Legacy - By Rum Punch Drunk, Guest Post #1

 It pleases me to no end to bring you this post. It was written by Rum Punch Drunk. Rum Punch Drunk is one of the first blogs I looked at when I  started out myself, and I have been following along since. I have seen RPD post on everything from genetically engineered food, to issues of depression, to the tragedy of 9/11, and everything in between. Rum Punch always makes thought provoking posts, and helps you to consider different and sometimes conflicting views in a non-confrontational way. RPD always invites you to share and discuss your own views on the subjects broached as well.

 When I contacted Rum Punch about doing this post, I didn't give any specifics about topic, length, form, or anything really. The title of this blog is Speaking My Mind... And that's what I wanted from Rum Punch. As I said I have been following RPD's writing for a while now and I was pretty confidant that whatever Rum Punch came up with would be something that would fit the theme of my blog, no problem at all.

 I was right. When I received the finished post I knew it was going to be perfect. It was exactly what I was hoping for. We set a delayed time to post it, to give each other ample time to prepare for the delivery. I thought the time we set was pretty pertinent to the post, as it's the new year and people are thinking about resolutions and life changes, so what better to consider in these decisions than your Legacy.

 I should have known though, that life is full of surprises. Now, in hindsight, it is a little ironic that we decided on the date we did. Two days ago on January 2, my Uncle by marriage, and friend by virtue passed away. And this post suddenly has whole new meanings in my mind. His death was sudden and unexpected. He was fifty-six years old. Here today... Gone the next. And now all that is left, is what he left behind with us.

 For me... His legacy will be a wealth of laughs, happy memories, and an endless supply of one liners. His attitude in life will inspire me not to have a "glass half full" attitude, but rather a "my glass is always full" attitude. He was a kind, caring, and gentle man. He would give you the shirt of his back, quite literally, and be happy about it if he thought he helped you. For me, Timmy was one of the greats, and my legacy from him will be rich.

 But his legacy is greater than that. He had a wife, and two kids. He had his brother and sisters, other neices and nephews, a life-time of friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. His legacy will carry on with each one of them. And it will be as different for each individual as the relationship they shared.

 So, I hope this post encourages you to delve into your own life, and really take a look around. I'll leave you now with Rum Punch Drunk, and a final question... What will you leave behind when your time comes?

Legacy by Rum-Punch Drunk

Many of us may know of a man called Mr. Alfred Nobel, who became infamous by inventing dynamite and producing explosives. Through this he became wealthy and powerful. He thought he had it all. Until, sadly, Mr. Nobel's brother died and the newspapers made the mistake of publishing an obituary based on Alfred Nobel, instead of his deceased brother. His life's work was summed up bleakly under the headline 'The merchant of death is dead'.

The article stated that Mr. Nobel was the one 'who made it possible to kill more people and more quickly than anyone who had ever lived'. Can you imagine waking up one morning and with coffee in hand, sitting down to read the papers and seeing yourself on the front page being described this way? Shock and dismay to say the least!

Who in their right mind would want to be remembered for creating death, doom, hate and mayhem anyway? Who would be happy for their name to be dragged through the mud as the scum of the earth after their death? Not many.

From that day forward Mr Nobel was determined that the legacy he would leave behind would be completely different from what he had just read. The plan he came up with was to change his 'will' in order for his vast fortune to be used to establish a series of Nobel prizes.

He achieved his aim. Nowadays when you hear about the Nobel prize, rarely does anyone associate it with the man who invented explosives. Legacies can be changed.

The opposite was the case for the late, famous Jimmy Saville, who spent years supporting charities raising thousands upon thousands of pounds to help children, only for many to come forward upon his death and alledge he was a pedophile. His family even had to remove the gravestone in fear of it being defaced by the public.

With that in mind, you may be enjoying your lifestyle, but how confident are you that you would be remembered in a decent, respectful way?

Do you even care that your actions today could have a detrimental effect on the loved ones you leave behind after your death? Or could your passing away be a case of 'good riddance to bad rubbish?'

Anyone and everyone will leave behind a legacy, good or bad. You don't have to be wealthy, rich, a homeowner or even have a job. The issue is - what do you do with what you've got? Do you nurture, encourage and support those around you? Do you give any of your time and energy to the benefit of others? Or are you just living for yourself?

So many people on their death bed want to make things right. If there was just one more thing that they could do, if they could just say one more thing to that person.... You haven't reached that moment yet. There is still time for you to go and do it. What are you waiting for? Till you lie down for that last time and you can't get up?

In light of the above...

Have you any idea what people would say about you if you were to die today?

It would be great to hear your views, comments and opinions on this topic or better still, what are your ideas for your personal legacy?