Ten Ways … to be
remembered By Robert Ashton
I recently visited the new Bodyworlds exhibition at Piccadilly Circus in London. This permanent exhibition gives an insight into how our bodies are put together and how they work. The corpses on display have been stripped of skin and fat, then steeped in a polymer solution, posed and mounted on plinths. I also visited the first exhibition this organisation staged in
London around 15 years ago and felt moved to sign up as a donor. An invitation to visit China followed, so that I could see how the bodies are prepared. It gave me an opportunity to get to know Gunther von Hagens, the anatomist who developed the plastination process. He’s a fascinating guy, determined to show us exactly how our bodies work and how important it is to look after them. My legacy to the world will to help educate the public about
human anatomy. I will be preserved, posed and displayed, probably in London, for decades after my death. Visitors to the exhibition won’t be able to identify me. I could not tell which of the bodies I saw recently was my friend Walter, a fellow donor who travelled with me to China. But what about you? I doubt you plan to follow my example
and become a macabre exhibit. So how will you be remembered, and by whom? It is a very human instinct to want to be remembered as someone who left their mark on the world. This becomes more important the older we get. I guess that’s because as we age, we become more aware that life is finite and at some point, comes to an end. It’s also very natural to want to be recognised in some of the
things that we achieve. That’s why business awards are so popular and an invitation to Buckingham Palace so highly regarded. Feeding the ego is near the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Once we have our physical needs met, and feel we belong in our family and social circles, we crave recognition and to feel needed by others. So how can you make sure that you will be remembered? Don’t
wait until you are old as by then, your greatest opportunity may have been lost. Here are ten ways you might consider:
1. Build a house - if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford to build a striking house, in a nice location, it will be seen and admired by people long after you have gone. Make sure it is designed in such a way as to form a visual metaphor for the values you live by.
2. Plant trees - Trees, particularly oak trees, take generations to mature. If you plant trees today, your great grandchildren will be able to climb them, shelter beneath them, and perhaps even use
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them to make something beautiful, such as a table
3. Start a business - It was in 1922 that William Hoover changed the name of the company he’d bought to his own. Now hoovering the floor has become a chore we are all familiar with. It would be all the more memorable if Hoover had been fastidious about cleanliness, but alas, he was just an entrepreneur with vision.
4. Establish a charity - Many of the world’s richest people have set up charitable foundations. Bill Gates is perhaps the best known, with his Foundation funding much of the work being done to eliminate malaria. But rather than set up your own charity, why not create your own fund within your local Community Foundation? They will manage it for you and make grants to projects that resonate with your values and interests.
5. Write a book - who wrote the classics you read as a child? Or perhaps you were influenced by business writers when getting started in your career. Writing a book could see you remembered for centuries to come. If you’ve lived an amazing life, but cannot write a book yourself, find a ghost author to write it for you. It’s your name that appears on the cover.
6. Write a song or poem - If a book is too daunting, try writing a song or poem. If you’re musical, you can perhaps compose something too. Could you be the next John Lennon?
7. Commission public art - I’m not suggesting your fund a statue of yourself for your local marketplace. That is down to others if they feel strongly that you should be remembered. But why not find something that will define a place you care about? It’s a more imaginative idea than having your family put your name on a park bench one day.
8. Have children – We are all our parents’ children, and many of our attitudes, beliefs and values can be attributed to up upbringing. The poet Philip Larkin suggested that our parents can also be the cause of our anxieties, but doing our best as parents can make sure we are fondly remembered when no longer around.
9. Endow an award – Setting up a fund from which an annual prize can be awarded is a good way to keep people interested in what has interested you. This need not be costly, but can make sure your name is associated with excellence for years to come.
10. Live a good life – This of course is the easiest way to be remembered. None of the previous nine suggestions can combat a reputation earned for being mean, rude or self-centered. We all strive to live good lives and to be a positive influence on the lives of those around us.
It has been interesting as I write this column, to reflect on my
own situation. Whilst I signed up to become an exhibit after my death, this will not in reality create legacy. On my plinth in the Bodyworlds exhibition I will be unrecognizable and anonymous. I’ve been forced to reflect on how I spend my time and what
impact I have on those around me. I hope this column provokes you to reflect similarly.
Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd
www.cfegroup.com
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