I thought of a way today for anyone to leave behind a lasting legacy

This is kind of a serious post- I was thinking of the world after we pass on from it. If the human race actually gets past this phase and makes something better of itself in the following generations, it would be nice to be able to look back at our age and see us as we really were on an individual level. Thus my idea to create a "library" of computerized videos of us.

It's simple, really- it would be just a video recording of anyone who would like to participate. I don't envision any set form other than the basics- your name, where and when you were born, and from there simply sit and say anything you want about yourself and your life. It would be a record of you as you see yourself, and it would be a message to the future of humanity.

I guess it would need to be a funded effort, and ongoing. It wouldn't be limited in any way as to who could leave a bit of themselves behind. And it would be far more fulfilling than a simple tombstone or photo album. It would be accessible to anyone at any time, for the sake of understanding the world of the past.

I'm sure the concept could be embellished by others- I wouldn't know where to begin in the construction of such an effort. I just know that once I pass on it would be nice to leave a bit of myself behind. After all, we're not all movie stars or politicians- how many of us have the real opportunity to record themselves for long-term posterity?

Yes? No? Maybe? Good idea? Ludicrous? I don't know. I simply believe it may be worth the effort.

What a great idea!

Consider how valuable the photos of yesterday and today are to us...

And then consider how much more revealing a video would be!

And it wouldn't be all that difficult to do, either...

I love it!

You could hear someone sing, or recite their poetry (ahem) or talk about their lives...

I'm all for it!

YouTube for the ages!

:hug:

and I have ancestors that I do not have any pictures of.

not good.

has little to do with how you view yourself or think you should be remembered. It has more to do with what you've done while you're here.

Don't let it fade and disappear. Preserve it for the following generations. Tell them what you've done while you were here.

One's legacy is best related by others. That's how a person's legacy is actually measured, by the impact they had on others. Otherwise it's just bragging.

but there is an NPO called StoryCorps doing something very similar with audio recordings. Not just remembrances, but also oral-tradition storytelling. I wish I had heard of it before my grandfather died...all he did was tell stories, the same stories, for years...except they just kept getting taller as I got taller.

*The one about how he had to crawl through a sewer backwards for 10 miles.

*The one about his coworker in high steel with feet a foot wide like a jackrabbit.

...

Their address is http://www.storycorps.net/

:headbang:

All they'd need to do is add a camcorder- the rest would be easy.

It's one of my favorite few minutes on NPR each week. :hi:

Hey, they've found some that are 10,000 years old!