You Will Not Be Remembered. Here’s Why It Means Freedom

Even the Beatles are fading away

This is going to sound depressing at first, but it gets better.

We all have an impulse to leave something of ourselves behind. I spent three decades in the media business trying to make myself a household name. I was constantly wracking my brain for something specific that would achieve this, but as the years went by, I realized it wasn’t going to happen.

Why was this important to me?

Wanting to be remembered is a natural human response. It is usually fulfilled by having children, but some wish to be known for great works in science or the arts.

Would it help to know that big celebrities are no different than you? That someday, they will be forgotten as well?

Take Elvis Presley. There was a time when all you needed to know was his first name. Now, there are generations who don’t know who he is and don’t care. If they have heard of him, it’s only as the comical version in the white sparkly jumpsuit.

How about the Beatles? I loved them when I was young. I bought three copies of the Sgt. Pepper album because I kept wearing them out. Yet the only people who think they still have relevance are those old enough to remember the ’60s, like me. During the ’70s, Paul McCartney was thought of as that guy from the band Wings.

It’s not just music.

When was the last time you heard Bob Hope’s name? The man was considered an entertainment legend and even had an airport named after him in 2003. However, the name was changed to the Hollywood-Burbank Airport in 2017.

You may envy those who are famous today, even if what they’re recognized for is negligible. Take the Kardashians, for example. Kim Kardashian managed to turn a sex tape, a cheesy reality show, and a marriage to a crazy person into a media empire. But even the Kardashians will fade away someday. (Just not soon enough for me.)

Then there are those who are remembered for the things they didn’t do or were not the first to do. Christopher Columbus did not discover America. And Alexander Graham Bell was not the first to get his patent paperwork to the Patent Office. Elisha Gray’s lawyer got there hours before, but Gray’s patent application somehow ended up in the bottom of a pile.

Having children doesn’t guarantee a part of you will always be around, either. While your DNA may keep procreating, your name will eventually disappear.

For example, my wife tried to put together my family tree, but we could find no record of my great-grandmother on my father’s side, and believe me, we looked for hours.

Your bloodline may even come to an end. My wife is an only child with no children, and she is the last of her family.

“But Ace,” you may say. “If I’m not going to be remembered, why should I bother?”

The answer is that there is good news in all of this.

It’s the remarkable amount of freedom you get when you’re no longer concerned about a legacy.

You can now learn a new skill and do it purely for the amazing feeling that comes with doing it well. You can enjoy the dopamine hit from people who love what you create. It becomes more about loving the process instead of fretting about your work being “the best,” whatever that is. So much of the arts are subjective anyway.

As an example, I’m learning to play the piano. Even though I will never be Beethoven or even Billy Joel, it was so much fun last December playing Christmas carols while friends and family sang along.

“Today” becomes more important.

For example, I have a friend named Cissy Jones. Cissy is considered one of the premier voice-acting talents today. Her voice is featured in numerous big-budget video games like The Walking Dead, and she won a BAFTA for her role as Delilah in the game Firewatch.

Will her work be remembered 50, 60, 70 years from now? Probably not, but my point is, I love her work right now, and that’s all that matters.

Imagine stretching your boundaries without worry. Imagine living the life you want without comparing yourself to others because the only thing that matters is how you feel about it.

If you must, work to be the best only because there’s satisfaction in it today, and it’s exciting to be №1 during your time. Even if you’re the GOAT, someone will pass your achievements one day.

How you feel about being remembered changes as you get nearer to your life’s end, and things have not turned out how you hoped. But look at it this way. Life is not perfect, but there are moments of perfection, and those are what we live for.

Don’t look back and see the failures. Look back at your life and smile about the good times. It doesn’t matter that those memories will fade. They’re yours, right now.