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A Little Chuck For You
Posted by kat822 • 7/11/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
SO I have been reading Chuck Klosterman's IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas, it's a good read, hell the section entitled "Bonds verses America" was worth the 15 bucks I shelled out for it alone.
Anyway as I said it's an interesting read and one thing I like about the book is that just about every section starts out with a hypothetical question. And you know how I love the hypothetical question!
Now sometimes the hypothetical question may start out with potential, but for some reason it goes wiggy at the end, a good hypothetical should at all times be believable. Chuck doesn't quite hit the mark all the time but for the most part does, the following is a good example of him hitting the mark...
So today I will offer you the following to ponder and hopefully share your ideas about:
Question: You are given the chance to control what you legacy will be. You can't specifically dictate how you will be recalled by future generations, but you are given the chance to choose between two general idioms of legacies.
The first legacy would be that you lived your days as a good and honest person who worked hard and contributed to society. However, the limitation of this legacy will be that almost no one will know or remember this information, including future members of your own extended family. Most average people will never even know you lived.
The second legacy will be familiar to almost everyone in the world for centuries to come. However, this legacy will be extremly stange and neutral, it will be an obsure fact that has almost nothing to do with your tangible day to day life (the best comparision being the legacy of General Tso Tsungtang, an extremely gifted and successful military leader during the seventeeth century Quig Dynasty who is somewhat exclusively remembered as the name sake for the popular Chineese dish General Tso's chicken) So the question is ....... which legacy would you choose??
User Comments
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If I had to I would choose door #1.
Personally I don't care who remembered me or the work I did.
I am not working for fame but for the love of my God who I believe will remember me and my work.
Most people will never know I lived but I would and my God would and that is all that matters to me.
To hell with the people.-
Great response Jeunelle... I couldn't agree more :-)
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Awesome! glad someone took the time to read that whole question, I just get so tired of all the for lack of better term "silly threads"
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@kat822...This is not a silly thread, you asked a question that's been on my mine for the last few months now.
I think we need to ask ourselves why are we working and for who, what do we plan
to get out of it, if anything?
I help people daily in my Optical field, it's not just trying on glasses.
I have some women who came to me to hid a black eye buy purchasing big sunglasses.
They tell me they walked into a door or wall when I know for a fact their husband is beating them and abusing them.
I have helped a few women get out of abusive relationships.
You would be surprise to see how many people come to trust me with their private lives
while I am dispensing eyeglasses/sunglasses to them.
I could take this business Global and become Super Rich and Famous if I want
but that would mean I would have no time for myself running a Global business,
so I have to decide how much do I want to give up of myself and what are the true reasons
why I am in this business.
I am in this business to help a few people, I am not doing it for fame and riches.
I may not be remembered for my work but so what. -
Junelle thanks for commenting and not thinking it's a silly post, I have actually posted some really silly threads on purpose....remember the fabric softner vs dryer sheet thread....I am wondering if this more intellectual thread will get more responses ....come on Bcers this is your chance to redeem yourselfs
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Second one for Polybore. Something obscure would be great. Like the inventor of the velcro baby cannon. -
oh polly you crack me up, I am workng on getting you an audio file lol, I have been told I have an awesome voice lolllllllllllll
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With me being a father of three, I would have to take door #1, hands down, no second thoughts.
Knowing that I would be remembered for something useless diturbs. Knowing that I had a positive effect in life, even if it only my children...I could die in peace.-
RTB kids are our legacy aren't they? wouldn't have expected any other answer from you! kudos to you
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@ dlowe, I loved that post, PEOPLE click on the link and read it , you sound like an awesome DAD....
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I have actually pondered this before. I would certainly take the first one (which I believe I have already done in reality. LOL)
The funny thing is though, you never know. Something you change about your life could effect generations to come they just might not realize it.
I wrote a post about it:
www.hackyoursoul.com/?p=12
Burden of DNA
Shameless I tell you!-
you are so shameless, but it was worth it, great post
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I'd take the first one myself.
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Me too, Anok
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Good topic. Number 1 hands down! I intend to continue living my life in the best way I can. I could care less who remembers me or my work after I am gone.
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I'll take the number 1 please without the General Tso's. -
Even though I would love to be remembered forever as Armando's Burritos I think it just doesnt matter which you choose. The argument doesnt argue the fact that if you choose the second one you didnt live a good life or you weren't honest or contributed to society. If you have a legacy(#2) as such, it doesnt necessarily take anything away from what you did and if that was to be everything the first one said then this choice is one in the same. I dont think this hypothectical is about choosing which legacy you want but rather more about what makes you feel comfortable. Vanity, worth, self-worth, dignity, the fear of living a life you dont feel was worth as much as it could have been worth. All those things. But like I said, I think there is an overlap in the question, a loop-hole so to speak.
But anyway, of course I would live my days as a good and honest person who worked hard and contributed to society and if I get a legacy like Armando's melons then I think we all win.
Buzz Buzz
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Just f-ing pick door number one or door number two would ya! lol, oh rg and I are in chat, and mom is farting a storm up over there, so get your arse in the Bad ass, and I showcased your wrting on my blog, oh and of course you can see how many people have posted to this intellectual question, guess there is a more interesting thread like what is the cost of gas in your area go figure
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ah good ol' Kat, I love how blunt you are. Sorry, its a friday or was a friday, whichever and I was out. I missed on the farting party? dang it! I always miss the good stuff.
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well what can i say a day late and dollar short fly
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When I was a kid growing up, I always said that I wanted my life to end by being eaten by a frenzy of sharks, that way people would be sure to remember me, or at the very least the impact of my death will cause them not to forget me to o quickly.
But now that i'm grown, and I have children of my own my outlook on life and death has changed.
My children are important to me, and I want my death to be less than my life to them ie, I want it to have less of an impact.
So the first option seem like the most appropriate to me.-
Awesome response and your daughter is adorable, love the name too
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I'd like #3, world domination, but since I can't have that, I'll take #2. I wouldn't mind having a taco named after me. -
this is why I love ya offended, asking for shit that isn't even an option, you go girl
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As long as it's something high in fat and salt. Those kinds of things will be around forever.
Don Chips
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