How to leave a legacy? Do you ever wonder about the impact your life makes? Not just in the present, but long into the future?
What legacy will you leave for future generations?
Take a moment to study this photo I took at St. Margaret Lothbury church in London last fall. This is a historic parish, first recorded in the 12th century. The current building was designed by the famous architect Christopher Wren and built after the Great Fire of London in 1666. So while it is not the church’s original building it is still, well, pretty old. Going on 400 years.
But what I’d like you to think about this list of names, beginning with Reginald the Priest in 1181. Then there is a gap of a little over 100 years before picking up with John de Hastingfield in 1303. I suppose we can excuse the lack of complete records early on, considering it was the 13th century and they were preoccupied with the challenges of life in the middle ages. You know, wars with the French, plagues, heretics–that sort of thing. If they had known the church would still be here 800 years later perhaps they would have paid closer attention to keeping records at that point…
Still, if you look closely you’ll see that it is a nearly continuous record since 1303. There are a few short gaps unaccounted for here and there, but overall it shows an amazing continuity of those who have served as rectors of the church over hundreds of years. I have seen plaques just like this in a number of other churches in England, with listings of rectors going back many hundreds of years. And to think about how in each case these rectors faithfully shepherded and taught their flock from one century to the next is moving.
Only 52 names
The thing that stands out to me is how few of them there are. In this case I count only 52 names total. 51 if you start from the 1303 date.
Only 51 pastors of this church in more than 700 years. A number so small you could gather them all for lunch in the side room at Olive Garden.
I wrote in an earlier post (“A Lifetime is a Long Time”) about using the length of your own lifetime to gain some sense of perspective on the passage of time.
Looking at this listing of names is another way of thinking about that long-term perspective and continuity. We realize that our own lives are not the focal point of history. Our lives are connected with a long stream of humanity, with not that much separating one from another. The care this church has taken to preserve the memory of their pastors over so many years is remarkable.
It makes me wonder, though, how many of us are able to recall a memory of those who are much closer to us, even in our own family. How many of us could name our own great or great-great grandparents? Unless we’re into studying our own genealogy, many of us can only identify up to a couple of prior generations of our own family. These are people who made us who we are, but we may not long remember them by name.
So I wonder further, how long will we be remembered by those who follow us? Even those who are descendants of us. Probably not all that long.
This is actually the fairly normal way of things. Few people are remembered by name for very long after they are gone, even by their own family or descendants.
Our influence on those who aren’t yet even born
But does that mean our lives have no influence or importance for those who follow after us? Not at all. Most of us won’t even have our name on a plaque, or a building named after us. But that isn’t really how our lives matter most in the future.
Even if we may not be remembered by name for more than two or three generations to follow, our lives and the decisions we make have profound effects on the lives of others. Our choices, large and small, may determine aspects of the lives of our descendants in ways they will not even be aware. Any more than we’re rarely conscious or aware of how the choices of our own great grandparents have shaped our own lives. Where we live, family traditions and characteristics, socioeconomic status, religion and values, trades and occupations–these things, and many more, have been passed down to us from family members who have preceded us. We’ll continue to pass our own influence into the future in ways we don’t think about.
We all are influencers, for our family and the people around us now, as well as those who may live long after we are gone. Our lives make a profound impact on the flow of humanity. Allow that to guide your thoughts and actions each day. Your influence, your Ethos, is greater and more long-lasting than you imagine. You may or may not change the world, but you’ll create a silent impact on your family in particular. This is true for better or for worse, so why not be intentional about it?
Here is a short list of ways you can exert an influence into the future–for your life to make an impact–even if three or four generations from now you aren’t remembered by name:
Live beyond the present moment
Live and make your choices and decisions as if they will matter into the future, even into eternity–because they will.
If you are a person of religious faith, live into it. Embrace it with passion and commitment, and let it shape who you are. You can take an eternal perspective, not just a future one. If you are not religious, at the very least develop a belief system that matters beyond the moment. No matter what, your life will have an influence into the future.
Treat others the way you would want to be treated
They don’t call this the “Golden Rule” for nothing. Imagine what our world would be like if everyone lived this way. Imagine the influence you could have if even just you lived this way. You could create an ethos within your family that lasts generations, one that would outlive your actual memory.
Almost any specific advice I could give, such as be respectful, compassionate, honest, genuine, etc., can be summarized in this simple principle of living and treating others the way we would want to be treated.
Tell your story
You will influence future generations through your character, your ethos, your decisions and choices. These things create the DNA of a legacy that outlasts your actual memory. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to give future generations a way to remember your story. Part of the reason we don’t remember our great or great-great grandparents is because they didn’t leave their story behind.
So write your story down. Yes, write your own “memoirs” as a way to connect your life to those in the future. Not necessarily for publication, but at least for your family. How cool is it when we find old letters even from our parents or grandparents? Think of coming across a more complete written life story by one of your ancestors? This can give a window into previous lives that have shaped our own life.
You can’t guarantee that your story will be preserved, or that others will read it. But be assured that they won’t unless you make an effort to leave your story behind. I’ll create a future post on the details of how to write your own memoirs. But be thinking about it, at least.
That’s all for now. I have many more thoughts on these subjects, but for your sake I’ll mete them out a little at a time rather than all at once 🙂
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