On history

Now history is often an interesting thing, it encapsulates a person's long life into one short line of introduction. I only remember my maternal grandfather as a former Thasildhar of the city of Madurai (The Head of local administration), no more. This is all the I know about this gentleman, since he was dead long before I was born. This got me thinking about what would I be remebered as by people who have never met me.

R., the famous writer perhaps (yeah right! sounds corny even to me), R., the billionnaire (hmm, as much as I like this line of thought, I digress from the topic ).

I believe a part of the success that we crave out of things we do is to leave a legacy behind. I could very well be wrong but humour me in this line of thought, will you? Some people are remembered for a single day or single act in their lives, Paul Revere for a horse ride, Columbus for his directional brilliance, Neil Armstrong for climbing down a ladder (not to mention poor Buzz Aldrin, the first man to pee in his pants on the moon) etc. And some are remebered for their lives, examples being, Albert Einstein for his contribution to science, Gandhi for his contribution to peace and social thought, Leonardo Da Vinci, for his contribution to arts and science etc. Infact, Da Vinci, if some historians are correct has left a lot of mysteries in his works of art to keep people interested in him for a very long time. I'm told that the Shroud of Turin might be a fake created by this brilliant prankster and that too in his own image (It is alleged to be the first ever photograph).

Artists writers, creators and inventors have it better, they can leave their visions creations and most importantly thoughts, behind in a hope that these would be seen, read and appreciated over hundreds of years. Those of us who don't possess these skills end up with just the one line to sum up our lives.

What would you like to be remembered as? It really isn't a certainity that we can pick the moment nor even like what we would be remembered as. For example, what ever poor Monica Lewinsky does in her life, she would always be remembered as the girl who had sex in the oval office. One married man, one misplaced secret and a branding for eternity.

Do you remember Tiananmen's Square in 1989? A single man stopped a column of tanks from advancing and became an instant living legend, an eternal symbol of peace and a powerful image of the triumph of free spirit. I don't think he would have realised this that fateful morning when he had his breakfast.

Interesting to think that this new week might contain the very moment that just might sum up your life.

Look sharp! A your spot in history might just be around the corner!