It's only natural to think of what you'll leave behind one day.  Everyone does...whether it's a spouse, children, work you've done, possessions...and I've noticed that many social network sites become tribute pages, and many don't change at all.

One thing that I loved about living in Japan was the way their culture embraced impermanence, much of it due to the Buddhist religion they practice alongside Shintoism.  "Hanami" is a great example of this- flower watching, or, more specifically, the cherry blossom festival.  When the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, many people go out and have picnics under the trees.  The cherry blossom is a symbol of impermanence- the beauty of the flowers, so delicate, white as snow...and they only last a couple of weeks before the tree is bereft of flowers, and the petals are scattered upon the ground like snow...and then completely gone before long.  But the point of Hanami is to get out and appreciate the flowers (like life), before they are gone.  Here's one of the pictures I took when I was going through Kyoto in April about 5 years ago:



To me, a lot of Western cultures tend to try to prolong life, while sacrificing quality, simply because we are afraid of our own end.  To me, I'm not afraid (I don't believe in an afterlife)...but I simply try to live my life the best I can without worrying about it.  Hopefully, I will leave behind my children and their families, and really, that's the only legacy I care about.

Last edited by sj4iy (August 16, 2013 3:19 pm)

I'm very sorry to hear that, kittykat.
I also hope for an afterlife, and I can't believe everything will be over once one dies.

sj4iy: I agree, but I've never included these social networks in those ponderings.

No matter what one believes, it's important not to postpone things but live life as best as possible.

Mattlocked wrote:

Kerkerian wrote:

...No matter what one believes, it's important not to postpone things but live life as best as possible.

 
..and as happy as possible.
What I (especially at the moment) find quite difficult as I it frightens me that one day my life (or that of beloved ones) will be over and I have to think a lot about it. Which already makes me sad when I still could (should) be happy.
Some people think it's a benefit to know that all life ends, but I sometimes envy my cat who just lives every day and doesn't know about an end. (At least I assume.)

But then I think this was mainly about internet, so please forgive me being slightly OT.

I understand your point of view: for me, I'm more frightened by the deaths of my loved ones than my own..... I've lost already too many members of my family

 

sj4y: That's one of the things I love about Japan too. Sorry to hear about your dad (God, he's really not been lucky with health )

Kittykat: sorry to hear about your mum too.

I don't believe in afterlife (I'm an atheist) but somehow it warms me up to know that I'll leave a trace (other than my son, I mean), even if it's fanfictions which have already sunk into oblivion a few days after being posted

My husband died one year ago. He had subscribed to facebook a couple of months before his death and I can't bring myself to delete his account. It somehow gives me the feeling he's still "there", in a way... Deleting his account (or his old tea blog for example) would make me feel erasing him a little more. Just can't explain... It's just like my answering machine still says his name as if he was still there, and even after a year, I don't manage to change the message...