Legacy
90 percent of wealthy families lose their wealth by the third generation.
There was a study of 3,200 wealthy families that was made over a period of 20 years and it showed that seven (7) in 10 families tend to lose their fortune by the second generation, while nine (9) in 10 lose it by the third generation.
Legacy of Wealth. Wealthy people buy land/property, build houses/edifices and even monuments as mementos of “their will” in a lifetime. These physical manifestations may or may not stand the test of time but it can not be denied that there is piece of conventional wisdom that appears to transcend cultures — Wealth may pay, but it may not stay.
Legacy of Beauty. Artists such as painters, writers and musicians; and builders, such as engineers, architects and masons — their legacy is on their body of work. Often though, such a legacy, rarely ever transcends generations and in most cases, acknowledgement happens posthumously.
Legacy of Knowledge. Teachers and trainers, gurus and shamans, transfer bodies of knowledge, thru oral tradition and/or written text (and now digitally) for future generations to learn from and perhaps build in order to maintain what works, avoid the same mistakes and solve problems.
Legacy of Terror. There are those diabolical humans who have committed atrocities to millions of other humans for reasons beyond mortal comprehension.
A human body is finite — it is born, it dies. Empires rise and fall. Civilizations sprout and die out.
So in this 3-D world, what then is a legacy that lives on beyond lifetimes?
True legacy lies in the blood.
Our DNA contains the code. It is the ultimate proof of life and it has made it possible for anthropologists to trace our ancient origins i.e. Asians roots are Denisovans, Neanderthals are Europeans and Homo Habilis/Sapiens are the Sub-Saharan Africans. That also explains why we have different blood types because of inter-species mating/breeding.
Evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology and evolutionary game theory all purport that behavioral, emotional, experiential, and trauma memory is passed down thru the DNA. The code “strong” genes and “weak” genes refer to the dominant and the recessive traits, respectively. These dictate the “quality” of humans that will be produced based on the “genetic lottery”.
If you take the time to study your own family’s lineage, then you would notice the patterns from up to 3 generations before you. Say, you noticed that you had family members who died of cancer, heart disease, obesity; or a lot of your predecessors were either doctors, lawyers or professionals of some sort; or you were born in a family of businesspeople and entrepreneurs; and perhaps, you are a family of artists and musicians. Better yet, your lineage is a mix of 2 or 3 of the aforementioned!
You are the legacy of your ancestors BUT you also have the power to create your own legacy by making changes to your code. For example, if you were born in a family of obese people, then you can break that cycle by building DNA memory — transform your physical and psychological makeup by embodying the form that you want BEFORE you have children. That way, the blueprint will remain and will imprint on your offspring.
Another example is: everyone in your family works for the “family business” but you choose to follow your own path. You are creating your own legacy. Your blood will remember that and it will be passed on long before you have expired from this world.
Whatever “quality of legacy” you want, humor yourself by answering this question: Does your DNA deserve a spot on the modern day Noah’s Ark being built by Elon Musk for humans to occupy Mars? Or will your lineage be worthy, and by that, I mean be of service to the growth and progress of a New World that would be created wherever/whenever that may be? Give that a thought.
