A fear.

[Aries_Split]

I have a fear.

It's not a crippling thing that prohibits me from my day to day activities.
No, it's a little more intricate than that.

My fear is what keeps you awake at night, after lying dormant in the back of your mind for the day.
My fear is what you find your self thinking about during idle periods in the day.
My fear, is the fear of being forgotten.

The idea that my existence was so meaningless, so devoid of impact, that I end when I die absolutely torments me.

No, wait stop, read that sentence again. I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of Ending.

I think that all humans have this fear innately built into them, which is where religion stems from. I think we all need something to reassure us that we have a place to go.

This fear is not one I dislike. In fact, it's why I live the way I do. Why I act the way I do.

It's what made me dress outlandishly in middle school.
It's what made me listen to music deemed "Gay" in high school.
It's what made me realize that trying to be more like someone else is passively taking away your possibility to be immortal.

Immortality is what I strive to have. It's what I want to attain in life, and until I obtain it, I won't be able to die peacefully.
I'm really just asking myself "When I die, what do I pass on to the next generation?"

Will it be Gene's? Will I give my child my intellect? My looks? My personality?

Will it be items? Will I make games? Will I design clothes? Will I create furniture?

Will it be knowledge? Will I write a book? Will I cure a disease? Will I discover a new animal?
But the one that constantly comes back to me is; Will I be remembered?

All of these questions can lead back to one. Am I immortal?
I won't lie, I can't be 100 percent honest with myself nad say that I am.
I think that question is one we all should ask ourselves.

What about you?

 

[Copter400]

Of course you'll be remembered. Just don't become a hobo, and you'll be fine.

 

[Aries_Split]

Trippy. I have no qualms myself being forgotten after I am dead. I'd rather the world not view me as a loss when I am gone, I'd rather not have my name enscribed in the annals of history
Then again, I may be too pessimistic for my own good. I've done strange things, I've made my presence known, but I can't say I ever truly wanted to be remembered.
No, I don't have some deep seeded fear of one thing or another that keeps me awake at night, I don't even know what keeps me awake at night. But when I find out, I'll make sure you're the first to know.

Huh, maybe I'm just an anomaly.

There's a hit to my self esteem.

 

[Labyrinth]

If I have it, it's more of a subconscious thing. I certinally find myself driven to do things which one could consider memorable, such as public speaking at contravertial rallies, organising said rallies and the like. I have also been told I tend to stand out in a crowd, which makes my ego purr.

However, I don't feel driven to have children, even if just for the reason of watching another carry on my genetic information.

 

[Copter400]

Trippy. I have no qualms myself being forgotten after I am dead. I'd rather the world not view me as a loss when I am gone, I'd rather not have my name enscribed in the annals of history
Then again, I may be too pessimistic for my own good. I've done strange things, I've made my presence known, but I can't say I ever truly wanted to be remembered.
No, I don't have some deep seeded fear of one thing or another that keeps me awake at night, I don't even know what keeps me awake at night. But when I find out, I'll make sure you're the first to know.

Huh, maybe I'm just an anomaly.

There's a hit to my self esteem.

You're not even that. You're an optical illuuuusion!

 

[TommyGun465]

Its not THAT hard to do something that will go on for ages. Write beutifull songs, win medals like no one has ever won, do something that people will benefit of during a while. OK, maybe it is hard, but everything requires some effort.
That, or you can kill people in mass. But you dont want that.

 

[TommyGun465]

You're not even that. You're an optical illuuuusion!

Best... Reference... Ever.

 

[Labyrinth]

What would you like to be remembered for then?

Personally, it'd be for ridding the world of it's reliance on capitalist states and money, and making some kick arse art along the way.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

An end isn't something to fear. There's no such thing as an end. Surely at least one person will remember you, even if it's only as "that asshole".

But I myself have no problem with not being remembered. I fear... well, that's not the right word. I dislike the idea of dying before I do what I need to do. I haven't done it yet, and I probably won't know when I do. I just don't want my death to be a failure.
The reason I have no fear of death is probably because of my lack of preservation instincts, I pretty much don't fear anything. So it turns out that I'm the anomaly, not you.

 

[Khedive Rex]

I don't really have a fear of not being remembered. I don't know if this makes me weird or anomalous but I find the idea of the world remembering me somewhat ... unsettling. It'd be fun but something about it just doesn't sound right. I think of myself as a spectator. I watch, I learn, I generally have a good time but I try to avoid affecting life too drastically.

I tend to think of the world as a product of the people who inhabit it. Whatever you supply the world with is what you end up having to live with and so you learn and civilize and thus your world gets more learned and civilized. If your violent and roudy, you get wars. If your peaceful and inquisitive, you get space ships.

It's a learning experience of sorts. I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of that learning experience. If it's not too pretentious of me to say, I kind of like to watch what people put into their world. It's fascinating.

I hope some of that makes sense. It's very late out my way and I'll probably be asleep at the end of this post so ...

Yeah. No.

 

[Arntor]

The only thing to fear from nonexistence is when it strikes at the wrong moment and might I add that we shouldn't even dwell on that possibility for too long. There will be someone to remember you and even if it will not last forever, I don't think it would be productive to pursue it out of our fear of nonexistence but from your love of life.


I used to fear it, but now I don't. The only thing that matters now are the actions I take and the choices I make, whether or not they will be remembered is something unimportant to me but the fact that I've done something and created some value is the greatest joy I can attain.

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

 

[The Irrelevant Gamer]

I'd like to accomplish something with my life, but I don't care if I'm remembered for it. Memories fade, people die, monuments crumble, and histories are lost, but if you can honestly say your life was worth living the moment before you die then that's all that matters.

 

[BlackSquiz]

I too have this fear but I realize as long as I do what I was meant to do in my life then I'll be happy with what I've done and be happy in the next life.

 

[The Lyre]

Will I be remembered?

Yes, you will, for a while.

Everyone is forgotten eventually, there is no immortality to be had in that way, as everyone is inevitably forgotten.

What you're looking for is to be remembered a long time.

At which point, I'd like to quote Ricky Gervais and say; "Kill a prostitute."

Being remembered is not what matters - talent, intellect, success in your chosen path, that is what's important. If you just want fame and to be remembered, then become a Ripper, but I don't think you do.

 

[sammy119]

I don't really think that anyone needs to be remembered. In the natural cycle, we all come and go. I can't remember the exact quote, but Shakespeare once wrote that "Life is like a play. We come on, have our 5 minutes of fame, and are soon forgotton." Again, that isnt the exact quote but you get the idea I hope.

If we were meant to be remembered, or "immortal", then we wouldnt die. I think to let go of this fear, if you have it, you just have to look at the way animals deal with the issue; they dont. All animals do what they can to survive, and they do it for their species. They all make their contribution, just as humans do, and when they pass away, thats it. The only race that even attempts to remember the dead for a long period is human, and thats because most of us feel inable to move on.

You don't need to be remembered to leave your contribution.

 

[Copter400]

You're not even that. You're an optical illuuuusion!

Best... Reference... Ever.

I learnt in in 'Making Spells For Doors 101' in Wizarding School.

Get the hell out!

 

[10BIT]

I have a fear.

It's not a crippling thing that prohibits me from my day to day activities.
No, it's a little more intricate than that.

My fear is what keeps you awake at night, after lying dormant in the back of your mind for the day.
My fear is what you find your self thinking about during idle periods in the day.
My fear, is the fear of being forgotten.

The idea that my existence was so meaningless, so devoid of impact, that I end when I die absolutely torments me.

No, wait stop, read that sentence again. I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of Ending.

I think that all humans have this fear innately built into them, which is where religion stems from. I think we all need something to reassure us that we have a place to go.

This fear is not one I dislike. In fact, it's why I live the way I do. Why I act the way I do.

It's what made me dress outlandishly in middle school.
It's what made me listen to music deemed "Gay" in high school.
It's what made me realize that trying to be more like someone else is passively taking away your possibility to be immortal.

Immortality is what I strive to have. It's what I want to attain in life, and until I obtain it, I won't be able to die peacefully.
I'm really just asking myself "When I die, what do I pass on to the next generation?"

Will it be Gene's? Will I give my child my intellect? My looks? My personality?

Will it be items? Will I make games? Will I design clothes? Will I create furniture?

Will it be knowledge? Will I write a book? Will I cure a disease? Will I discover a new animal?
But the one that constantly comes back to me is; Will I be remembered?

All of these questions can lead back to one. Am I immortal?
I won't lie, I can't be 100 percent honest with myself nad say that I am.
I think that question is one we all should ask ourselves.

Wow.

I find this very deep and emotive. Maybe you could touch it up a bit and present it as a poem?

This struck a chord with me since I too have this fear, although I rarely dwell on it. The fear is often exacerbated by my natural quietness, which causes people to rarely noticing me. Many times has a friend of mine been right next to me only to turn around over ten minutes later and exclaim "Where the f**k did you come from. Even once my mum had this long conversation through my bedroom door only to be interrupted by the front door opening and me calling upstairs "Mum, I'm home".

My dream is to make my mark on the world, to be remembered by many, with something beneficial to mankind. When I accomplish this dream, I know I will die happy.