So I was taking some time to watch some of the clips from and delve into the series “invincible” and let me tell you, its a hair-raisingly brutal series but its also pretty awesome. Not just because the main race of beings in the series all appear to be avid fans of the stylings of Freddie Mercury, but because it raises a lot of poignant questions about life, legacy, and change that the average comic doesn’t.
One of the things that struck a particular cord with me was the aspect of Legacy.
In the particularly brutal image above, we see Nolan Grayson A.K.A Omni Man, standing over his bloodied son Mark Grayson having a particularly intense exchange. The exchange is over the fact that his son refuses to accept his destiny as a member of the Viltrumite species, a warrior race of intergalactic conquerors sporting an oddly Freddie Mercury-esque moustache. (I wonder if they’re accepting honorary members.)
The exchange turns violent as Nolan tries to do everything he can to make his son realize that humans in the grand scheme of things are insignificant and his legacy matters the most. Now, while I can’t really identify with the point of humans being an insignificant species, I do understand that there is a very important point being made about thinking about the future in the line:
“What will you have after 500 Years?”
To make this more realistic, lets just think about your theoretical great great grandchildren. What will be the tales that your great grandchildren and their parents tell them about you when you’re invoked? Have you done anything to have them regaled with amazing tales of your exploits, adventures, and conquests? Or are they going to get the generic, “He/She was a good and kind hearted person” filler arc?
We have to stop thinking about our life in the sense of a day by day grind and start looking at it as an adventure with each day being a new arc. At the end of your life, you should have amassed an amazing catalog of adventures to be told to & continued by your offspring.
And speaking of your offspring, you should be able to have enough of a legacy left for them to take up and continue to progress your ideation and goals, while leaving their individual imprint upon it for their children to pursue. You want your legacy to be one that inspires your lineage to great action of their own. That’s why you should want to start a family, have offspring, and equip them with the tools and values necessary for successful survival. Its all about legacy. In this, you create an endless tale for those of your lineage to begin to craft a grand multi-generational adventure that bequeaths to them a generational wealth FAR GREATER than any monetary inheritance can give them.
To recap, remember:
Do not live your life to simply exist, this is the fare of paltry animals. As humans, we have greater agency, concept of the future, and an understanding of the rudiments of time in the way that mere 3 dimensional beings can have. EVERYTHING done within a day should be a piece to a great puzzle, a stitch in the grand tapestry that makes up our lives.
Start a family. Having children is a MUST. The lifespan of a human is only at most, 100 years. While long to us, a minute is but an infinitesimal drop in the expansive ocean that is reality. Your children and their children are the true key to immortality, but only if you follow the first step and leave them something to continue and have your family name ascribed to.
With this, I’m sure that you or rather your great great great great grandchildren will be able to easily answer the question: “What will you have after 500 Years?”
I hope you all enjoyed this piece by me. I know this tends to be a rare occurrence that I’ll drop one of these “Warrior Series” mindset pieces now with the ever-growing catalog of articles I’m amassing but I haven’t forgotten about you self-improvement junkies. I’d like to do a lot more of these, but they won’t be free. This is simply a rare treat that I’m dropping for individuals who may not have families or may be living their lives in a way that is sub-optimal for the purpose of being remembered or having a legacy. If you would like to get access to these as well as useful “How To” and “News Breakdowns” then I suggest you use the button above and pick up a special offer paid subscription.
Until then, continue to FleX on all of your challenges!
[Warrior Series] What will you have after 500 Years? (FREE ARTICLE )