What Will You Leave Behind?
We returned last week from our culinary learning journey to Italy celebrating the 15-year anniversary of two of our team members. On our trip, we had the opportunity to visit the ruins of Pompeii, a city literally frozen in time. What was once a prosperous commercial center for goods and trade was covered with 30 feet of volcanic ash and debris by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. The eruption also shifted the surrounding landscape causing Pompeii to no longer be on the Sarno River or the coast, which was part of why it took so long for the city to be “found”. The city was rediscovered in 1599 although serious excavation didn’t start until the mid 1700s and continues to this day, with only about two thirds of the city uncovered.
Because the city was left untouched for so many years, much of it has been preserved. And with a technique of filling voids left in the hardened ash by decomposed bodies you get to see a snapshot of what was occurring when the volcano erupted. It was absolutely fascinating to see the sophistication and development of the society. It included many iterations of what we have today in our current cities. They had theaters with engravings on seats for wealthy donors, food stalls on street corners, a bath house that had heated pools, a full grid of streets, store fronts, a stadium and gorgeous frescos painted on the walls. You could see the ruts on the stone streets from the traffic of the chariots and even a hotel-like structure where out of town visitors would stay. I was in awe that all of this existed more than 2,000 years ago! It inspired my wife, April, to ask: “what will they say about us and our society in the future?”
At some point I believe we all think about the legacy we will leave behind. For some there may be physical things created like works of art, photography, music, or writings. George Washington notoriously documented many of his life’s details because he thought people in the future might find it interesting. For others there may be businesses built, technology created, or service organizations founded. As leaders, friends, spouses, parents, teachers, and individuals there will be stories shared about us for years after we are gone. Stories about what we did, the values we lived by, and how we impacted others in both positive and negative ways.
Pompeii is a great reminder that all we have can disappear at any time, and also a reminder that long after we are gone, there will be something telling left behind. Every day we have a chance to write that story, to leave a legacy that we are individually proud of. In order to do so, we have to live with intention. Intention around the decisions we make, the ways we choose to spend our time and the people we spend it with. Those intentions will vary from person to person and therefore should not be judged against one another. What matters are the questions: How do you personally want to be remembered? And are you living each day with that in mind?