4 ms·

Well, million years from now on, nobody will care about any impact you did

by elcct 10y ago

drieddust 10y ago
Unless you are extremely lucky chances are fifty years from now, nobody will care. Everything you think is time will cease to be useful to them. Your Great Grand Children won't know you as a person. Hell they won't even remember your name. Even if they do, it won't matter to you because you will cease to exist.
- cableshaft 10y ago
  I only met my great grandfather once before he died, but I remember his name, and my parents still have the artifacts he left behind. He was a carpenter, and made several wooden pieces we still have, including a turtle footstool, a doll house, and a garage for toy cars. He also made a kid's rocking chair which sadly got destroyed over time. I played with all of them plenty when I was a kid. I plan on keeping these things in the family as long as possible. Make things and leave them behind, and hopefully your family will still cherish them. I write and make board and video games, I'm hoping some of those will stay in the family. I also want to get into woodworking once I own a home, and make custom components for my games.
  - drieddust 10y ago
    You both share a common passion. That's your shared luck I guess.
  - croon 10y ago
    As a counter point: My grandfather was a carpenter too, and my family was somewhat poor, so the save everything mentality was often in play, and straddled the line between sentimentality and fiscal responsibility. I loved (and love those still alive) my family, and cherish all memories I have, but the _stuff_ I feel is more of a burden. It was genuinely hard getting rid of stuff because it was so ingrained that they had to mean something to me because of their legacy, but it was just crap that I had no use of or liked. Once I managed to disconnect the stuff from the people/memories, I felt a huge relief just decluttering. I have maybe a book or a note from people, and of course photos, but I have procured only furniture/cuttlery/paintings/etc that I like, not those I inherited "just because". And I'd gladly see my children just chuck everything I don't have time to get rid of before I die, and hope that they remember me fondly as a person, not as someone dumping a houseful of emotional and literal baggage on them. I'm likely projecting, and am sorry/happy if this is not your situation, but I identified up to a point and wanted to suggest to people like me that decluttering/chucking out old junk can be very relieving.
pc86 10y ago
And after the heat death of the universe nothing will matter! Let's just all do nothing.
- aianus 10y ago
  I think the point is to do what you think is meaningful (or at least enjoyable). Worrying what your future grandchildren think about you is a ridiculous way to live your life.
  - elcct 10y ago
    > you think is meaningful It is easy to get your perception of meaningful poisoned by ideas like religion, so one has to be careful how he spends his precious moments in his window of consciousness
- mrfusion 10y ago
  If the think the events in the story "the last question" could happen then that might not be true.

Well, million years from now on, nobody will care about any impact you did

by elcct 10y ago

Well, million years from now on, nobody will care about any impact you did

Unless you are extremely lucky chances are fifty years from now, nobody will care. Everything you think is time will cease to be useful to them. Your Great Grand Children won't know you as a person. Hell they won't even remember your name. Even if they do, it won't matter to you because you will cease to exist.

cableshaft 10y ago
I only met my great grandfather once before he died, but I remember his name, and my parents still have the artifacts he left behind. He was a carpenter, and made several wooden pieces we still have, including a turtle footstool, a doll house, and a garage for toy cars. He also made a kid's rocking chair which sadly got destroyed over time. I played with all of them plenty when I was a kid. I plan on keeping these things in the family as long as possible. Make things and leave them behind, and hopefully your family will still cherish them. I write and make board and video games, I'm hoping some of those will stay in the family. I also want to get into woodworking once I own a home, and make custom components for my games.
- drieddust 10y ago
  You both share a common passion. That's your shared luck I guess.
- croon 10y ago
  As a counter point: My grandfather was a carpenter too, and my family was somewhat poor, so the save everything mentality was often in play, and straddled the line between sentimentality and fiscal responsibility. I loved (and love those still alive) my family, and cherish all memories I have, but the _stuff_ I feel is more of a burden. It was genuinely hard getting rid of stuff because it was so ingrained that they had to mean something to me because of their legacy, but it was just crap that I had no use of or liked. Once I managed to disconnect the stuff from the people/memories, I felt a huge relief just decluttering. I have maybe a book or a note from people, and of course photos, but I have procured only furniture/cuttlery/paintings/etc that I like, not those I inherited "just because". And I'd gladly see my children just chuck everything I don't have time to get rid of before I die, and hope that they remember me fondly as a person, not as someone dumping a houseful of emotional and literal baggage on them. I'm likely projecting, and am sorry/happy if this is not your situation, but I identified up to a point and wanted to suggest to people like me that decluttering/chucking out old junk can be very relieving.

pc86 10y ago

And after the heat death of the universe nothing will matter! Let's just all do nothing.

aianus 10y ago
I think the point is to do what you think is meaningful (or at least enjoyable). Worrying what your future grandchildren think about you is a ridiculous way to live your life.
- elcct 10y ago
  > you think is meaningful It is easy to get your perception of meaningful poisoned by ideas like religion, so one has to be careful how he spends his precious moments in his window of consciousness
mrfusion 10y ago
If the think the events in the story "the last question" could happen then that might not be true.