The Strings of Memories we leave behind in Time
Demise of those dear to your heart certainly leave behind more than just absence. There is a void that seems to not be filled, ever, by any other substance. Remember that walk you had by the river with your father? That one time your mother hugged you before you went to class? How about the time when you were crying for falling in love and breaking her heart? These thoughts will transit your mind when they pass away, and we cherish it.
We share bonds with those dear to us. Well, isn’t that obvious? What’s new in that fact. Things get interesting when you try to observe beyond that moment.
We live as long as the last person who remembers us.
My Father’s uncle passed away a few months ago. The elderly person was very jovial person who always had a bright smile that brightened up the lives of those around him. Many spoke of him in deep reverence and by sharing their personal experiences that they had with him, and how his presence shaped their lives.
Like they say, his works and words are all that are left to be taken forward as his legacy. And once their time comes to an end, so does everything associated with him. Apart from some digital records that may exist, my father’s uncle is long but gone in both his lifetime and his legacy.
My Grandfather indeed had a splendid life as a youth. Though he always ensured that his children drove safely and only after earning his trust, back in the 1960’s my grandfather was a high speed motorcyclist who would do stunts and what not. When I got hear this it indeed surprised me!
From his stories of how he took the mango from the tree to the numerous dogs he raised in Hyderabad, I can see the vibrant life he lived. Today having aged more than 80 years old. you old and golden days are the most clear ones in his mind.
Yet in the end, the generations to come will find these tales nothing less than stories from an individual that allegedly existed couple decades ago. And before you know it, everything shall be erased.
These two tales from my life are just few of the many I can mention. Apart from the existential crisis that it may have caused, it is truly humbling to see how all our works, efforts and actions will be nothing but memories which if lucky will survive a century. Truly it is true when they say that our lives are like the grains of the sand at the beach — infinitely many but significantly unique — yet all it takes is a wave to wash it away for good.
Do you doubt me? Tell me, how many generations upwards do you know about your family? Or rather, how many distant relatives are you familiar with? Though one may argue that nuclear families make it difficult to understand family trees, this it self is the evidence that nothing stays permanently. Like Ozymandias, everything shall come to pass. Only a historian would take joy in learning us.
Yet not everything is in despair. When we pass away, apart from the results of our hard work in raising a family, it will only be our tales that will be passed down through generations. These strings of memories and the results of our actions are what radiate out into the world and better shape it in the long run.
Like how Jordan Peterson says, we are bound to meet over a million people by the end of these lifetime, and as the network spreads there is a possibility of hitting a billion and further on. So we are very significant and our actions speak louder than we think.
So let us try to live meaningful lives for those in the vicinity to appreciate, learn and further distribute. For our lives may be short, but our ideas are eternal.
