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Wanting to leave your "mark" on the planet

N

NoEgo

I've got a big one
I've had so many conversations with all sort of people whose desire it is in life to leave their mark/stamp during their time on earth, it's left me ponding whether this is the right path in life or not.

Part of me thinks that an egoless existence is the right path, but sometimes that wanting to make a difference is also correct, depending on what it is.

Thoughts anyone?
 
I'm happy that I had a poetry book published , and that is in the 4 libraries that all published books have to go to, it's a minor mark tbf, not having kids, it's something of me that will always exist I guess.
 
Yeah, wanting to leave your mark without any context is certainly massivly egotistical. But wanting to change the world for the better or create great art perhaps not. Maybe it comes back to wheter you think any act can be truly selfless.

I try to judge my acts on a utilitarian basis. The Greatest good for the greatest number of people. Its an attempt at a purely logical morality. So yeah making a positive difference would be the most moral way to spend to your life.
 
But its not clear what your chatting about. What are you thinking about? It seems like a bit of a Daft question. Please explain. :)
 
Where does your idea of an egoless existence come from? Are you thinking along buddhist lines? There is certainly the idea of selflessness. But then thats not nessacarily the same thing.
 
@ Marty21.

thats a nice thought, your writing and your thoughts carrying on like that. Would love something like that myself. Egotistical to fuck though. :D
 
It's a pathetic ambition for it's own sake. I doubt that Einstein or Newton or Shakespeare did what they did simply because they wanted to leave their mark, but because they were so brilliant what they did changed things or affected people to such an extent that their achievements have lived on.
 
I don't believe in "egoless existence" (whatever the fuck that is). And the question from someone calling themselves "NoEgo" :D

Go on then, how do you achieve an "egoless existence"? Hope you get smothered at birth?
 
maybe his legacy is to ask questions on the internets - to be discovered by internet archeologists in thousands of years.
 
I would like to be remembered for doing something great, which benefits people. I think that the "benefits people" part is the driving force behind that, but I can't deny there is pride in it too. I don't see it as a bad thing, we are people and having an ego is part of that. Our actions speak louder than their reasons.
 
NoEgo said:
I've had so many conversations with all sort of people whose desire it is in life to leave their mark/stamp during their time on earth, it's left me ponding whether this is the right path in life or not.

Part of me thinks that an egoless existence is the right path, but sometimes that wanting to make a difference is also correct, depending on what it is.

Thoughts anyone?
Click to expand...

There is the idea that this is about wanting to manage our anxieties about death and dying. That we can distinguish between our biological death, ie the death of the physical body, and our symbolic death, ie when we are nolonger thought about, spoken of, or known. Wanting to leave some sort of "mark" does seem to be something about the ego wanting to sustain its-self in a symbolic fashion, to escape one of the two deaths.

Having said that, I'm not sure "an ego-less existence", whatever that might be, is even possible...
 
cesare said:
I don't believe in "egoless existence" (whatever the fuck that is). And the question from someone calling themselves "NoEgo" :D

Go on then, how do you achieve an "egoless existence"? Hope you get smothered at birth?
Click to expand...
Generally speaking, you meditate six hours a day for ten years.
 
I was planning to betray my species to another one, but creating the other one seems to be taking longer than I'd like...
 
marty21 said:
I'm happy that I had a poetry book published , and that is in the 4 libraries that all published books have to go to, it's a minor mark tbf, not having kids, it's something of me that will always exist I guess.
Click to expand...

Did you search those libraries' catalogues? Apparently the "every book" thing often doesn't work out, so if you don't want to die and be forgotten you might have to send them copies.
 
My two thoughts on this are: historian Tony Judt who died recenctly, saying his 'mark' as such would be influencing the people around him and Ian Dury saying he couldn't give a fuck about his legacy.
 
I like the idea of living in harmony with the planet.

Not leaving your mark, rather leaving it in as good a state for the next generation as you found it in.
 
I want to see my son grow into the man I know he can be. I want him to be happy and to live a life of integrity and success in whatever path he follows.

If I can see that and take some pride in the small role I played in guiding him to be a good man living a good life, I will die happy.
 
dylans said:
I want to see my son grow into the man I know he can be. I want him to be happy and to live a life of integrity and success in whatever path he follows.

If I can see that and take some pride in the small role I played in guiding him to be a good man living a good life, I will die happy.
Click to expand...

Very worthy thoughts. I feel the same way.
 
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