“'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
What does it mean to leave your mark on the world? It is a bit of an awkward question, because your ‘mark’ cannot be ‘left’ until after you die- and no one wants to think about death, but they do want their legacy to be remembered.
Some people build great things. Some people create art. Some people donate money or help in a worthy cause. Some people kill for power. Some people are killed for taking a stand. Some people sit quietly and let life pass them. -- And in the end, are these people any different from each other?
You can be great and mighty and powerful and kind and famous, but time is a memory’s greatest enemy and you will be forgotten. Perhaps not fully, but time will turn the colors of your life into faded and unrecognizable pictures in a box. Is this sad? Yes.
The take-away from this poem may vary depending on the person who reads it. For me, the poem spoke of how futile our yearnings for remembrance after death can be. I don’t think we should waste our lives, despairing over the fact that we will probably not be remembered for very long once we are dead, but we should let go of that goal. I think we should live life out of service to others, experiencing what we are called to do, loving others, becoming active participants in society, making colorful memories- but without the always looming cloud of hope and nervousness that we will solidify our mark.
Well said. Why worry about something you practically have little to no control over? No one can determine the future, neither change it to fit their desires. All we have the power over is what we do with our lives now, making them worth something in the present moment. The moments that will be valued most, however, are how you give your efforts to the benefit of others. After all, if all you do is keep the effort lock inside yourself, how will you expect anyone to remember you after your passing? We all must strive to live a truly wonderful life of character no matter the circumstance.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful commentary! And nice work connecting it back to you. It's so important to know how to get something from a poem and not just read it :)
ReplyDelete"Time is memory's greatest enemy and you will be forgotten." I love this so much! You know how to use words to express exactly what you are thinking and it's a very good skill. What a great piece of writing!
ReplyDeleteWell written and stuff.
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