

The end of the world is going to happen, and then no one will be remembered. There will be a day where there will be no evidence of the human race, not even the so called "immortal" ones, regardless of what we'd like to think.

If I'm going to be remembered, I'd rather be remembered as a "good, caring person" than a "vapid, selfish celebrity" while I can still be remembered as a "good, caring person," wouldn't you?

-Rachel