3-02: To Be Forgotten

Thoughts on Personal Legacy

When Lex Fridman asked Kanye West what he hoped his legacy would be, Kanye responded by saying he hopes to be forgotten. This is a strange answer from someone who has built his career by compounding his personal brand. He goes on to discuss several ubiquitous objects like sidewalks, water fountains, stop signs, and stop lights. Almost no one knows who invented them, improved them, or helped bring them into our daily lives. Those inventors and workers are honored daily through the use of their creations even though they remain unknown.

So often, after someone achieves significant wealth, they become a philanthropist, donating tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to universities, hospitals, museums, or other institutions. This philanthropy can do tremendous good. These donations educate students, care for patients, and preserve culture. Still, they almost always include naming the new school or building after the donor. The concept of associating your name with something you created can certainly lead to good. It can inspire the next generation to persevere and strive to achieve their own successes so that they, too, can leave something behind.

I have been trying to apply this thinking to my own life, even though I’ve yet to amass enough wealth to name a building after myself. The harder question is whether I can create, build, give, or donate something meaningful without making my name the reason for doing so. I have even considered this with my writings. There is certainly some irony in publishing under my own name and writing about wanting to be forgotten. That is not lost on me.

I hope that, through enough practice and refinement, my writing will eventually become recognizable as mine. I publish my essays and thoughtfully consider every subsequent topic. The goal may be to seek to do work that speaks for itself, regardless of whether or not it has your name on it.