Man lying on his death bed: "I should have bought more crap." -- Lewis (Cartoonist)
"I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see I should have been more specific." -- Lily Tomlin
"I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings, and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks, and apostles." -- Niccollo Machiavelli
"I owe Asclepius a rooster." -- last words of Socrates
"It's my turn to take a leap into the darkness." -- last words of philosopher Thomas Hobbes.
Have you thought:
What you want to be remembered for?
Who you want to be remembered by?
What will be remembered about you 50 years from now - that is, what really counts?
I started considering those questions seriously when both of my parents passed away. As their only child with no offspring (cats don't count!), I got a very real look at my own mortality as I sat at their respective funerals surrounded by family. I felt very alone as I considered death, my own, that is. All of my siblings have children (and most have grandchildren) who will attend their funerals and extoll their virtues and sing their praises.
ReplyDeleteWho will attend mine? If I don't have children, who will remember me? and for what?
Yes, those questions hit me hard at that time, and it's a good thing because it means I get to make sure that the things I do in my life and with my life are for me -- not in a selfish way, but in that way that's good for me to make sure I do make something worthwhile out of my life.