re: #256 DangerMan

We generally have no idea whose lives we have affected, - for the good or not. Sometimes when we find out, that can be satisfying and even laudable.

The goal of a good life should be to become an exemplary human instance through excellent behavior and action.

To do as much justice to the miraculous gift of your individual existence as you are able, and to be able to rejoice in that alone.

To affect others as a goal, to ‘leave a mark’ on the world, is a form of badge collecting and misses the entire point of being alive.

(one insignificant man’s opinion)

If your goal is to make future generations remember you solely because of it, I can agree. OTOH, making a mark on others is generally called mentorship. One of MLK’s legacies is teaching blacks to no longer be afraid of what white do to them. It was the big change he brought to the Civil Rights movement, more than his speeches.