To think most people won’t be remembered and that’s okay?

[NimblePoster]

We all like to think we’ll leave a lasting impact, but realistically, most of us won’t be remembered beyond a couple of generations. Is that such a bad thing? Should we be focusing on making a mark or just enjoying life while we have it?

I've spent a lot of time on my family tree and often think "Oh John Brown, died 1813 aged 4 years old - I am remembering you today" And I wonder about the circumstances and how those families coped when many babies and small children died. And during WWI particularly where several sons might have been killed. It's all a bit meaningless maybe, but I am thinking of those long gone ancestors of mine.

Of course it's OK. We're all here very briefly, and then we disappear without trace.... which I find rather appealing.
You basically need to be Shakespeare, Mozart or Einstein to be remembered.

“… for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

George Eliot

Remember the film Gangs of New York? At the end, Leonardo di Caprio says much the same thing. It's an amazing ending to the film 1]]

Ah crap the link won't work.

Oh well. Look it up!