#legacy
It’s my utter pleasure to turn over this site to Kirsten Buck.
Kirsten is one of #TeamPTHR and has been collaborating with us since the turn of the year. We have known each other for about 8 or 9 years when Kirsten was working for a leadership events company based in Kirsten’s home city of Aberdeen.
Here, Kirsten takes us through the fascinating concept of legacy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kirsten and proud to help you start your blog post journey on here.
The Inca’s left us Machu Picchu, the Egyptian’s built over 100 pyramids; many of which are still standing, and the Romans constructed roads still in use across Europe today. These civilisations walked the same planet as we do thousands of years ago, yet their creations, culture and credibility live on through us, their descendants. It is not just their tangible legacy that has survived time but rather we are their legacy.
The most uncertain times that we are currently in got me thinking about legacy. I am no Confucius, Hume or Kant, but please bear with me whilst I get somewhat philosophical! What will be our legacy? Are we slowly destroying the planet our ancestors protected for us? What does it mean to have a legacy? What do I want my legacy to be? To me, legacy can be defined by firstly an individual legacy, and secondly that of the collective. The legacy of the Incas, Egyptians, Romans that I speak of is that of the collective, but within this were individuals, some of whose names we know and the majority which we do not: both groups of individuals are equally important to our society.
Life is to be “nasty, brutish and short” according to the 17th-century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. The actions of individuals seen in the face of recent events gave stark evidence to this. Today is the 100th Birthday of Captain Tom Moore, a British World War Two veteran, turned accidental celebrity through his modest efforts to raise £1,000 for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. These modest efforts have returned mammoth results, with a sum of over £30 million being raised. This individual, unknown to the vast British public prior to a few weeks ago is now a household name. His name will forever be synonymous with this pandemic and upon mention will chime positivity and arise a resounding round of applause — clap for our carers — for a man whose intentions to help others is unselfish and humble. His legacy is publicised for all to see. And rightly so.
There are many others doing their bit in the fight against this global pandemic. As the days, weeks, months have gone on, communities have come together through an understanding of shared experience coupled with a desire for safety. Our health professionals and our politicians work relentlessly to stop the spread of the virus. They do this — to put it bluntly — to save humanity (and our economy)! Our collective response will be written in history for those who come after us to read. Each person’s actions may feel small, even inadequate at points, yet when summated, seismic shifts are made! We will determine the legacy of humanity in the age of coronavirus. To quote the Greek philosopher Aristotle, “The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts.”
Now I turn away from the collective, to individual names that are not destined to be “famous”; those who are only spoken on the lips of their friends, family, colleagues. This is the majority of us. In today’s world obsessed with social media and gratification through instant fame, it is sometimes difficult to believe that celebrities are the minority! I fall within this category of individuals and I have often grappled with what my legacy will be. Having had conversations around life’s purpose/drivers/legacy with those near and dear, I have found it is not just me who ponders on this, and furthermore, it takes an event in one’s life to reveal their purpose, if it has not already been found. With purpose we can affect the lives of those closest to us and at the end of the day, isn’t that something to be proud of? If we are going about our daily lives, doing what we believe in and as a byproduct, our individual legacy becomes highlighted as part of society’s collective legacy, then we can surely celebrate that.
A member of #TeamPTHR lost his Mum recently. Her legacy lives on in him, the beliefs he has for the greater good and ultimately if we, as a collective, lead by this example, our future world will be one where good intentions turn us all into household names, albeit unintentionally.
Let’s act responsibly during this pandemic that our world is presently riddled with. Let’s not be the century with the lost legacy. Let’s give our descendants a legacy we are proud of.
Thanks for this Kirsten — a really compelling, genuine and insightful read.
