A Lasting Legacy
Over the last couple of months I’ve been working and reworking Beneath the Surface focusing on the legacy characters leave behind. The publication date has been pushed back until July, but what amazes me is how often over the last few months I ran across the word or idea of legacy – in business names, books and articles I’ve read, conversations I’ve had, even in a movie I watched on Netflix – before I began to think about it in a more personal sense.
My beloved father passed away recently, two weeks after his 94th birthday, leaving behind a vast store of knowledge, stories, and memories. In addition to a sizable family and friends, he taught and coached multiple generations of students in a small town, so it’s not surprising that many people spoke of the legacy he left behind, the lives he touched, the lessons he taught.
The word legacy originates from the Medieval Latin legatia, which meant an ambassador or deputy who was sent on a formal mission. By the 1450s, the meaning had shifted to refer specifically to money or property left as a bequest in a will. While this meaning is still in effect, a legacy in modern usage can be anything passed down, tangible or not.
Some hope to leave a tangible legacy, whether land, money, a business, or a classic car. Perhaps they want to leave their grandchildren a nest egg, help the family business survive hard times, or ensure that their family continues to enjoy Grandma’s lake house. Business leaders and political figures may want to leave their mark on the world by renaming buildings, but the longer lasting legacy may well be the intangible one.
Our values, our beliefs, our histories, and languages, our rituals and work ethics, and the specialized knowledge we possess are all legacies.
William James, a philosopher and educator called the “father of American psychology” (1842-1910) once said, “The greatest purpose of life is to live it for something that will last longer than you.”
For generations, we’ve clung to the legacy the founders of this nation set in motion 250 years ago. Their ideas, outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, serve as a guiding light for all to see, to venerate, and to follow.
The legacy of the United States of America we want to believe in is one of hope, freedom, and equality. It could be argued that our legacy is also one of divisiveness, inequality, and oppression.
We are at a crossroads in our nation. We choose the legacy we leave the next generation through our actions and inaction, the causes we champion, the faith, wisdom, and character we embrace.
Each of us leaves behind a legacy, good or bad, intentional or not. Who we are and what we do matters to those who follow.