Legacy, You, Me, CongRegation and Everybody #7 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

Does our legacy matter in the bigger scheme of things.

Total Words

523

Reading Time in Minutes

2

Key Takeaways:

  1. Digital legacies are fragile
  2. We can’t control how we are remembered
  3. Hard for anyone to curate their legacy
  4. Plant more trees

About Simon Cocking:

Writer, editor, tree planter, music lover, ex-ultimate frisbee player, trying to see the beauty and be pleasant to be people, unless they really, really, need to be told otherwise.

Contacting Simon Cocking:

You can contact Simon by eMail.

By Simon Cocking

No one wants to be forgotten, but as we all know, death and taxes are unavoidable eventually. Some try to fight this, while most of us aim not to be King Cnut-like, shouting at the incoming sea. Therefore does it matter, a hundred years from now we have no control of how we are remembered. As ecologists have found, the shifting baseline misplaced narrative means it is very difficult for people to even consider how things might have been, even before their own childhood, let alone several generations earlier.

Initially we may think we are more fortunate than previous generations due to the digital possibilities for laying down memories and traces. This is superficially true, until corporation x or y decides to reboot its terms of service agreements. All those wonderful witticisms and random photos you posted, (some might say spammed), to your friends and family, may now no longer be viewable. When you consider the number of digital platforms that have gone by the wayside, it is probably the norm to assume that they may not last more than one or two generations. At least handwritten diaries and printed photographs have the ability to last for many decades, give or take the vagaries of how they are treated and stored.

Does legacy even matter? We can’t compel anyone else to remember us, and even our own family, after two generations will have less and less to hang their memories upon. Great artists will live on via their music, words or deeds, Sinead O’Connor, Frida Khalo, and whoever your own personal favourites are. At the same time they will also drift in and out of fashion and popularity too, competing with other trends, moods and flavours. It is hard to even curate your legacy, as artists have their ups and downs, yes looking at you Bob D here.

What about for the rest of us? Well planting trees does seem like something that is always worth doing. Sure they may not all survive, but if you lay 50 to 200 down on a regular basis, you are at least priming the pump to try and leave something behind. Perhaps also treading lightly too is a worthwhile goal, simply trying to do no harm as you move through life and interact with people, animals, nature and places. In many ways humanity has done so much damage to the planet maybe we should be thinking about how to leave as little legacy as possible, rather than carving out yet another human scratch on the surface of the earth.

 

 

August 16, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Legacy: Making Your Mark #6 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

Two comics of seagulls discussing their legacy.

Total Words

74

Reading Time in Minutes

<1

Key Takeaways:

  1. Nobody is watching.
  2. Nobody cares.

About Alan O'Rourke:

Mild-mannered marketing man by day. Caped Children’s Book maker by night.

Experienced business and marketing director working across the creative and tech sectors for over 20 years.

Contacting Alan O'Rourke

@AlanORourke on your favourite platforms.
Www.spoiltchild.com

By Alan Costello

August 15, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Tomorrow’s Legacy Today #5 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

. Using legacy as a trope for looking at more current events
. Considering wider cultural and societal impacts of legacy, maybe more so than more strictly defined personal motivations
. Building on an intergenerational trauma model to propose a newer, empathic, healing modality.

Total Words

735

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. Move past the legal utility of legacy
  2.  Consider today and tomorrow, not just yesterday
  3. Legacy impacts can start as butterflies flapping wings
  4. But in starting small, legacy compounds!

About Alan Costello:

Climate venture capital @Resolve
Nature, biodiversity
Golfer!

Contacting Alan Costello

You can contact Alan by email or follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn or see his work with Resolve Partners.

By Alan Costello

Legacy. The origin doesn’t come from the word ‘legend’.
From the ‘auld latin – to legate, to send someone in your place. An Ambassadorial role. One who represents your interests.

I guess we often think about legacy as that which you leave behind, your effect on a thing. But its also current, what impact do you leave on those near and metaphorically near to you, now, today.
What are you doing now that creates legacy around you, that creates lasting impact that will impact on peers as well as future generations.

Of course, it could be bad legacy. You could be one of the people that balls’ed up Lough Neagh. Or voted for Trump. Or who indulged in whataboutery about this incident, this event, that war, and in doing so diminished good, fair thinking and decision making ability.

Or it could be good. You could be the one who led your Tidy Towns, who taught tolerance and independent thinking, who guided impactful innovation around you or you could be one who reached out a hand of friendship and support where it was needed.

Maybe you acted on one person or maybe you acted on millions. Your legacy, your impact, your resonance in the world is each and every persons own thing. I dont mean this in an egotistical sense, although it is related too.

Perhaps you think about creating little ambassadors, who follow in your footsteps. Thats usually true for legacy, although we probably increasingly recognise the choice to not do this, or the inability to have children to warrant an updating of that element of the concept of legacy. Propagating your genes or your name onwards – hopefully we might have begun to leave the pressures and foolishnesses of that in the past.

Leaving A legacy, the definite article of it, often refers to financial terms, leaving your estate to whomever you do leave behind. Is it large or small. Was it used purposefully while you lived. Will it be now that you are gone. Was that in your mind or that of Governments. Buffetts Giving Pledge comes to mind, and opens ideological questions too.

Another concept that comes to mind for me with legacy, is that of intergenerational trauma. I suspect this audience is likely more familiar with the concept. Where traumas have occurred, they can be seen through the parented effects on the next generation, which can further appear in later generations. We have seen this concept discussed in terms of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, of economic adversity in some regions and historically in the famine and its possible effects still held today. A study reported this week discussed the effect of early experience of bereavement leading to premature biological ageing.

I then wonder about what should exist by the same token, the intergenerational healing.

What would be the effect on future generations of our individual and cohesive efforts towards positive impacts on sharing different wealths to our direct and wider community.
Consider the Good Ancestor Movement.

I am minded, practised and desiring to consider scaling and global sized efforts.
When I think financial models, I think about leveraging to wider audiences through appropriate gifting.
When I think about community impact, I think about integration of global populations, of the built environment, of shared learnings, of the cultural and sporting tools at our fingertips
When I think about legacy, I think about our world, our planet, our nature, our peoples role as a living partner
When I think about impact, I might think about intergenerational healing and growth

Legacy, doesnt come from the word legend, but that doesnt mean you cant be one!

August 15, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Building a Future Worth Remembering: A Legacy for All #4 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

Legacy worthy living centers on relationships and lasting influence through nurturing connections, clear visions, informed choices, and giving back. In today’s AI-driven world, taking control of our legacy is crucial. Drawing from the past, innovating now, and planning ahead sets the stage for a substantial for a rich and enduring legacy.

Total Words

1,352

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

1. Cultivate Meaningful Relationships
2. Be Legacy Worthy, Decide Wisely
3. The Future is Here, Plan for Legacy
4. Learn, Innovate, Contribute Generously

About Sherrie Rose:

Sherrie Rose, Chief Legacy Officer, crafts dynamic living legacies and succession plans for individuals and businesses. She innovates in legacy preservation and leadership development, and has authored multiple books. Sherrie pioneers future vision and enhavim-driven missions, integrating AI for digital legacy preservation. She volunteers at TEDxSanDiego and mentors the next generation at a transformative learning academy for the post-AI era.

Contacting Sherrie Rose:

You can connect with Sherrie on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Who’s Who or see her work on Sherrie Rose and Chief Legacy Officer.

By Sherrie Rose

Legacy is a concept that transcends time, bridging the past, present, and future. It is the contribution we leave for the world. It is our masterwork, our imprint of existence that continues to shape and inspire long after we are gone. As we navigate through life, make it a priority to consider what our legacy will be and how we can ensure it is meaningful and enduring. This year, the central theme is “Legacy,” and we will explore this profound idea from various perspectives.

THE REAL CURRENCY IS RELATIONSHIP RICHES

In the experience of creating a legacy, relationships stand as the most valuable currency. The connections we build with family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers, define the richness of our lives. These relationships are the investment in our legacy, as they carry forward our values, memories, and influences.

Building Strong Relationships
• Invest Time and Effort: Genuine relationships require time and effort. Make a conscious effort to nurture and maintain connections.
• Be Present: In a world filled with distractions, being present in the moment can strengthen bonds and foster deeper connections.
• Show Appreciation: Regularly express gratitude and appreciation for the people in your life. It reinforces the importance of your relationships.

“The Real Currency is Relationship Riches” is the motto of Sherrie Rose and she shares this with you to embrace.

PURPOSE AND MISSION ARE LED BY VISION

A legacy without vision is like a ship without a compass. Start with clear vision, an enhavim, of what we aim to achieve and the influence we wish to make. Purpose and mission provide direction and meaning to our vision and actions.

Crafting Your Vision
• Identify Core Values: Your values are the foundation of your vision. Reflect on what matters most to you and the difference you wish to make.
• Set Long-Term Plans: Define clear, long-term plans that align with your vision, purpose, and mission.
• Stay Adaptable: Life is unpredictable. Be flexible and willing to adjust your vision as circumstances change.

LIVE SMART. GIVE SMART. LEAVE YOUR MARK.

Living a legacy-worthy life involves making smart choices, both in our personal and professional lives. The Wisdom Model includes giving back to the community and leaving a positive mark on the world.

Smart Living and Giving
• Live Smart: Make informed decisions about your health, and personal development.
• Give Smart: Contribute to causes that align with your values and have a lasting impact. It includes finances for yourself and family as well as monetary donations and your time and skills.
• Leave Your Mark: Engage in activities and projects that reflect your passions and beliefs, ensuring they contribute to your legacy.

CHAMPION YESTERDAY. CREATE TODAY. TRANSFORM TOMORROW.

Legacy is not just about the future; it is also about honoring the past and taking decisive actions in the present. By championing the accomplishments of yesterday, we can create a better today and transform tomorrow. Become a ‘legacy futurist.’

Honoring the Past and Shaping the Future
• Learn from History: Study and appreciate the lessons from the past to avoid repeating mistakes and to build on successes.
• Innovate in the Present: Use creativity and innovation to address current challenges and opportunities.
• Plan for the Future: Set strategies in motion today that will have a lasting impact on the future.

VALUES WORTH SHARING

Your values form the cornerstone of your legacy. They guide your actions, decisions, and interactions with others. Sharing these values ensures that your legacy is built on a foundation of integrity and purpose.

Promoting Core Values
• Lead by Example: Demonstrate your values through your actions, showing others what you stand for.
• Communicate Clearly: Articulate your values in conversations, writings, and teachings.
• Encourage Others: Inspire others to adopt and uphold similar values in their own lives.

MASTERWORK: YOUR IMPRINT ACROSS TIME

Think of your legacy as a masterwork, a combination of experiences, interactions, creations, accomplishments, innovations, and insights that represents your life’s work and contributions. This masterwork is your imprint across time, influencing and inspiring future generations.

Creating Your Masterwork
• Pursue Excellence: Strive for excellence in all that you do, whether in your career, hobbies, or personal endeavors.
• Be Authentic: Your enduring legacy is a true reflection of who you are. Authenticity resonates and endures.
• Mentor Others: Share your knowledge and experience to help others create their own legacies.

BEYOND YOU. BECAUSE OF YOU.

A legacy extends beyond our individual existence. It is about creating a ripple effect that positively impacts others and continues to do so because of our actions and influence. You are central to your legacy.

Extending Your Impact
• Empower Others: Inspire and empower others to achieve their potential and create their own legacies.
• Create Sustainable Change: Focus on initiatives that promote long-term, sustainable change rather than short-term fixes.
• Leave a Positive Footprint: Be mindful of the environmental, social, and economic effects of your actions.

BE LEGACY WORTHY

To be legacy worthy is to live a life of purpose, integrity, and influence. It is about consistently striving to make a difference and leaving behind a world that is better for our having been here.

Living a Legacy-Worthy Life
• Embody Integrity: Uphold high ethical standards in all your actions.
• Show Compassion: Practice empathy and kindness, true relationship riches.
• Demonstrate Resilience: Overcome challenges with determination and grace.

LEGACY IS LONGEVITY

A true legacy endures. It is not fleeting or superficial but rather built on a foundation of meaningful contributions and lasting impact.

Ensuring Longevity
• Build a Solid Foundation: Ensure your legacy is rooted in solid principles and values.
• Adapt and Evolve: Be open to change and willing to adapt your approach as needed.
• Inspire Continuity: Encourage others to continue and build upon your masterwork.

DESIGN YOUR DECADE

Creating a legacy is a long-term endeavor. By designing your decade and crafting enhavim, you can set the stage for lasting influence and meaningful contributions over the next ten years.

Strategic Planning for a Decade
• Set Clear Milestones: Break down your long-term plans into manageable milestones.
• Review and Reflect: Regularly review your progress and make necessary adjustments.
• Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes along the way.

FINAL WORDS

Legacy is about more than just the mark we leave; it is about the lives we touch, the changes we inspire, and the long-term influence of our actions. Our stories, our words, are paramount, and with artificial intelligence and the large language models rewriting our words and possibly our legacies, it is up to us to take charge of our legacy. By focusing on relationships, purpose, smart living, and giving, honoring the past, creating in the present, and planning for the future, we can ensure our legacy is rich, meaningful, and lasting. As we navigate through life, let us strive to be legacy worthy, crafting a masterwork that extends beyond us and continues to inspire and transform for generations to come.

“Live Smart. Give Smart. Leave Your Mark.” #cong24 #legacy

August 15, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Legacy of the Warm and Welcoming Conference #3 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

When you start organising conference with a great team of people and you have to leave the team due to personal conflicts with other people and mental issues, what is your legacy?

How about the team delivering the best conference you’ve been at where you felt safe enough to you speak about the mental issues.

Total Words

849

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. Surround yourself with good people
  2. Create warm and welcoming atmosphere
  3. With difficult people sometimes it’s sometimes ok to let go
  4. With good people, yout legacy will survive

About Jarek Potiuk:

Independent Open-Source Contributor and Advisor, Committer and PMC member of Apache Airflow, Member of the Apache Software Foundation, Security Committee Member of the Apache Software Foundation

Jarek is an Engineer with a broad experience in many subjects – Open-Source, Cloud, Mobile, Robotics, AI, Backend, Developer Experience, Security, but he also had a lot of non-engineering experience – building a Software House from scratch, being CTO, organizing big, international community events, technical sales support, pr and marketing advisory but also looking at legal aspects of security, licensing, branding and building open-source communities are all under his belt.

With the experience in very small and very big companies and everything in-between, Jarek found his place in Open-Source world, where his internal individual-contributor drive can be used to the uttermost of the potential.

Contacting Jarek Potiuk::

You can contact Jarek by email or connect wit him on LinkedIn

By Jarek Potiuk

I have co-organized already more than 10 conferences with strong community – building focus. Both online and physical from 300 people to 10.000 people – in Poland, where I came from but also in Canada and US.

So what do you  do when you see an opportunity of organising a 300 people community-focused conference for the charity organisation that is your “mothership” organisation, you spent last 5 years contributing to? Yes, you guessed it – you start organizing it. Different country, different people but similar challenges and you expect it to be no different.

Removing initial hurdles, getting a few people enthused, forming the organisation and working together is what usually happens next. And so it did this time – great team of people started to prepare. Year in advance, plenty of time.

If not the organization hurdles and “difficult” cooperation with poeple from the mothership organization who think very differently than you of partnership, cooperation and generally being friendly and helpful. Plus getting into another depression episode which makes things looking worse than they are.

While you want to work with those great people you started it with, it gets to the point, where you can’t even think about being anywhere close the conflicting and hostile atmosphere coming from above (or so you perceive it). Depression worsens, You finally make the tough decision to cut yourself off from the stressors and quit organisation – leaving the people you brought in without your leadership and support, left to interact with somewhat difficult people and organisational hurdles.

Fast forward 9 months later. You come to the conference – fearing how you will be perceived and fearing the confrontation with difficult people. You have your part in the conference, you lead a track there so you had your part in preparation.

And … you find yourself at the perfect conference you imagined year ago. Perfect size, perfect number of attendees, great atmosphere. Difficult people are nowhere near the mainstream of what happens but you are welcome as a friend. The organisers not only followed all the intial ideas but surpassed it big time and even coined the term WWJS (“What Would Jarek Say”). You have great time with them – both during and after the conference and feel like you never left the team. But also you hear that the “difficult” people were even more “difficult” and you are happy you have not been involved.

There is the karaoke bar party where you sing together with the friends of yours and you are having a fantastic time.

And the event is just great, friendly and welcoming place – you feel safe and comfortable to make yourself vulnerable.

Then you attend a talk of your mentee who explains how – thanks to – in parts – your mentorship and creating a welcoming and supporting place she got out of the worst time of her life, mentally, how this changed her life, and life of her mother who came to the event from a small city in Peru.

It’s all so warm and comfortable that you give a lighning talk where you speak about your depression and how you cope with it in front of the attendees that just saw you smiling and happy – and they come to thank you for speaking about “dark side” and how important it was for them.

Call it a legacy – leaving the legacy of warmth and friendship with people you love and respect so that – despite some difficulties – they can create a great place for you to speak about your struggles.

August 14, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Future Legacy: A Perspective on Your Present Self #2 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

You can not control your legacy because your legacy does not come into being until you are no longer in the society.

Total Words

831

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. Your legacy comes to life as you go out of it.
  2. Great acts lead to longer living legacies.
  3. You have no say in your legacy.
  4. Time heals all wounds and erases all legacies.

About Claude Warren

Claude Warren is a Senior Software Engineer with over 30 years experience. He is currently lives in Ireland . He spends his time working on open source projects and with open source foundations. When not slinging code, he spends his time composing and playing guitar. He has presented talks on cross cultural teams, supporting open source, and innovation. He tries to mentor new developers.

He is a founding member of the Denver Mad Scientists Club and winner of the original Critter Crunch competition.

This biography outlines the bits he hopes will be his legacy.

Contacting Claude Warren:

You can contact Claude by email.

By Claude Warren

Legacy is how we view the past. All history is legacy. What you know about your favourite author, footballer, musician, or poet is their current legacy. But legacy changes over time.

For example, Thomas Midgley Jr. was thought to be an inventive genius. He developed a method to make high compression internal combustion engines stop knocking, making the modern automobile possible. He then went on to invent a way to replace the noxious, flammable gasses used in refrigeration, making the systems much safer. The Society of Chemical Industry awarded Midgley the Perkin Medal in 1937. In 1941, the American Chemical Society gave Midgley its highest award, the Priestley Medal. This was followed by the Willard Gibbs Award in 1942. He also held two honorary degrees and was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 1944, he was elected president and chairman of the American Chemical Society. When he died, later that year, he was considered one of the greatest inventors of all time.

Fast forward to today and it is now said of him that “Midgley had a more adverse impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth’s history”, and that he possessed “an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny”. Midgley was also seen as a “one-man environmental disaster”. How did he fall so far so fast? Midgley was the man who invented leaded gasoline and freon.

Midgley’s legacy, though not as he had hoped, is probably now secure, or at least as secure as it can be. At some point people will forget that Midgley ever existed. Leaded gasoline has never been seen by today’s younger drivers, and freon has been banned for several decades.

It is impossible to secure a legacy. At some point all great works are lost to the sands of time and all names as well. Legacies fade. Midgley is not as well known as he was in the 1940s or 1970s; eventually he will fade away. I am fairly certain that the guy who designed the great pyramids was well known in his day and celebrated in death, and probably spoken about for many years thereafter. He had a legacy, but today we know nothing about him.

As a software engineer, legacy is the old stuff. Legacy software is the old code that keeps the world spinning; without it, your bank probably wouldn’t work. Software developers tend to want to work on the new shiny stuff, but as soon as they finish the code and it goes out into the world it is legacy. It is, for better or worse, their legacy. They have no control over how the legacy is viewed. Nobody has control over their legacy, because legacy is what people in the present think of you in the past.

Everything is legacy. The new shiny stuff is just future legacy. I find it interesting that it becomes legacy at a specific instant in time. I think that this is true for all legacies. I believe that upon death, or withdrawal from society, a person’s legacy comes into being.

In Buddhism there is the concept of three types of lives:

  • * life with no beginning and no end – eternal life
  • * life with a beginning and an end – mortal life.
  • * Life with a beginning and no end – the life of a teacher.

Your legacy survives as long as someone remembers you or your teachings. Your core values will outlast your name and may outlast your genetics as an identifiable person. Your actions, teachings, and values will be twisted and molded to fit the particular circumstances of those that remember you.

Your legacy is not your creation, it is the creation of those that come after. Your legacy cannot be corrupted, it simply is or is not. And eventually it will fade into the background noise of history.

August 14, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet

Gone But Never Forgotten ? #1 #cong24 #legacy

Synopsis:

Over the last 25 years, on every Friday afternoon, I first read the obituary at the back of the Economist magazine.
This has helped me to see that legacies fall into three types: Pretenders seeking immortality through grand gestures, Penitents attempting to redeem past wrongs, and Purposeful who leave a lasting and usually unintended impact through just leading their normal lives. What I also learned over those 25 years is that time, due to changing social norms and knowledge growth can alter the perceived relevance, value, vitality and longevity of legacies.

Total Words

578

Reading Time in Minutes

2

Key Takeaways:

  1. Legacy is created due to either Pretention, Penance or Purpose.
  2. Purpose creates legacies are most common and enduring.
  3. Time and social change can revise, enhance, diminish or eliminate a legacy.
  4. What you think is your legacy is unlikely to be what others see as important.

About Colum Joyce:

Brussels based researcher and author focusing on the Quantum world, Artificial Intelligence and their impact on human activity.

Contacting Colum Joyce:

You can contact Colum by email.

By Colum Joyce

For the past 25 years, every Friday has held a special ritual for me: settling down with The Economist and turning straight to the weekly obituary.

These pieces hold stories that transcend the boundaries of a single life. They cumulate to paint a vibrant picture of contributions, positive and negative, from all walks of life and corners of the globe.

Over time I’ve noticed a fascinating pattern. The legacies left behind by these individuals most often fall into one of three categories: the Pretenders, the Penitent, and the Purposeful.

The Pretenders, bless their delusional hearts, crave some kind of immortality. They believe their grand gestures, be it a towering pyramid or a grand edifice paid for by a fortune amassed from human misery (think pharaohs or slave traders), will secure an unquestioned place in history.

Then there are the Penitent. These individuals, or sometimes even entire institutions, embarked on a desperate quest for forgiveness and absolution. Their  hope was that philanthropy or public gestures can erase the stains of past misdeeds and perhaps gain divine or societal brownie points.

But the most inspiring legacies, for me, come from the Purposeful. These are the people who, intentionally or not, leave a mark on the world simply by going about their lives. Their impact can be personal, like a parent who raises a kind and compassionate child, or it can unknowingly benefit the whole world, like Henrietta Lacks’ immortal cell line that has revolutionized medical research. These are the legacies that resonate the most deeply, often unrecognized in their own time but endlessly valuable to their beneficiaries whether individual or societal.

However, the passage of time is an unrelenting force. Even the most revered figures and noble deeds are subject to the scrutiny of evolving knowledge and societal norms. Mother Teresa’s legacy, once unquestioned, now provokes debate. Even Einstein’s theories face challenges. Yet, this does not diminish the power of most of these stories. They serve as a poignant reminder that every life, no matter how ordinary it may seem, leaves its mark.

They are in many ways a call for us to live purposefully, to contribute positively, and maybe, just maybe, leave a legacy that continues to inspire long after their final chapter is written, and hopefully someday, in the far future, be lauded at the back of the Economist.

August 14, 2024 2024 Legacy No comments yet