The way and the why

History is unalterable. Every action we take, every decision we make, and every word we utter is etched into the stone wall of time past, and there it remains forever. History remembers what we’ve done and said, even if humanity does not.

Does this not compel you to consider the implications of your actions? To think about the impression you’re leaving on the future?

Personally, I hope that my ideas will live longer than I will. I hope that the questions I ask, the answers I explore and the insights I stumble upon will be valuable, not just now, but in the future, for people who don’t exist yet. I only realised that I held this small hope when I flicked through Disconnected, my own book, a few days ago. I remembered how much thought and care I poured into the crafting of it’s pages. And I began to understand a little more of the motive behind my writing.

It goes beyond just creating something though. I hope that my actions, the things I do for and to others, cause little harm and have long-lasting benefit. I hope that my words send positive ripples into the ocean of the future. In short, I hope that my life outlives me.

That’s what is on the line today, and tomorrow, and the week after. Because if every deed and word is eternal, then does that not make it imperative that we do and speak wisely? With consideration, and care. If every action is immortal, does it not then become a necessity that we think about our conduct and what motivates it?

We all leave something behind when we move on from here. And we hope that that something is good and beautiful and valuable. So should we not be more intentional about the way and the why of our lives?