To be Remembered

To be remembered is to live.  Who we are is defined by how we are remembered.  Will we be remembered for our accomplishments?  For our kindness?  For our strength of character?  For all that negativity gets preference on the 10 o'clock news, it's what we add to the world that gets printed in our obituaries.

This is what is behind the drive for celebrity and fame - the chance to live after death, to make a mark on the world, to be important in some way.  Most of the masses of humanity live quiet lives that most people think don't make much of a difference - if you are not well-known, it seems that your impact on the world is negligible.  But, humanity thinks too big - we all may not be able to make a mark on the world as a whole, but we can definitely have a huge impact on those around us.  We remember our forebears in the stories that we tell to our children, and we will be remembered, in turn, by our children and our children's children.  Also, we remember our neighbors and friends, the people in our local community.  The people that are close to us can tell us who we are, and eventually tell others who we were.