Cover Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash
A fool’s errand that can give meaning to anyone’s life.
When you think about who had an impact on history, who do you think of?
You might be thinking about political figures, religious leaders, or inventors, perhaps. You might be thinking about good people, but also about very nasty people.
What do they all have in common?
That’s a question I’ve been trying to answer myself. Wanting to make a dent in history is an almost-impossible goal to achieve. In fact, if you think about the people that came to mind above, do you think their aim was to make history? For most of them, I think not.
When I was 8 years old, I wanted to be an inventor. I thought that was a regular job, not unlike being a policeman or truck driver. A few years later, I wanted to make video games, which I started making at the age of 13. I thought I’d make games so good they’d be remembered for generations to come. That never happened.
Today, I care deeply about self-betterment through higher quality education. I believe I can leave my mark this way.
But the truth is, I could leave my mark through video games as well. I realized this:
The only way to make your mark in history is by creating radical transformation.
It doesn’t matter if it’s for good or evil. It doesn’t matter what or who creates it. Something goes down in history only if its impact is so important on the transformation of something deeply established that there’s no way to go back from that moment in time.
Go through the exercise from above again. Think about people who are a catalyst for massive change.
What have they done that’s so life-changing that they’re remembered today, even if they may have lived thousands of years ago?
So, can someone today make their mark in history?
Certainly, in theory, it’s as simple as making transformation humanity cannot go back from.
The first people who’ll manage to go to Mars and colonize it will go down in history. This is a life-changing event. People who discover the cure for cancer will likely go down in history as well. People who revolutionize transportation will go down in history (think pseudo teleportation).
I could go on and on about things that are likely to make a mark in history. They don’t happen every year, but in your lifetime, you might witness life-changing moments so important they’ll be remembered for years to come.
Is this a good aspiration to have?
Probably not. But I like the idea that it’s possible. I only have one life, might as well do everything I can to make it count. Chances are very slim that something I’ll do will have such an impact, but even if my impact lasts for a few years after I’m gone, this is a great life.
When I heard about Van Gogh’s story about how he actually struggled all his life and never really sold any paintings until he died, I felt bad for him. He didn’t live to see his own success.
Today I realize: who gives a damn? You only live 100 years if you‘re lucky. The only way to “live” longer is to create something so great people still want it after you’re gone.
I thought that I wanted to live my own success. But it doesn’t matter. It’s selfish ambition. With only a few exceptions, selfishness won’t leave a mark. Selflessness will. And that is the path I’ve chosen.
You may not have the ambition to make a mark in history, but know that your life is short. Find ways to make it live longer. It doesn’t have to be grandiose. Giving quality education to your own children is enough. Finding such a purpose is deeply motivating and makes living another day the best gift you were ever given.
You can do this!