>>"My online legacy is even less likely to survive, given that it’s almost entirely on the web."
Don't fret, Lloyd. Many great academics are concerned so much of our present (and "present future") is at risk of obsolescence and irretrievability because technologies change in the online world. I grew up using 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy …
>>"My online legacy is even less likely to survive, given that it’s almost entirely on the web."
Don't fret, Lloyd. Many great academics are concerned so much of our present (and "present future") is at risk of obsolescence and irretrievability because technologies change in the online world. I grew up using 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks for storing documents; I still have some which are inaccessible because I lack the components with the new laptop to access them (to say nothing of the lost passwords!) I'm 53 and recognize that despite my youth-driven aspirations and hopes of leaving a legacy for future generations to know I existed, it's only a rare few who will ever get to enjoy the luxury of name recognition. And, without having had any progeny to carry on my name, family history, or values in an ever-changing world, there's REALLY a sense of irrelevance for me to cope with. I'm still trying to figure out the ultimate end game and why it's a point of contention for me; perhaps it's because I'm haunted by my past, a family upbringing of authoritarianism that still to this day is impossible to avoid with my 88 year old mother. I have hopes of creating some kind of legacy for myself, whether that's just part of an endowment fund towards education, or perhaps offspring with a willing partner from another country who doesn't balk at the idea of wide age differences. I can only try.
I think that's the noble goal to pursue: at least try, and enjoy the ride in the meantime, doing whatever it is that brings you happiness. Ride your bike for the sake of the enjoyment *without* fretting about how many people aren't doing the same, or how risky the bike lanes are; enjoy the delicious meals that your wife makes for you (trust me, as the chief cook and bottle washer in my own house, I'd love to have a partner who did that for me the way Kelly does for you); have yourself a tipple of Macallan's 12 year when you feel the urge without thinking of the peat used in the malting process. I'm convinced my mother sees life as something to be endured, not enjoyed—so I've done as much as I can to enjoy the life given to me regardless of how little money I've saved or the lack of relevance in my degreed field.
Eat, drink, and be merry—and have a happy birthday. No one gets out of this gig called life alive, so do your level best to do whatever it is you want with it. And cheers ... I'll pour myself a dram tonight after work in your honor.
>>"My online legacy is even less likely to survive, given that it’s almost entirely on the web."
Don't fret, Lloyd. Many great academics are concerned so much of our present (and "present future") is at risk of obsolescence and irretrievability because technologies change in the online world. I grew up using 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks for storing documents; I still have some which are inaccessible because I lack the components with the new laptop to access them (to say nothing of the lost passwords!) I'm 53 and recognize that despite my youth-driven aspirations and hopes of leaving a legacy for future generations to know I existed, it's only a rare few who will ever get to enjoy the luxury of name recognition. And, without having had any progeny to carry on my name, family history, or values in an ever-changing world, there's REALLY a sense of irrelevance for me to cope with. I'm still trying to figure out the ultimate end game and why it's a point of contention for me; perhaps it's because I'm haunted by my past, a family upbringing of authoritarianism that still to this day is impossible to avoid with my 88 year old mother. I have hopes of creating some kind of legacy for myself, whether that's just part of an endowment fund towards education, or perhaps offspring with a willing partner from another country who doesn't balk at the idea of wide age differences. I can only try.
I think that's the noble goal to pursue: at least try, and enjoy the ride in the meantime, doing whatever it is that brings you happiness. Ride your bike for the sake of the enjoyment *without* fretting about how many people aren't doing the same, or how risky the bike lanes are; enjoy the delicious meals that your wife makes for you (trust me, as the chief cook and bottle washer in my own house, I'd love to have a partner who did that for me the way Kelly does for you); have yourself a tipple of Macallan's 12 year when you feel the urge without thinking of the peat used in the malting process. I'm convinced my mother sees life as something to be endured, not enjoyed—so I've done as much as I can to enjoy the life given to me regardless of how little money I've saved or the lack of relevance in my degreed field.
Eat, drink, and be merry—and have a happy birthday. No one gets out of this gig called life alive, so do your level best to do whatever it is you want with it. And cheers ... I'll pour myself a dram tonight after work in your honor.